Now that the World Cup is over, we’re truly at a dead point in the sports world. NFL training camp will be in full swing by the end of the month, but preseason football is more scary than entertaining, as you can only hope and pray that your team’s best players don’t ruin the regular season by picking up a preseason/training camp injury.

But this dead period is also unique to any other time of the year because all of the champions from regular seasons that started in 2013 have been decided — the NFL, NCAAF, NCAAB, MLB, NHL, and the NBA all have their victors.

We watched the Seahawks win the Super Bowl via a relentless defensive assault that doomed the rest of the league. We saw the Seminoles of the ACC snatch away the crown from the SEC by edging the Tigers in a last-second thriller. We witnessed the UConn men’s basketball team knock off powerhouse Kentucky to put an end to madness in March. We observed the Boston Red Sox lay further waste to the Curse of the Bambino with yet another World Series win. We looked on as the Kings rode the glove hand of Jonathan Quick to hoist the Stanley Cup. We gazed in awe at the San Antonio Spurs as they dismantled LeBron James’ Miami Heat. And, finally, we were treated to a World Cup final that might have featured one of the most entertaining 1-0 games of all time.

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The past 12 months of sports have been remarkable. But not all championship games and series are created equal. Here are our rankings for the best championship games from the past year.

(Note: By no means do these rankings seek to claim that the sports listed in this article are the only important sports. I also happen to like golf, tennis, women’s college basketball, etc. But, if I had included all sports, this list would go on forever. I am far too lazy for that.)

About Sean Wagner-McGough