Ranking My Sports Years, Pt. 3: #8 - #1

8.) 2024  (+17)

NFL: Eagles (+4 * 3)

NHL: Panthers (+2 * 2)

MLB: Dodgers (-3 * 2)

NBA: Celtics (-3)

UCL: Real Madrid (+5)

NCAAF/BB: Ohio State / UCONN (+1)

Tennis: Sinner / Alcaraz / Alcaraz / Sinner (+2 * 2)

Let me start with that last one, because keen observers will recognize that I'm far more pro this season of Sincaraz dominance than 2025 - partially because it gets a bit boring after a while (especially when I don't have a significant rooting interest) and partially because in 2024 it was more the end of Nole's reign, may it never come to pass again. Anyway, the Eagles blowout was fun to watch someone do that the Chiefs (even if had the Chiefs won, they probably get a +2). I talked a lot in the last one (2015) about both the NHL and MLB having win/win series where either outcome would be positive. Well, here the MLB and NBA are the opposite, but even then both came out with the worse of the two options (vs. Yankees / Mavs). Finally, what really makes the year sing is Real Madrid (as so often does) with another UCL win, the turning of Vini into the world's best player (even if FIFA screwed him over for the Ballon d'Or). Real Madrid can keep on winning damn UCLs and I'll keep loving all of them with equal furver.

7.) 2008  (+19)

NFL: Steelers (+3 * 3)

NHL: Red Wings (-2 * 2)

MLB: Phillies (+2 * 2)

NBA: Celtics (+4)

UCL: Manchester Utd (-4)

NCAAF/B: Florida / Kansas (+2)

Tennis: Djokovic / Nadal / Nadal / Federer (+4 * 2)

Tennis baby! Nadal's breakthrough at Wimbledon and humuliation of Federer in Paris is enough to give this a high grade even with Federer winning a slam at a time where I probably was at my apex of hating him. There's some weird ones here - Man U scoring a -4 because I hated Cristiano Ronaldo at the time (LOL), and the Celtics counter-balancing it with a +4 because I hated the Lakers way more and did like the Garnett/Allen/Pierce story - plus by this point the 2007 Pats lost in infamy so Boston was slapped down a bit. The Phillies were a fun story in an otherwise forgettable MLB season. The Wings weren't as bad as the alternative. The Steelers were an amazing defense and won a classic Super Bowl that was a win/win for me. And of course, college - where I have to average out being critically annoyed by the Tebow led Gators (like we all were) but loving Kansas winning that classic over Memphis. In the end, I'll take it as a positive trade there. Sneaky good year that wouldn't have jumped off the page when this exercise started.

6.) 2013  (+20)

NFL: Seahawks (+3 * 3)

NHL: Blackhawks (+4 * 2)

MLB: Red Sox (-3 * 2)

NBA: Heat (-4)

UCL: Bayern Munich (+4)

NCAAF/BB: Florida State / Louisville (+3)

Tennis: Djokovic / Nadal / Murray / Nadal (+3 * 2)

Easily my highest scoring year to not feature a '5' in it, as generally it was a super positive year with two exceptions - one notably so with the Heat stealing my guts out with Allen's shot. Granted, by this point I had come around on LeBron - see me writing my first ever "The Acceptable Loss" column about that Finals - how I felt then, and even more so now. Bayern was tons of fun, even if that is more about the SF demolition of Barca (cheating, I know). Florida State and the Jameis experience was hilariously memorable in the moment (random: watched the NCAAF final in a service apartment in Battle Creek, Michigan, where I was sharing it with a colleague who would leave the company and compete on the Amazing Race two years later...). The Blackhawks fun dominance was only amplified by them breaking the hearts of a way too overconfident Boston fanbase. And finally, the Seahawks continue a tradition of being glumly accepting of watching such defensive greatness, even if came against the wishes of me and my team. Tennis is the tie-breaker here agin, as it was the revival of revival's of Nadal (though we'll get to 2017 which was even better) coming back from the dead and beating Novak twice on his way to two more slams. Awesome stuff. Fuck the Red Sox though, for making me almost root for the Cardinals...

5.) 2021  (+22)

NFL: Rams (+3 * 3)

NHL: Lightning (+5 * 2)

MLB: Braves (+1 * 2)

NBA: Bucks (+3)

UCL: Chelsea (+3)

NCAAF/B: Georgia / Baylor (+1)

Tennis: Djokovic / Djokovic / Djokovic / Medvedev (-3 * 2)

Funny that there are years above it with more negative scores than this one, but man is this one negative rough... Granted, it easily could've been worse, had Novak completed his Nole slam. I don't know how much this matters, but I wasn't even really there to witness him finally losing, as the final occurred when I was on a trip with friends in Spain & Portugal (though one of them was a Djokovic fan, so taht was fun...). Other than that, this year was dominated by more just hapiness and relief that the peak of Covid was over, and fans were back in stadiums, even if not at max capacity for the conclusions of the NBA and NHL seasons. The Lightning get a boost there watching them win at home in front of a full house after winning in the bubble the year prior. The Bucks were quite likeable - as were teh Rams in another rare win/win (especially rare for Super Bowls). Hell, even the Braves were fairly likeable and by Game 4 I was certain the Astros didn't really deserve that title - plus they avenged the 2018 ALCS loss by beating Boston, so all was well anyway. It was a peak "good vibes" year, just ruined by that dastardly Djokovic (or more than that, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who blew a 2-0 set lead in the French final).

