As reported by ESPN, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell placed then-Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy on the league’s commissioner’s exempt list in September 2014 after Hardy had been convicted of assaulting his girlfriend. The following February, charges were dismissed after the alleged victim refused to cooperate in the criminal investigation. It was also reported Hardy reached a financial settlement with the woman who told police he threatened her life. Nevertheless, the NFL suspended Hardy in 2015 after he put pen to paper on a contract with the Dallas Cowboys. 

That November, Deadspin released photos of injuries the alleged victim claimed came from Hardy’s assault. Hardy’s tenure with the Cowboys lasted only 12 games, and he never again played in the NFL. Not to be outdone by the Cowboys and the NFL, the Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded Hardy with an opportunity to become a professional fighter in the spring of 2018. Hardy entered November 2019 with a record of five wins, one loss, and one no contest. 

As Ben Fowlkes of MMA Junkie wrote, Dana White’s decision to promote Hardy on televised events and pay-per-views was about attracting eyes and buys to shows and about bolstering a heavyweight division in need of a big-money draw. 

Soccer fans around the world have been convinced for years that FIFA and corruption went together like peanut butter and jelly. Such fears were confirmed in 2015, as explained by The Independent, following raids at a hotel in Zurich and after the United States Department of Justice charged over a dozen FIFA officials “with racketeering and bribery offenses” regarding “a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer.” Allegedly, such officials received bribes to back multiple World Cup bids, including for the 2022 tournament awarded to Qatar. In June 2015, FIFA president Sepp Blatter resigned. 

In November 2017, famous United States Women’s National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo accused Blatter of sexual assault at a ceremony in 2013. Blatter responded by claiming that allegation was “ridiculous.” 

Other aspects of the decade’s FIFA scandal continued through the fall of 2019. In October of that year, The Moscow Times shared a story from Russian outlet The Insider which claimed that bribes were delivered to ensure that Russia would host the 2018 World Cup. According to The Telegraph, Russian computers that may have contained information regarding wrongdoing were destroyed before FIFA was able to investigate. All future World Cup competitions are scheduled to go on as planned as of the start of the 2020s. 

The 2019 comedic documentary Screwball covering the Biogenesis scandal was a hilarious sendoff for a story that rocked Major League Baseball throughout the 2010s. As explained by ESPN, Anthony Bosch operated a clinic that reportedly distributed performance-enhancing drugs to at least 20 players. After Bosch’s operation was shut down following his arrest, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years behind bars. That sentence was ultimately reduced. 

The biggest name linked with Biogenesis was New York Yankees superstar slugger Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod repeatedly denied purposely using PEDs, and he proclaimed his innocence during a 40-minute interview with New York sports talk radio host Mike Francesa. In November 2014, however, the Miami Herald reported that Rodriguez confirmed he purchased and used products from the Biogenesis clinic. Rodriguez had spent the entire previous MLB season suspended from the game. 

History shows Rodriguez would have been better off admitting his crimes right away. Baseball fans have repeatedly forgiven players linked with steroids and other PEDs. Figures who were handed drug-related suspensions during the 2010s, such as All-Star Robinson Cano, were welcomed with open arms by fans and teams once they were able to return to the diamond. A-Rod might be waiting a long time for a call from the Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible in 2022.

For over 11 months out of the year every year, American sports fans could not have cared less about competitive cycling; except when Lance Armstrong raced in the Tour de France from 1999 through 2005. Armstrong won the event’s title all seven of those years, but accusations of wrongdoing and performance-enhancing drug use followed him after each victory. US fans claimed the rest of the world was jealous that Armstrong, a cancer survivor who established what became known as the Livestrong Foundation, was the best cyclist on the planet. They scoffed at each new allegation that emerged. 

As reported by the BBC in 2012, the United States Anti-Doping Agency confirmed Armstrong’s team ran “the most sophisticated, professionalized, and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.” USADA also stripped Armstrong of his seven titles and banned him from the sport for life. In 2013, Armstrong admitted that he had spent years lying and cheating. He also bullied those who dared to suggest he wasn’t a clean athlete. While speaking with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong detailed the PED cocktail he used during his championship runs. 

In 2018, Armstrong agreed to pay nearly $7 million in damages. He could have been on the hook for $100 million, though, leading some to suggest he had once again gotten away with being a fraud. 

So much about the “Deflategate” scandal involving New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady allegedly using deflated footballs to defeat the Indianapolis Colts by 38 points in the 2015 AFC Championship Game appeared ridiculous well after the fact. As explained by ESPN and SB Nation, the NFL suspended Brady in May 2015, and the league also stripped New England of draft picks. That, of course, was only the beginning of the Deflategate circus. Patriots owner Robert Kraft began a public feud with Roger Goodell, and Brady appealed his ban and played for the entire 2015 campaign. Eventually, however, the all-time great quarterback caved and accepted the four-game suspension in July 2016, 544 days after New England’s win over Indianapolis.  

As was often the case during the 2010s, Brady, Kraft, and the Patriots enjoyed the last laugh. New England emerged as the victors of the AFC playoff bracket and booked a date with the Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI. Brady and the Patriots then rallied back from a 28-3 deficit to force overtime, and a short James White touchdown rush in the extra period secured the title for the NFL’s reigning dynasty. There was always only one fitting conclusion to Deflategate: Tom Brady winning Super Bowl MVP, which he did for the fourth time. 

“Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” This was the message tweeted by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey on October 4, 2019, as teams such as the Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Brooklyn Nets embarked on a preseason tour in China. As many predicted at the time that tweet went public, Morey’s message didn’t sit well with the Chinese Basketball Association and certain Chinese officials. Morey apologized a couple of days later, which infuriated American fans who believed he caved under the pressure of an Association that was putting profits over human rights. 

Lakers superstar LeBron James made matters worse for the NBA when, per The Atlantic, he suggested Morey had offered a “misinformed” take on the China-Hong Kong matter. James’ message was poorly received by many observers who saw James as a coward and a hypocrite, and as somebody willing to make bold political statements as long as doing so didn’t negatively affect his brand or the NBA. Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter appeared to respond to James’ comments via Twitter, although Kanter never mentioned the King or China. 

Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal publicly backed Morey on the opening night of the 2019-20 NBA season.