Sports stars who are glad to see the end of 2023

2023 is a year that many in sports won’t forget, for better or for worse. We’ll focus on the people who are happy to see 2023 in the rear view mirror, as they had performances or moments that they want the world to forget about. They have their fingers and toes crossed that 2024 will turn out much more favorably.

It’s been a tumultuous year for Green, to say the least. Thanks to multiple on-court incidents where he struck an opposing player, the NBA has indefinitely suspended him from play. His championship resume cannot be dismissed, but his recent conduct is damaging his perception around the league and in the public.

Morant was on the fast track to becoming one of the best players in the NBA before 2023, but that booming stock has been sidetracked. He shared two social media posts of himself holding a gun, which the NBA did not take kindly to. He was suspended in the 2022-2023 season and to begin the 2023-2024 campaign, and the Memphis Grizzlies fared poorly in each of those stretches.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have stormed up the NBA standings, showing fans that they are the next young team ready to make a leap. However, Giddey was embroiled in controversy last November, as it was revealed that he had a relationship with an underage girl. While the Thunder and the NBA did not discipline Giddey, it was an embarrassing look.

The Panthers don’t want 2023 spoken of ever again. They’ve been the worst team in the NFL this season, and have made personnel decisions that may set them back for years. They hired and fired head coach Frank Reich, and traded up to draft quarterback Bryce Young first overall. Young has struggled mightily in his rookie campaign.

While he hopes that 2023 was not the beginning of the end, Scherzer may have had Father Time catch up with him in the past year. He wasn’t the same dominant pitcher fans have come to know and love, and dealt with a myriad of injuries. Even though the Texas Rangers won the World Series, Scherzer wasn’t exactly a major contributor.

The record for longest losing streak in a single NBA season now belongs to the Pistons, who are mired in mediocrity. This was supposed to be the season that Detroit showed signs of improvement with a talented young core. Instead, they have found ways to drop games in historic fashion.

The NCAA men’s basketball committee gave Purdue University a number one seed in the 2023 tournament, thinking they were a contender to win it all. Instead, the team suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of Farleigh Dickinson. No one saw this coming, as the Boilermakers were supposed to use their size up front to dominate the paint, but it did not work out that way.

After years of being labeled as one of the worst owners in sports, Snyder finally sold the Washington Commanders in 2023. There’s a case to be made that this was the year Snyder escaped ridicule for questionable management of a franchise, but it was likely embarrassing for him to succumb to the throngs of critics he had acquired over the years.

Simmons was once viewed as one of the best two way players in the NBA, but that ship has sailed in 2023. He doesn’t seem to be the same player that he was in his early years, and chronic injuries have sapped him of his explosiveness. It’s uncertain whether or not Simmons can ever get back to the All-Star form he once displayed.

Durant forced a trade from the Brooklyn Nets once he saw things going south, and landed with the Phoenix Suns in February 2023. Things did not go as planned at the end of last season, as Durant hurt his ankle slipping on a wet spot in pregame warmups. This year, highly prized addition Bradley Beal has not been able to stay healthy, torpedoing Phoenix’s chance to do damage in the West.

It was supposed to be a glorious second chapter for Rodgers as the savior of a New York Jets franchise that badly needed resurrection. Instead, Rodgers tore his Achilles after four plays in Week 1, and has had to watch the Jets stumble from the sidelines. The veteran quarterback hopes he can return to full form ahead of the 2024 season.

Certain sports media figures are also thrilled to see 2023 over and done with. Jackson was let go by ESPN in the summer, and seemed to have a gig with the New York Knicks lined up before it seemed to be strangely revoked. Jackson posted on social media that naysayers were treating him unfairly.

After winning over 100 games in the 2022 season, 2023 was supposed to be the year the Mets made a deep run in the playoffs. That dream didn’t come close to materializing, as New York crashed and burned in the first few months of the season. They traded a number of veterans in July to help build for the future.

Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which is something that fans of the team will never forget. Unfortunately, the world will also not forget the kiss that Spanish football president Luis Rubiales gave player Jenni Hermoso. The latter said that the kiss was not consensual, and landed Rubiales in hot water for the ensuing months.

It’s possible that 2024 will be a year Harbaugh will never forget on the positive side, but 2023 ended with some controversy. The Big 10 suspended Michigan’s football coach while they were in the middle of their season. This was in relation to taping the program did of other schools, which was a violation of competitive integrity.