4.) 2010 (+24)

NFL: Packers (+1 * 3)

NHL: Blackhawks (+3 * 2)

MLB: Giants (+4 * 2)

NBA: Lakers (-4)

UCL: Inter Milan (+2)

NCAAF/B: Auburn / Duke (-1)

Tennis: Federer / Nadal / Nadal / Nadal (+5 * 2)

Let's start at the end once again, as what more is there to say about my only '+5' year in tennis? Nadal became first, and still only, player to win the French, Wimbledon and US Open in the same year, including completing Tennis with his career slam US Open win where he suddenly served 120+ all tournament (it wouldn't last, as it impacted his shoulder, so he stopped). That's 60% of the year's core right there. Some of the other highlights were still quite nice, however, from the Blackhawks breaking their drought in a super fun, highs coring final. The Giants breaking their own drought with Lincecum and Co showing out. Inter Milan was fun as a Mourinho fan who loved their win over Barcelona, and even the Packers were unthreatening mostly. Really though, none of that - even the Lakers blech-inducing Game 7 win over Boston, or Duke ripping our souls by beating Butler, could counteract Nadal reaching those damn heights. If ever one year is defined by one sport to me, it is this one.

2.) 2019  (+26)

NFL: Chiefs (+4 * 3)

NHL: Blues (+3 * 2)

MLB: Nationals (-4 * 2)

NBA: Raptors (+4)

UCL: Liverpool (+2)

NCAAF/B: LSU / Virginia (+4)

Tennis: Djokovic / Nadal / Djokovic / Nadal (+3 * 2)

Fuck the Nationals. Had the Astros just won Game 6 or 7 at home, where they led in the back half of both games, this would be my #1 year (+26 would become +44). But alas, the Nationals got to Verlander in Game 6, and then got to the bullpen in Game 7 after the Astros squandered so many chances. I tell myself that I'm in retrospect happy the Astros didn't win because had the cheating scandal broke right after they won the World Series, I do think the punishment wouldn've been more sever. But it's amazing that every other score is a +2 or better (and +3 / +3 / +4 in the multiplier sports) and that Nats win drags this down. This was an amazing year otherwise - Nadal winning a dramatic final over Medvedev and ending the year #1 again, the Raptors shocking the world against the Warriors, teh Blues comign from nowhere to beat Boston in Boston in Game 7 (karmic payback for 2011), and of course the Chiefs winning their first Super Bowl right before Covid, and maybe the best win/win of my life. The NCAA score may surprise, but that LSU team was so damn fun to watch (still insane that Burrow / Chase / Jefferson were on teh same team) and Virginia won me my first March Madness pool ever, and a cool $400 or so in my work pool. Great year, but damn those Nats.

2.) 2017  (+27)

NFL: Eagles (+5 * 3)

NHL: Penguins (-3 * 2)

MLB: Astros (+5 * 2)

NBA: Warriors (-3)

UCL: Real Madrid  (+5)

NCAAF/B: Alabama / UNC (-2)

Tennis: Federer / Nadal / Federer / Nadal (+4 * 2)

I'm a bit surprised this isn't my number one, but when I got down to it, I can't argue with why my #1 is higher. The three highs are about as high as I could ask for (I find it hilarious that my only two years with three +5's are #3 and #2). The Eagles pulling off an upset that was in the moment every bit as shocking as the Giants ten years earlier given the Foles factor. The Astros winning a gobsmack World Series, made cruelly better by me being there only because I was not allowed to travel to Cape Town, to Real Madrid in maybe their most appealing, fulfilling season under Zidane romping a good Juve team 4-1 in teh final. Even tennis has what could've been the dream year if not for Federer's comeback in Australia, but given I rightfully called that "The Acceptable Loss 3.0", and Nadal then won the French with ease, the US Open and returned to Year End #1, I can't complain. It's all the Penguins fault. I think teh world of Sidney Crosby, but the Penguins were boringly efficient, cutting down more exciting stories each of 2016 and 2017 in their back to back, this time, a truly fun Nashville team. Somehow, that drags things down. I look at this list for a year I initially tought would be my #1, and wonder how ti didn't happen, and not only that, didn't come close....

1.) 2022  (+40)

NFL: Chiefs (+4 * 3)

NHL: Avalanche (+2 * 2)

MLB: Astros (+5 * 2)

NBA: Warriors (-2)

UCL: Real Madrid (+5)

NCAAF/BB: Georgia / Kansas (+3)

Tennis: Nadal / Nadal / Djokovic / Alcaraz (+4 * 2)

Honestly, I'm as shocked as anyone that this would be my number one. I certainly probably didn't consider it at the time to be some historic year, but looking back, so much went well. I had two of "my teams" win their respective title, with the Astros winning their 2nd title after a bunch of heartbreak (and all the cheating stuff), Real Madrid win a UCL that included some incredibly thrilling moments like the crazy comeback against Man City, and cementing us even more as The Club. Kansas is my adopted CBB team and seeing Self win his second title was great again. And then what can I say about tennis - Nadal not only won his second Australian Open after so many near misses, he did it in the most dramatic fashion against Medvedev (down two sets, 3-3, 0-40), and then won the French for the 14th time. Yes, he wouldn't ever really be the same after, but we didn't know that then, did we - and I was all for Alcaraz being the next young gun (and rightly so). The Chiefs winning a super entertaining Super Bowl and cementing Mahomes as a real threat to Brady was incredibly fun as well - though I don't honestly think my score would be that much different had the Eagles won. The only real negative was the Warriors and even that is muted by them beating Boston (which would've been like a -4). Even the Georgia blowout title game (the laugher against TCU) isn't enough to dull this. Looking at it now, it screams "duh" that this is my top sports year.

Ranking My Sports Years, Pt. 1 - #17 - #9

17.) 2006  (+1)

NFL: Colts (+5 * 3)

NHL: Hurricanes (-1 * 2)

MLB: Cardinals (-4 * 2)

NBA: Heat (+3)

UCL: Barcelona (-1)

NCAAF/BB: Florida / Florida (-2)

Tennis: Federer / Nadal / Federer / Federer (-2 * 2)

Kind of the platonic ideal of a sports year. Yes, when I started this, I'm somewhat surprised a year that saw my Colts win their first Super Bowl is this low, but honestly that makes a great deal of sense given what else is a counterbalance - for instance the endless Federer tennis dominance (though muted a bit by Nadal showing up at non-French events), and the Cardinals winning with 83-damn wins. The Heat was a fun ride, as a was anti-Mavs back then and seeing Shaq win was fun. Honestly, other than the Colts on teh hugely positive side, and the Cardinals on the negative, this was kind of a fairly harmless year. The Florida/Florida combination is always funny to me (and of course Florida basketball would win the next year) but I was far more annoyed by the football team and Urban Meyer (already) - I was ahead of my time.

