As 2007 ends, we will be looking back at some people and stories that dominated the sports world and our coverage at Outsports this year.
Our seven “Sports Story of the Year” nominees represent the good, the bad and the ugly of a year that was as marred by major sports controversy as any before it (and, saddly, we said the same thing last year).
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| Bonds chase of the record and infamy Barry Bonds broke Major League Baseball’s career home run record amidst a flood of steroid-use accusations. By the time he was mentioned in the Mitchell Report, it was old news. |
 | Brett Favre’s resurgence There were few outside Green Bay who didn’t think Brett Favre had passed his usefulness in the NFL. But this season Favre has broken a slew of NFL career records and this season is second in the NFL for passing yards and fifth for passer rating and touchdown passes. |
 | John Amaechi comes out The former NBA basketball player’s revelation that he is gay, along with Tim Hardaway’s infamous statement that he hates gay people, propelled the national conversation about gays in sports and shot Amaechi’s book onto best-seller lists. |
 | Mike Vick’s dogfighting ring No sports story in 2007 generated more anger and venom than the details of Vick’s involvement with dogfighting, which included the cruel and inhumane execution of various dogs. He’ll spend two years in jail and lose tens of millions of dollars for his involvement. |
 | New England Patriots What a year for the Patriots. They choke away the AFC Championship game in January, retool their roster in March and April, get caught cheating in September and are the only NFL team to start 15-0 ever. Few teams in sports have inspired more of a love-hate dynamic with fans than the Pats. |
 | Referee Tim Donaghy fixing NBA games In the NBA offseason, the league was rocked by the revelation that one of its referees was involved in a point-shaving scandal. Predictions that it was the end of the NBA now seem reactionary, as long as it remains an isolated incident. |
