While feuds and explosions are a bit of a guilty pleasure, there were still plenty of heartwarming moments throughout sports media in 2025 that would be a better fit for the Hallmark Channel instead of something you might see on Jerry Springer.

Lee Corso’s goodbye to College GameDay was the winner of the Awfulies’ best moment of the year, and maybe even the millennium in the industry. Getting to don the Brutus Buckeye headgear one last time in front of 100,000 people and going perfect in his final picks was something to remember. But there were plenty of other moments as well that made you live, laugh, and love.

Here are the best sports media moments of 2025…

Shane Gillis steps up to Nick Saban

You would have to be a brave man or a very foolish man to step onto a college football show and make fun of Nick Saban. Maybe comedian Shane Gillis is a little bit of both? His fearless poking fun at the Hall of Famer was made all the better by the fact that Saban wasn’t in on the joke.

Hubie Brown says farewell

Lee Corso wasn’t the only emotional goodbye in 2025. ESPN also said farewell to legendary NBA analyst Hubie Brown, who called one last game in February at 90 years of age. Brown remained one of the sharpest analysts on television, even in his latter years, and was always such a joy to listen to.

What goes around comes around for Nick Wright

FS1’s First Things First is one of the most enjoyable debate shows on sports television because they never take themselves too seriously. So when Nick Wright’s beloved Kansas City Chiefs got blown out in the Super Bowl by the Philadelphia Eagles, they took full advantage to troll him as nobody had ever been trolled before.

High hopes for High Point

There are few things better or more endearing than to listen to student announcers call a historic moment for their school. So listening to the highlights of High Point’s Jimmy Rosselli and Griffin Wright call an insane comeback to make the NCAA Tournament is a true privilege.

Long live Greg Gumbel

This year’s NCAA Tournament was not the same without the venerable Greg Gumbel leading coverage from the studio. At the start of March Madness, the entire CBS crew paid a wonderful tribute to Gumbel, with each member on set sharing meaningful words. They even wore shirts from his favorite band, The Rolling Stones.

Ken Griffey Jr.’s Masterful moment

Rory McIlroy finally winning the career grand slam was an incredible sporting moment. What made it even more incredible was the fact that baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. was the one to record the win for the history books with the photo of record.

Mel Kiper delivers an all-timer

How could you not love Mel Kiper’s passion and energy for the NFL Draft? The iconic analyst has had his fair share of viral moments over the decades, even before that was even a thing. But his standing up for Shedeur Sanders after his historic slide at the 2025 NFL Draft is going to be one of the things we always remember from his iconic career.

Bill Simmons finds out what Pablo Torre is all about

Whatever the sports media equivalent of going on the road to win a Game 7 is, that’s what Pablo Torre did in his appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast. After being called out by The Sports Guy for his reporting on Bill Belichick, Torre went into enemy territory on the Simmons pod and delivered a podcast performance for the ages. All it was missing was a LeBron James chasedown block.

Taylor Swift breaks the internet

Taylor Swift’s appearance on the New Heights podcast with fiancé Travis Kelce and brother Jason was one of the year’s most anticipated, most-streamed, and most scrutinized moments. The podcast was so hyped that the livestream actually broke YouTube. And whether you’re a Swiftie, a football fan, or anywhere in between, the interview itself was really fun too.

NBA on NBC triumphant return

Basketball fans everywhere were excited to see what would happen when the NBA returned to NBC for the first time in a generation. And as soon as the first notes hit from Roundball Rock, it was the perfect mix of old and new. NBC has found a way to update its presentation for today’s game while keeping fans feeling a warm sense of nostalgia.