16.) 2023  (+4)

NFL: Chiefs (+3 * 3)

NHL: Golden Knights (+3 * 2)

MLB: Rangers (-3 * 2)

NBA: Nuggets (+4)

UCL: Manchester City (-4)

NCAAF/BB: Michigan / UCONN (+3)

Tennis: Djokovic / Djokovic / Alcaraz / Djokovic (-4 * 2)

This is only the second year on my list where nothing ranks lower than a +3/-3 (my lowest ranked year is the other one). In one way, that high level of variance isn't great, but in this case most of it balances each other out, and ultimately the positivity of the Chiefs and Golden Knights winning wins out (not to mention the Nuggets, and a really fun Michigan run). Yeah, the negatives aren't great, including what ties for my least favorite tennis season with Djokovic stealing three grand slams in that little window before Sincaraz would grow up. Also the Rangers win the most meaningless, unmemorable title ever (other than Seager's home run) which I think we all kind of knew at the time. Finally, seeing that oil-funded football factory finally win was awful too given they were woefully outplayed by Inter Milan in that final. In the end, the year skews positive as we finally got a likeable (to me) back to back Super Bowl champion in KC (and a true dynasty) and the Nuggest and Vegas win their cup. But yeah, this is one of those weird one with no real throughline other than a range of emotions.

15.) 2009  (+6)

NFL: Saints (+2 * 3)

NHL: Penguins (-3 * 2)

MLB: Yankees (+3 * 2)

NBA: Lakers (-2)

UCL: Barcelona (+2)

NCAAF/M: Alabama / UNC (-2)

Tennis: Nadal / Federer / Federer / Del Potro (+1 * 2)

Weird one, where nothign is too high, nothing too low. For the Saints, while of course I was crestfallen the Colts and Peyton lost, this is probably the best team for them to lose to, the still shiny post-Katrina Saints who were so damn fun that season. For the Yankees, by this point I was in college in New York so getting them winning that year was crazy fun. Barcelona even scores highly here because I wasn't yet annoyed by them, Pep-ball was still fresh, and Man U was far more annoying at that point. I do want to say looking at this list, this has to be the most "blue blood" year ever with teh Yankees, Lakers, Barcelona, Alabama football, UNC basketball and even the Penguins winning. For tennis, it's a weird one with two of my favorite victories with Nadal finally winning on hard court and the drama and brilliance of young Delpo. But of course that sandwhiches Federer finally beating Sampras's record, winning the career slam and stealing one from Roddick. Can't win them all I guess.

14.) 2012  (+7)

NFL: Ravens (+5 * 3)

NHL: Kings (-2 * 2)

Giants (+2 * 2)

Heat (-3)

UCL: Chelsea (+2)
NCAAF/BB: Alabama / Kentucky (-3)

Tennis: Djokovic / Nadal / Federer / Murray (-2 * 2)

So, this I guess is the year that inspired this, with that beautiful "Djokovic / Nadal / Federer / Murray" quadro, but that's a negative to me mainly because the back half of the year was the scariest Nadal injury to date where he basically disappeared for half a year. Anyway, aside from that you had the dullest of dull Alabama wins (that's doing the heavy lifting in that college score) and the Heat beat a likeable Thunder team at the time I (and many) still disliked LeBron. Some may be surprised by my NHL ranking, but I will fully admit to me that while the Devils did lose that Final, including losing Games 1-2 at home in OT, the Eastern Conference Final win against the Rangers was my Stanley Cup. Finally, the Ravens, and more than that Ed Reed, finally winning a ring caps all of it anyway. On balance this was a positive year, despite be not liking a lot of what happened. For the Giants and Chelsea, no idea other than I liked those stories man.

14.) 2014  (+8)

NFL: Patriots (-4 * 3)

NHL: Kings (-2 * 2)

MLB: Giants (+4 * 2)

NBA: Spurs (+5)

UCL: Real Madrid (+5)

NCAAF/BB: Ohio State / UCONN (+2)

Tennis: Wawrinka / Nadal / Djokovic / Cilic (+2 * 2)

The shock may be not having the Patriots win, with the Malcolm Butler of it all, as a -5, but that's basically because I didn't really like the Seahawks either. Anyway, the rest of the year makes up for it big time across the board (other than the Kings). We get the Spurs and Real Madrid with absolutely epic titles. This is where admittedly my random weighting is screwing things, because it doesn't really accoutn for where the winner is one of my teams. But I have to live by my wack formula here, but trust me this probably should rank higher up for the Spurs and Real Madrid wins alone. UCONN was fun at that point because it became hilarious that this random team won again, with now Kevin Ollie at coach and beat Kentucky. Finally, the Giants were fun because I had this evenutally wrong idea that if the random as hell Giants would win a third World Series in five years, that we would stop caring about ringz. Didn't happen, but in the moment it was an amazing thought. As a random aside, I do think the 2014 World Series had the highest combined potential score, in teh sense even if the Royals won, it probably would;ve been a +4 and I don't know if any final(s) would score higher than a combined +8 - a ranking for another day I guess.

