PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Looking back on the year in Philadelphia sports, fans decided that the best words to describe 2021 were "on brand" and "underachieving."
Many of the year's top 10 Philly sports stories followed that pattern of expected subpar performance, while others brought attention to topics much more important than the game, often mirroring societal change.
These are the top 10 stories that our KYW Newsradio sports team picked as the most important of 2021.
10. Philadelphia Flyers fire Alain Vigneault
Vigneault took over as Flyers head coach prior to the 2019-20 season. For much of his first season in charge, the orange and black were one of the top teams in the NHL. Then, the pandemic hit, and it was never quite the same.
Once the NHL got back to action, the Flyers were able to advance to the second round of the playoffs before a disappointing elimination at the hands of the Islanders.
Last season, the Flyers missed the playoffs altogether, and this season, after an 8-4-2 start, things bottomed out with a 10-game losing streak where the Flyers struggled mightily to score.
Vigneault was fired eight games into that losing streak and replaced on an interim basis by Mike Yeo.
Click here to read the full story.
Of the many popular Philadelphia athletes who have connected with the area, this former Eagles tight end was certainly one of them.
Ertz became one of the best tight ends in football, helping the Eagles win a Super Bowl with the go-ahead touchdown catch and getting involved in the community with the Ertz Family Foundation.
When the Eagles traded Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals during mid-season, it was an emotional goodbye to a fan favorite, but on better terms than the early January video conference after the 2020 season in which Ertz broke down in tears after a brutal 4-11-1 campaign.
Ertz at least got to play in a handful of games for the Eagles before heading west — and caught a touchdown the night before he was dealt.
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8. Sports venues return to full capacity
Simply put, Philadelphia sports would be nothing without the fans, which is why it seemed so strange in 2020 and for some of 2021 when venues were completely empty due to the pandemic.
But as 2021 rolled on, local regulations allowed more and more fans to return to the Wells Fargo Center and Citizens Bank Park, eventually to full capacity. The Linc followed when the Eagles season began.
Subaru Park in Chester was also electric when the Union went on their playoff run.
Of course, Philadelphia sports simply isn't the same without spirited fans like Mary Kate from Delco, shouting some non-G-rated words at a referee.
7. Union make MLS Eastern Conference Finals
The Philadelphia Union put together an exciting and impressive 2021 season. Unfortunately, it will probably be best remembered for how it ended — not so much that they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to eventual MLS Cup champ NYCFC, but that they had to play that match shorthanded with 11 players sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols, including star keeper Andre Blake.
The short-handed Union were valiant, but eventually fell, 2-1.
But that loss really shouldn’t cloud what was a tremendous season for Jim Curtin’s squad, a season that also included a run to the semifinals in the franchise’s first-ever appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Chaney, the legendary Hall of Fame basketball coach who led Temple University to the NCAA Tournament 17 times, died in January at the age of 89.
Before his retirement in 2006, he made five runs to the Elite Eight, largely on the strength of stifling defense utilizing his “matchup zone.”
Prior to his time at Temple, he coached at Cheney University, winning a Division II National Championship with the Wolves in 1978.
But beyond the stats, wins, and losses, Chaney was a fierce advocate for his players, and a man who worked every day to use his platform and position to try and make life better for student-athletes, exposing and railing against inequities within the system.
Click here to read the full story.
5. Eagles trade Carson Wentz to Colts
Wentz's time in Philadelphia concluded before his historic contract extension even began.
After a disastrous 2020 season in which then-head coach Doug Pederson benched Wentz for rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts in the fifth-to-last game, Wentz sensed it was time for a fresh start elsewhere.
So, Howie Roseman and the Eagles accepted a historic cap hit by trading Wentz to Frank Reich's Colts for a third-round pick and conditional second-round pick, which is shaping up to be a first in 2022.
This might leave the Eagles with three first-round selections.
Click here to read the full story.
4. A year of sports reflects the growing social conscience
- Lane Johnson opens up about his mental health
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson is arguably the best right tackle in football, a position that requires brute force and physicality. Offensive and defensive linemen are the titans of professional football with their size and strength.
