Cleveland’s meh year in review: The top 10 sports stories in 2025

My New Year’s wish for Cleveland sports fans for 2026 is quite simple: Something, anything, more hopeful and exciting than what we just witnessed.

When I began reviewing the year for the top 10 moments of 2025, it was difficult to even find 10 items. The Cavs collapsed in the second round of the playoffs, the Guardians were eliminated quickly from the playoffs after a dismal summer and a thrilling September, and the Browns are forever double-dipping in the punch bowl.

Here it is. The 10 most, uh, impactful moments in 2025 Cleveland sports. Some are heartfelt, some leave a sting. Hopefully, better days lie ahead.

10. Bernie Kosar’s life-saving transplant

In the overall scheme of things, this could rank No. 1. But since it’s more of a medical miracle than a sports story, we’ll begin with uplifting Kosar news. The Cleveland football legend was fighting for his life, enduring multiple surgeries a day to try and stop internal bleeding, when a liver donor emerged in November. The family of Bryce Dunlap, a 21-year-old Browns fan, donated the liver to Kosar after Bryce died from a tragic medical emergency. Kosar is still battling additional health problems, but the new liver is giving him a fighting chance.

9. Cleveland awarded W team

WNBA basketball is returning to one of its original colonies — with a much larger fan base this time and wildly more popular. The Cleveland Rockers were a dud when they debuted in 1997. The team was barely drawing 7,000 fans when it folded in 2003. This time, it will likely look much different. The league is exploding in popularity, and the rebranded Rockers will be owned by Dan Gilbert. The Cavs are one of the best in the NBA at in-game entertainment. The Rockers will surely enjoy the same feel when they return as an expansion team in 2028.

8. Browns get their dome

It was a long, sometimes ugly battle, but Jimmy and Dee Haslam finally got approval for their long-coveted dome stadium. The total price tag is expected to be around $2.4 billion and should open in 2029. Haslam navigated legal battles with both city and county officials, but ultimately is getting what he wanted because Jimmy always gets what Jimmy wants — besides a winner. Now the question is whether anyone can afford to go, and will the product be worth watching in four years?

7. Atkinson, Vogt named coach/manager of the year

Kenny Atkinson was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in his first season and Steven Vogt was named MLB’s Manager of the Year. Vogt is now 2-for-2. He has managed a team twice in his life and was voted the best in the league at doing it both times. Quite impressive. The Cavs started on a 15-0 tear and won 64 games in their first season under Atkinson, although the second season hasn’t gone quite as well. Vogt navigated the Guardians through devastating gambling accusations over the summer and resuscitated a team that appeared dead in July. They rallied to win the division, which leads us to …

6. Guardians’ September rally

The Guardians were 15 1/2 games out of first place in July and remained 11 games behind Detroit in September. The Tigers’ collapse, coupled with the Guardians’ incredible tear of going 17-2 over three weeks in September, completed the unlikely comeback. It was all for naught since the Tigers won the Wild Card Series anyway, but the Guardians at least got their first look at George Valera and Chase DeLauter, two outfielders who will hopefully help this franchise for years to come.

5. Garrett chases sack record

Myles Garrett was about the only thing to get excited about with the Browns this season. It was an eventful year for Garrett, which began with his trade demand and his press tour during the Super Bowl. Garrett turned that into a massive $160 million extension and then responded with a career year in pursuing the single-season sack record shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, Garrett is the Browns’ Maserati that is fun to drive while their house is in foreclosure. If he breaks the mark next week in the season finale, it will come with a distinction. Strahan set the record during a 16-game season. Watt needed 17 to tie it. Garrett will also need 17 games. He has all but wrapped up another Defensive Player of the Year award. That will have to be his consolation prize.

4. Tom Hamilton inducted into Hall of Fame

One of the very best humans and broadcasters in professional sports finally had his day when Hamilton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last July as the Ford C. Frick winner after four other attempts as a finalist. Hamilton’s “Swing and a drive!” calls are legendary, as is his warmth and personality. Hammy is one of the best. Period. At life and in his chosen field. His election was richly deserved.

3. Cavs lose to Pacers

The Cavaliers’ remarkable 64-win regular season came crashing down quickly in the postseason. A stunning second-round exit in five games to the Indiana Pacers derailed what was expected to be a potential Finals run for the No. 1 seed in the East. Injuries certainly played a role, but the hangover still seems evident. This isn’t the same team as last season. Sure, there have been more injuries, but something looks broken right now. The Cavs have 3 1/2 months to get it fixed before we really begin keeping score.

2. Guardians’ gambling scandal

Major League Baseball, the Guardians and the sports world at large were stunned when a pair of Cleveland pitchers were taken off the field over gambling allegations. Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase were ultimately charged in federal court for throwing fraudulent pitches, triggering a larger conversation around micro bets. Baseball responded with cap wagers on micro bets. I maintain that the only solution is to ban them entirely.

1. Browns draft Shedeur Sanders

The Browns rocked the draft when they selected Sanders in the fifth round, No. 144. Haslam has since acknowledged that when they left the team facility following the second night of the draft, taking Sanders was not in their plans. All of that changed by the next morning, and he was a Brown by that night. Sanders leads the team in passing yards and has been a constant source of headlines since his arrival. Sometimes his play has matched the attention. Mostly, it has not.

Thank you all for reading along this year. Have a safe and Happy New Year, and we’ll talk again in 2026.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians, WNBA, NFL

2025 The Athletic Media Company

Source link