13.) 2005  (+9)

NFL: Steelers (-1 * 3)

NHL: n/a (0)

MLB: White Sox (+1 * 2)

NBA: Spurs (+4)

UCL: Liverpool (+4)

NCAAF/BB: Texas / North Carolina (-2)

Tennis: Safin / Nadal / Federer / Federer (+2 * 2)

It is weird that this ranks so high, but then again, no individual grade is too low, and there's two +4's, even if those are in low weighting sports. By this point I was all in on Pop and the Spurs, mostly because I loved them playing fast in that year's Conference Finals against the Suns. Liverpool was more just loving the story of that year, probably the first year I really followed European Soccer, and watching what is still remembered as the Miracle on teh Bosphorus. Tennis gives us probably as good a year as we can get that also involved Federer winning two slams, and Nadal won his first (was already a fan) and Safin beat Fed in my lowkey greatest match ever watched (was always a Safin fan). The big elephant in the room on this one is to some degree giving the NHL a pass for cancelling a season. I shouldn't probably do that, but because of that this becomes a net positive year in many ways. Quickly on college though, North Carolina really ruins this as we had probably the best tournament ever start to finish in 2005, and had a great title game but the wrong team winning. Alas, can't win them all.

11.) 2007  (+12)

NFL: Giants (+5 * 3)

NHL: Ducks (+4 * 2)

MLB: Red Sox (-4 * 2)

NBA: Spurs (+4)

UCL: AC Milan (+2)

NCAAF/B: LSU / Florida (-3)

Tennis: Federer / Nadal / Federer / Federer (-3 * 2)

Great start, but trails off a bit, huh. The Giants win is probably my single biggest '+' that doesn't involve one of my favorite teams. Still can't believe they pulled it off in such perfect fashion to end perfection. The Ducks were a fun, stacked team, that allowed me to watch Scott Neidermayer captain his way to a cup. The Spurs of course, are the Spurs, and beat LeBron when my sick childhood mind still disliked him. For the Red Sox, I was plainly anti-Boston at this point. In fact, it was probably this title that broke me for all Boston sports for good. The college ones were just boring, and tennis dominance was almost similarly so - the only drama being of the bad kind with Federer ripping away a game Nadal at Wimbledon. Anyway, I'm a bit surprised this didn't rank higher, but that's what happens again when I cap my scale at +/-5, because if there was a '+10' that I could give out in this made up system, by God I would've with the Giants.

10.) 2002  (+14)

NFL: Buccaneers (+2 * 3)

NHL: Red Wings (+2 * 2)

MLB: Angels (-3 * 2)

NBA: Lakers (-2)

UCL: Real Madrid (+3)

NCAAF/BB: Ohio State / Maryland (+3)

Tennis: Johannson / Costa / Hewitt / Sampras (+3 * 2)

I have no idea how this scores high, other than I guess Pete Sampras's swansong US Open win for his 14th slam is a great capper. To be honest, none of the other tennis results are particularly meaningful in either direction, but watching old man Sampras (who of course was 31....) win a slam again was just beautiful after watching him lose the last two US Open Finals. As for the rest, I guess this is also the power of the greatest Champions League Final goal ever (yes, better than Bale's bicycle kick) with Zidane's still epic volley against Leverkusen. Ohio State was also a super fun story, and I had a good friend in my class at the time who was an Ohio State fan who was pumping up Maurice Clarett from the beginning of the year. Finally, the Buccaneers, despite beating the Raiders, were somewhat fun in the sense I could already tell they were something historic on defense. The Lakers probably shoulds core lower if I were grading this off of the real NBA finals that was their robbery against the Kings, but alas. Finally, it may seem weird rating a almost comically unfair Red Wings team this high, but screw the Hurricanes.

9.) 2015  (+14)

NFL: Broncos (+5 * 3)

NHL: Blackhawks: (+3 * 2)

MLB: Royals (+4 * 2)

NBA: Warriors (+2)

UCL: Barcelona (-4)

NCAAF/B: Alabama / Duke (-5)

Tennis: Djokovic / Wawrinka / Djokovic / Djokovic (-4 * 2)

It's crazy this and 2002 are the same score given how damn high or low most of these are. Also, call this  the power of my weightings because a year where Barcelona beat a great Juve team in the UCL final, we had peak annoying Saban Alabama and (even worse) Coach K Duke win, and then Djokovic start his romp to the Djoko-Slam still be this high is a testament to how much I care about those top three sports. The Broncos score where they do because obviously they do - a ride to teh sunset for Manning and watching that orgasmic defense. The funny thing about those NHL and MLB scores is I don't think they're all that different even if both series go the other way - those were both really high "don't care which team wins" series (probably should be another list....). And for the Warriors, at this point they were still fresh and fun. God, the 2015 Royals are still incredible aren't they - I don't think enough gets said about the small market Royals making back to back World Series and winning one. That happened folks.

Ranking My Sports Years, Pt. 1 - #25 - #18

So, I forget the genesis for this idea. I think it was reading a Reddit post of how great 2012 was in tennis, as it was the only year where each member of the Big-4 won a slam (Novak won Australia, Rafa the French, Fed won Wimbledon and Andy the US Open). That got me thinking what were my favorite years of spots just based on who won their respective titles - not just the four tennis majors, but the Big-4 US sports, the two main college sports, and for good measure let's throw the Champions League in there.

I decided to create a weird numerical system to judge "fun-ness" of these Champion groupings, scoring each winner on a +/- 5 scale, +5 for being how elated I was that they won (or who they beat), and -5 for being how upset I was that they won (or annoyed at who they beat). It's not perfect scale for sure, but there wass some logic. To make things fair, I overly weighted the NFL (3x), the MLB/NHL (2x), and treated the NBA, the Champions League winner and the combined College winners on their own (1x), and then the Tennis winners as 2x. Yes, overly complicated, but that's life in a way too.

Anyway, think it led to some interesting results, years where a team I hated won but was counterbalanced by fun winners, and even the opposite. I tried to limit my scoring to just the outcome of the final, so no extra negative points because say the 2005 Steelers beat the Colts on the way to the title, let's rank the Steelers on their own merits (or in contrast to had Seattle won). Anyway, let's get to the first set, largely negative, "sad" years.