Of course, Johnson is still human, and he had to step away from the team for a few games this season to address his mental health.
Johnson shared that he's dealt with depression and anxiety, and the recent pause of medication gave him withdrawal symptoms, forcing him to step away.
He shared his story hoping to help others, and he received a very positive reception for his courage.
Click here to read the full story.
- Carl Nassib becomes first openly gay NFL player
West Chester native, Malvern Prep and Penn State alum Carl Nassib is a defensive end on the Las Vegas Raiders. During Pride Month, he came out as gay, becoming the first openly gay player in the NFL.
In his video, Nassib emphasized the importance of representation and visibility, hoping one day, videos like his will be unnecessary.
Nassib also committed $100,000 to The Trevor Project.
Click here to read the full story.
- Kate Scott steps in the footsteps of Marc Zumoff with Sixers TV
History was also made in 2021 when Kate Scott took over for longtime NBC Sports Philadelphia Sixers television broadcaster Marc Zumoff, who announced his retirement over the summer. Scott became the NBA's second female full-time TV play-by-play voice, hired shortly after the Milwaukee Bucks picked Lisa Byington fo the same role there.
Zumoff spent 27 years as the TV play-by-play voice of the 76ers and became the soundtrack for a generation of fans.
Scott, a versatile broadcaster who hails from the West Coast, has fit in very well with Alaa Abdelnaby during his first season calling the team's games.
Click here to read the full story.
3. Phillies' Bryce Harper earns NL MVP Award
The Philadelphia Phillies were maddingly inconsistent in 2021. Harper was not.
The outfielder put up tremendous numbers: a .309 average, 35 home runs, 84 RBI, 101 runs scored and 100 walks. It wasn’t just the numbers, but his consistent ability to come through when it mattered most that led to the MVP recognition.
At times, he seemed to be single-handedly dragging the Phillies toward the postseason, but alas, they fell short. Harper’s effort resulted in the much-deserved MVP award, the second of his career.
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It was the passed-up dunk heard throughout the Delaware Valley.
In the Sixers' Game 7 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center, another night in Philadelphia sports worth forgetting but impossible to erase — Simmons passed up a wide-open dunk that would have likely tied the game with about three-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Instead, Simmons passed to Matisse Thybulle, who was fouled, and missed one of the foul shots.
Since their second-round defeat, which included multiple epic collapses, like their Game 5 loss to the Hawks, 76ers fans have not heard from Simmons. He and his camp requested a trade in the offseason, despite four years and about $147 million left on an extension he agreed to.
Things have been said publicly and privately from both sides, but ultimately, the Sixers have decided to keep Simmons because they don't believe they've been offered proper value. And, they were hoping he'd be willing to play for the Sixers despite initially wanting a trade.
Simmons held out of training camp, arrived late amid fines, was kicked out of practice, and was suspended the first game of the season for conduct “detrimental to the team.” Days later, he reportedly informed the team that he wasn't mentally ready to play.
Since then, Simmons' agent has called out the Sixers for fining him, claiming that it has negatively affected Simmons' mental health.
The Sixers, in various reports, insist they want to help Simmons. His teammates have also been supportive publicly of the personal reasons that have kept him out.
Click here for full Ben Simmons coverage.
1. Eagles fire Doug Pederson, hire Nick Sirianni
It is pretty amazing when you think that the Eagles' Super Bowl win was not quite three years old when Pederson, the coach behind the win that finally brought the Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia, was fired on Jan. 11.
But fortunes change quickly in the NFL, and the Eagles endured a truly uninspiring 4-11-1 2020 season, which saw the Birds lack talent on both sides of the ball, struggle to score points, and endure a quarterback controversy that eventually led to the trading of Carson Wentz.
All this, along with reported clashes with the front office, helped lead to Pederson’s exit.
His replacement was named less than two weeks later: Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni.
Sirianni has had some missteps in his rookie year as a head coach, but the Eagles have already improved on their 2020 record and entered the final month of the season in contention for a playoff spot.
Related
Click the following links to read the full stories: Pederson fired | Sirianni hired
Jay Sorgi and Rachel Kurland contributed to this story.