25.) 2016  (-22 points)

NFL: Patriots (-5 * 3)

NHL: Penguins (-3 * 2)

MLB: Cubs (-4 *2)

NBA: Cavaliers (+4)

UCL: Real Madrid (+5)

NCAAF/BB: Clemson / Villanova (+4)

Tennis (AO/F/WIM/USO): Djokovic, Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka (-3 * 2)

This is by far the worst year. And it's funny because it is basically just all polar opposite rankings here, just dead inside NFL, NHL, MLB finishes, and having to live through the "Nole Slam" when Nadal seemed utterly lost. But there's also three big pluses, they just happen to be in the ones that I give the lowest weight to. Anyway, I capped my system at "-5" but the Patriots win (the 28-3 game) may be my single least favorite result. The Cubs winning the World Series comes close to a -5, as I still hated them despite the Astros by that point being the AL. Hated them so much I made an impassioned speech (while drunk) in Cusco to my two friends about how Chicago is a football city and all the fans of the Cubs are faking it. The Penguins seems harsh, but they beat my beloved Sharks in the final which hurt a lot. So yeah, those all happenning in the sports I care the most about does offset Real Madrid winning the Champions League, fun Clemson and Villanova teams (Clemson was their last second win over Alabama) and of course the Cavs knocking off the 73-9 Warriors. A year of extremes, but the extreme negatives are just way too strong. Truly, the wrost 12 months in my life as a sports fan.

24.) 2020  (-9)

NFL: Buccaneers (-5 * 3)

NHL: Lightning (+4 * 2)

MLB: Dodgers (-2 * 2)

NBA: Lakers (-1)

UCL: Bayern Munich (+2)

NCAAF/BB: Alabama / N/A (-3)

Tennis: Djokovic/Nadal/n/a/Thiem (+2 * 2)

 

There's no direct hit for this being the Covid sports year, but yeah, some of the scores are impacted by that, but maybe not in the way you think. In the sense, had it been a real season, the Dodgers winning the World Series may have gotten a lower score, same with the Lakers. Los Angeles really was the king of the bubble cities - or maybe ti was Tampa, but in that case I was thrilled to finally see the Lightning pull it off. Ultimately, this is fully dragged down, and rightly so in my mind, by the Bucs winning the Super Bowl and gifting Tom Brady another instaed of the dynasty to be in Kansas City. Also remember that game came in the true depths of Covid hell, during the darkest stretches in New York, and was so bad I just stopped watching at halftime. A cancelled March Madness doesn't help either. Much like Covid itself, this was a year to forget.

23.) 2001  (-9)

NFL: Patriots (-3 * 3)

NHL: Avalanche (+1 * 2)

MLB: Diamondbacks (-2 * 2)

NBA: Lakers (-1)

UCL: Bayern Munich (+1)

NCAAF/BB: Miami / Duke (+1)

Tennis: Agassi / Kuerten / Ivanisevic / Hewitt (+1 * 2)

Admittedly, I don't have great memories of how I felt in the moment for a lot of these. I liked Iverson, so I'm sure I was kind of annoyed at the Lakers, but probably understood their greatness (and appreciative that the 76ers won a game to avoid the Lakers going undefeated in the playoffs). I have no real memory of Bayern Munich, hence the zero. For tennis, I loved the Ivanesivec story, but didn't like the Hewitt one, but liked Agassi. Bit a shrug. Truthfully, this comes down to me already kind of not liking the Patriots underdog story back then (and liking the GSOT Rams), but let's just say this is by far the best score I've given a Patriots win.... For the D'Backs, I wasn't necessarily a Yankees fan, but certainly rooted for them hard that World Series, was enthralled by their insane Game 4-5 wins, and crestfallen at seeing a hero (at the time) in Mo Rivera blow it. Mixed emotions there to be sure. I will say, it is surprising how quickly the scores converge to single digits. Maybe I've had a better sports fan life than I like to think.

22.) 2003  (-8)

NFL: Patriots (-3 * 3)

NHL: Devils (+5 * 2)

MLB: Marlins (-4 * 2)

NBA: Spurs (+1)

UCL: AC Milan (-2)

NCAAF/BB: LSU & USC / Syracuse (+2)

Tennis: Agassi / Ferrero / Federer / Roddick (-1)

Remember, this is trying to score how I felt about these results at the time, which is why the Spurs is a +1, as in 2003 I wasn't some huge Spurs fan, but did like the Nets a decent amount, who lost to them in the Finals. Similarly, I remember being randomly a Juve fan, so them losing a PK loss to AC Milan hurt. I also didn't like Andy Roddick back then. That was stupid - he's amazing, and I'm glad now that he got his one major, but I need to be true to myself in this. Anyway, It's really the Marlins here that drag things down - at the time I was already "Eff Boston" for the most part so loved the Yankees winning that ALCS, but I was smart enough to know that the Marlins bullshitting their way to a title was bad for the sport. It's amazing that I can have a year with a +5, and one of those I easily could go higher if I didn't stupidly restrict myself, and it rank this low. I feel bad for the 2003 Devils, the first true title one of my outright favorite teams won that I remember every bit of, but alas - the Patriots and Marlins magic outweigh it.

21.) 2018  (-8)

NFL: Patriots (-4 * 3)

NHL: Capitals (+4 * 2)

MLB: Red Sox (-4 * 2)

NBA: Warriors (-3)

UCL: Real Madrid (+5)

NCAAF/BB: Clemson / Villanova (+4)

Tennis: Federer / Nadal / Djokovic / Djokovic (-1 * 2)

By this point, even if I hated the Patriots I was a bit numb to it, so that's why it wasn't a -5. I was also fairly numb to the Red Sox, even if I didn't much like the Dodgers, so that's how you get that as a -4 as well. The interesting one is tennis. In some ways, given by this point I was kind of OK with Federer, this doesn't read so bad, but then realize this year started with Novak a non-factor deep in throes of random gurus and elbow issues and what-not, but he stole a classic 5-set SF against Nadal at Wimbledon, which basically turbo-charged his path to where he is today. It only isn't worse because this year was also the re-rise of Del Potro who made it back to world #3. It's a spiky year, including maybe my favorite in isolation combination in college - Clemson laying wood to Alabama with T-Law, and a fun, dominant Villanova team winning in a year I was doing a project in a Philly suburb. But yeah, two Boston teams, the "making the NBA boring Warriors" is a tough combination to overcome.

20.) 2011  (-7)

NFL: Giants (+5 * 3)

NHL: Bruins (-4 * 2)

MLB: Cardinals (-5 * 2)

NBA: Mavericks (+5)

UCL: Barcelona (-3)

NCAAF/BB: Alabama / UCONN (-2)

Tennis: Djokovic / Nadal / Djokovic / Djokovic (-2)

Man what a rollercoaster the four big US sports were. Truly some amazing highs and lows. The Giants saved waht was an all time negative football season with their win over the Patriots in Peyton's house. The Mavericks beat Lebron back when I (and all of us....) hated him the most. But my god everythign else was awful, from the Bruins completing the Boston quadfecta against a likeable Vancouver team, my most hated MLB team winning a World Series they had no right to at all (the Freese game...), and of course Barcelona's best ever year, and then Djokovic rising to a new level and becoming a serious threat to the at that time Big-2. Honestly, looking at this, despite how much I enjoyed the Mavs and Giants, I'm surprised this scores as high as it does.

19.) 2025  (-4)

NFL: Seahawks (+2 * 3)

NHL: Panthers (-2 * 2)

MLB: Dodgers (-5 * 2)

NBA: Thunder (-2)

UCL: PSG (+2)

NCAAF/BB: Indiana / Florida (+2)

Tennis: Sinner / Alcaraz / Sinner / Alcaraz (+1 * 2)

Our most recent year clocks in as a negative one, even if it ended (by this calendaring) with the Patriots getting somewhat humiliated in the Super Bowl, but it was harrowing enough that they were even there in the first place. Still, that helps it, also PSG finally getting their glory, and a fun college combination. That all said, man the Dodgers... maybe my most hated MLB win in some ways, just an absolute trainwreck, especially the ending where we all stupidly had so much hope in our beloved Blue Jays, but they just ripped it away. As for the Panthers, I just at this point wanted Canada to win a Cup, more than anything specific against the Panthers; same with the Thunder, it's more a pro-Indy vote. Not an overly meaningful year other than the Dodgers sticking out as a clear sore thumb.

18.) 2004  (-3)

NFL: Patriots (-5 * 3)

NHL: Lightning (+1 * 2)

MLB: Red Sox (+4 * 2)

NBA: Pistons (+3)

UCL: Porto (+1)

NCAAF/BB: USC / UCONN (+2)

Tennis: Federer / Gaudio / Federer / Federer (-2 * 2)

Yeah, by this point I was all out on the Patriots, never to recover from there on. By this point it was pure hatred, jealousy and agony. Even if I would grow some begrudging respect for the 2001-2004 dynasty over the years, in teh moment that was absolutely not there. I was fucking pissed by this point. That all said, the weirdest one here is the Red Sox, but I'll admit, at that time I bought into the whole curse breaking and beauty of it all, plus i hated the Cardinals. The rest was all fairly take it or leave it, aside from Federer breaking Tennis (before we realized such dominance would become normal place). The Pistons were a weird fun one, beating the Lakers when we all assumed they would win. As was USC's dominant win over Oklahoma, which is maybe the one NCAAF Title Game blowout I enjoyed. As this is already showing, most of my years grade out with a positive (which is shocking given how i assumed this exercise would turn out), but this is where the Patriots really drag this down.

My Top-25 Favorite EDM Clubs

Closed - Habitat Living Sound  (Calgary, Canada - 2019) (was #7)

I'm not sure if they're open or not. They definitely closed for good soon after the pandemic, but then re-opened in 2021, but seem to have closed again. Anyway, it was an experience. The only real downside is that it wasn't that big of a space, but on the plus side, they had excellent crowd control, shockingly cheap and decent drinks (i.e. if you ordered a whiskey soda you got a decent amount of whiskey), and the DJs were all pretty good. The good crowd control actually made this one of the more pleasant clubs to be in. I mourn for Canada's loss here.

Was #11/21 - Espacio 93, Santiago

I don't think there has been any club I've been to that was more aggressively fast in its beats. This place was full momentum all the time. Also had some of the best architecture inside, with walls and poles and ledges and various rooms to enjoy the heavy, heavy, fast, fast beats. It was like a better, more compact, darker version of Club Under. The first night I went was some sort of BDSM type event so it was a bit out there. The second night was more traditional but the energy was unparalleled, even if it scared me out at times.

25.) Pink Chihuahua  (London, England - 2022)

This was a surprising place that I went to twice on my last trip to London. First taken there by a couple work friends - one mostly who swore the place, which is downstairs of a latin restaurant, is great. What I found was perfect. Not too big, but not too crowded. Great mix of 00s hip hop and EDM, with amazing drinks, including some fantastic margaritas. It's only not higher because it isn't really an EDM club, and was more drink forward than music forward, which sin't really the case of most of these on the list.

24.) Pulp  (Melbourne - 2025)

We went to Pulp on a lark - I googled "EDM Club" and it was close by and seemed interesting. It played more hip-hop focused dance music (like dance remixes of 50 Cent and things like this) which was still good. The floor was small, but good airflow, great sound and decent drinks. The only two knocks against it I had was again the music being slightly more hip-hop focused (more an issue for the ranking, as I still like that type of music), and the bathrooms were, how to say, not the best. In the end though, a nice hidden spot in Melbourne.

23.) Aether  (Budapest, Hungary - 2024)

I almost didn't get a chance to experience Aether, as the top floor (same name) is a more traditional hip-hop type shop. But the second day I ventured down to in theory go to the bathroom, and saw the door in the corner leading to the real Aether, the real underground, fog machine, graet ventilation with a long bar, playing good classic techno EDM. Maybe because it was underground, it wasn't too crowded either, but the crowd was there were in absolute love with the music and the energy of the place.

22.) Bizarro (Lima, Peru - 2023, 2025)

Bizarro has two rooms. One plays more latin/reggeaton type beats. It's fun, it's packed. It's buttressed by a side room (ironically, the one you enter and exit from) which plays more traditional EDM, which is less crowded. Both are excellent, and the set-up is free-flowing between the two. But, to me who prefers more classical EDM/Techno, I'm happy it is the less crowded of the two. The drinks are decent and quick to serve, the dance floor is intimate but well lit and conditioned. Sometimes, you may feel you're missing out not spending more time in the Latin room, but to each their own.

21.) Womb (Tokyo, Japan - 2023)

Womb was the most expansive club I went to in my time in Tokyo - easily the busiest and the largest. Three floors, all showcasing different types of music. The grournd floor with more underground, deeper EDM. The top floor with more traditional, laid-back house. Both of those two were my got to, with a giant laser-light and packed mainstream floor in the middle. Tons of bars, tons of people - it was just a great time in Tokyo. Only thing keeping it from being higher is it could've done great to have better ventilation - a small complaint as it was easy to not even realize getting lost in the great scene.

20.) Culture Club Revelin  (Dubrovnik, Croatia - 2017)

I debated whether or not to put this on the list, mainly because it is more of just all-around club than a EDM/House club. Granted they played a lot of that music, but they also played hip-hop, and had girls dancing in cages, and was more of a pure play party spot, than anything else. Not that it's bad. It migth be the best pure club I've been to, certainly the coolest atmosphere, but to me it fits on the list. Just go there knowing what it is.

19.) 45 East  (Portland, USA - 2025)

45 East is jsut a really good spot. Great set-up with two bars on the sides of a rectangular dance floor - with great lighting and good DJs. Good crowd as well, a good mix of people that fit your stereotypical view of "Portland" with those that coudl be showing up to a club in New York. That said, maybe it is that weird mix that has it a bit lower than the other Portland spot, because this place could be in a lot of cities. I don't know why that shoudl inherently matter in this ranking, but whatever - this is already super un-scientific.

18.) Cakeshop (Seoul, Korea - 2022)

Two clubs in Seoul make the list this time, and showcase the different elements of what makes Seoul a great city with everything. Cakeshop is lighter, airier, with a great bar on the side, and great tunes. It is a bit less hectic, less "clubby" and headbanging-ey than other spots in Seoul, with the same carefree attitude that made the city work. The music at Cakeshop was just perfect to enjoy, dance to, imbibe to, right in the heart of Itaewon.

17.) Herr Tlucache  (Oaxaca, Mexico - 2025)

An unassuming bar/restaurant by day transforms from 10pm onwards into one of the most intimate, weirdly fun spots I've been to. They go hard on EDM/Techno - no Mexican influence here (which I should say is not a critique on more Latin-inspired techno). It's real dirty stuff, but the dance floor is small, dim, inviting. The drinks are great and cheap and super cold (which is rare for a EDM club - helps that this is nominally a bar most of the time). All in all, it's an incredible little haven for EDM in a place that really shouldn't have it.

16.) Club La Feria  (Santiago, Chile - 2024, 2025)

Club La Feria is the most reputed club in Santiago, a very much late-night city. That said, I truly think it is my third favorite of their big three (one of which was Espacio 93 which shut down). La Feria gets some good acts, but its a bit too big. It can be a great vibe though when it has not as super well known acts, when its just normal folk spinning records. The floor is great, some great fun lighting, a great atmosphere. It's just one of those places that is probably a bit too popular and well crowded for me sometimes.

15.) Club Ambar  (Santiago, Chile - 2024, 2025)

If you ever go to Club Ambar in Santiago, avoid their main floor like the plague - the floor with all the trappings of the worst quasi-techno clubs that attract the worst type of crowd. But feat not, because two side rooms at Ambar are just awesome. First is the side room on the main floor, playing just a perfect style of house, with a truly great vibe. Then of course is the basement, with pure hardcore trance - with a cavernous underground feel to match. I've rarely seen a place combine such a mainstream (in a bad way) vibe in their main floor with such great underground vibes in their side rooms.

14.) The Loft @ Skyway Theater  (Minneapolis, USA - 2022, 2025)

On the downside, they had maybe the worst drinks of any of them on the list, which is why its 8th. Admittedly they were strong, but their "soda" component of my whiskey soda order was basically water. But at least they were cheap. Anyway, let's get to the upside of the place. It had maybe the best ventilation system of any large space club i've been to. It was so airy, despite being crowded (not overcrowded) and them going heavy on the fog machine. Also the acts the day I went were spectacular. They seem to curate well as the place isn't open every day on the weekend. Great place, just don't expect drinks. **2025 Update: Moving it up as they've largely fixed the drinks problem - way better this time around. The sound system, light system and filtration remained stellar. Just a great spot.**

13.) Club Under  (Buenos Aires, Argentina - 2023)

Honestly, if I went to Buenos Aires in 2019 or a few years earlier, this probablhy would be higher up the list. The place was everything you want out of an EDM club - good ventilation, good music acts, a ton of people having a grand old time. They probably could use slightly better crowd control (granted, there was still a line to enter), as the Saturday I went it was astonishingly crowded. There's really no complaints here to be had, it was just a bit jarring to, for the first time at an EDM spot, feel old.

11.) Savage (Hanoi, Vietnam - 2019)

I have another Vietnam spot higher up the list. They are very similar in structure, but the main knock, the only knock, I have on Savage is that it was underground so it was a bit hot. They have one area that you enter that has more poppy house playing and a full bar, with another full bar in a shadowy back room that was hardcore EDM. Perfect mix of options, with full ability to move from one to the next. Savage also had full supply of balloons, more to come on that in a second here. Vietnam also has maybe the best bar service of any of these - in these cases the drink aspect is as much as the music, at least for the entry bar / area.

10.) The Den  (Portland, USA - 2025)

Hey now, this place was certainly more Portland, or if anything, more unique. One-Third art museum/exhibit, Two-thirds great warehouse style setup for a dance floor and stage, The Den was an awesome place to spend a night - super cheap drinks (for a club) as well. The DJs were excellent, and while admittedly they aren't exclusively EDM (the weekend before was more rock...), perusing their upcoming act list it seems they definitely skew EDM/Techno. The place had a great crowd, an excellent and airy set-up and kept a good crowd late into the West Coast night (which is a rarity given the early to sleep nature of that time zone...).

9.) D-Edge  (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 2025)

One of the weirdly great places I've been to that combine the worst parts of corporate club world (a card taht tracks all your purchases that you close out when you leave) with the greatest industrial setting on the banks of Gamboa Beach. The setting is amazing. The crowd is great. The drinks are plentiful and fairly cheap. My only real complaints is I wish the music went harder (at least when I was there), and the whole wristband corporate nature of it all. But still, it was an amazing nights in Rio at D-Edge.

8.) Vent (Tokyo, Japan - 2023)

I don't go to clubs wanting to see great architecture and design, but it is hard not to notice these aspects of Vent, a truly special club in Tokyo. The exposed concrete walls, the trees indoors, the high ceilings, the exposed cement bar. It was all just a cool vibe, a great scene. The music was excellent as well, really curated DT setlists and a great energy that attracted an equal mix of locals and foreigners. It was a spot that didn't allow photos (like Modular to come next, would put a sticker on your phone camera), which is a little nuance I actually have come to enjoy. This place was just about having a great time, with a beautiful visage to experience it all in.

7.) Walter's WhereHouse  (Phoenix - 2026)

I'm not sure when Walter's WhareHouse opened, a lavish warehouse-style club on the Western edge of main area Phoenix. Part art museum (the first bit is truly an art exhibit), part strange garage with weird cars and buses to walk in, and fully EDM heaven, Walter's WhereHouse is pretty damn perfect. It had some great, if unknown, acts when I went. I really hope it hasn;'t been open for years and I just never knew about it. But anyway, the only reason it isn't higher is that the drinks aren't the best - their scotch option was Cutty Sark.... They did have some decent IPAs though, and food available in the back lot until close. In the end, though, Walter's WhereHouse was one of the better surprises in recent memory.

6.) Oxford Art Factory  (Sydney - 2013, 2025)

I really don't know how I didn't have the Ox on the list until now, but after a triumphant return after 12 years, I quickly realized how much of an oversight taht was. Both stages are excellent, including one of the better pure performance-focused stages I've been to. The drinks are affordable. The people are excellent. The low-key vibe of the second room is great as well. My only real hesitancy moving it any higher is they show a mix of music, it isn't always EDM (as in sometimes they play rock music and the like) but when it is on, few places in the world are better.

5.) Modular  (Cape Town, South Africa - 2018, 2022)

I have to say, Modular gets way more crowded than my places at ahead of it, but they did a great job of not really making it feel that way, with three full service bars in the same area. They also had a pretty great ventilation and air conditioning. It was packed though. They had no real regard for crowd control. Modular had some of the better DJ sets I've heard in terms of quality top to bottom. If even you're in Cape Town, would fully recommend going there on Thursday. It's slightly less crowded, but every bit as good.

4.) Club Faust (Seoul, Korea - 2022)

If I described Club Faust, a dark, large room that is open from 12am-7am, with a series of artists and DJs, you could probably well picture what Club Faust looks like. It is what it is, which is just perfect for what it is trying to be. Seoul is a lot about glitz on one end, but heart and passion on the other. No one would go to Club Faust to be "seen", mostly because you effectively literally cannot see anyone all that well. After a while your eyes do get adjusted, and your ears are great from the get go.

3.) Reset  (Cape Town, South Africa - 2020)

RIP, as this was another one that was a Covid casualty. Luckily Modular still exists, but Reset was just a better venue. With two levels and two performance spaces, a bit more light on the second floor, more heavy in the underground one. Bars had a lot of bartenders. They had great ventilation. The crowd control was decent, but just having it across two floors just made it all seem bigger and better. On the whole Reset was a fantastic place and a real loss in terms of nighttime entertainment for Cape Town.

2.) The Black Box  (Denver, USA - 2021)

There's one major question mark in ranking The Black Box this highly, and that is the fact that when I went in August 2021, they were still doing a reasonable amount of crowd limiting due to covid. There was no mask restriction, but they were operating at half capacity. That said, even if you double the crowd I don't think it would have been so much worse. The space was great - with lounge area with another DJ space when you enter, and a much larger space in the interior. Other than my place at number one this place had the best bar set-up, with at least five bartenders working, and the ability to go to the bar in the outside area at any time. The music was uniformly excellent, with generally three acts that all were great each day.

1.) The Observatory  (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - 2019)

From the truly loungey lounge that is its main area, to a full service bar with tons of bartenders that make things quick, to the plentiful balloons, to the light, airy indoor more heavy EDM club that had great ventilation, to it also being on the fifth floor with great sightlines of Ho Chi Minh City around you, The Observatory was close to perfect. That Friday and Saturday night spent at it was about as good as it has ever been in a club experience. You truly feel like you are at a rooftop bar one second, and a hardcore EDM club the next. Just an incredible set-up, great msuic, great balloons, cheap but good drinks, and a great crowd with a good mix of locals and expats. It all added up to a perfect experience.