History EarnYourHappyEnding / Sports

* Picture this: the 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche had their worst season on record, finishing dead last in the standings with 22-56-4, exacerbated by having to hastily hire a new coach at the beginning of the season due to the previous one quitting in a hissy fit, a disjointed team, and their star player demanding a trade because he wanted to be on a team that makes playoffs. (Even that trade had been ridiculed as a bad move because it looked like they had gotten stiffed.) It took five years, a lot of good draft picks and trades (including the aforementioned one, which history later vindicated as the best trade the Avs had done), finally building some cohesion, and three straight years of heartbreak from losing in the second round, the 2021-22 Avalanche ''finally'' were back on top as Stanley Cup Champions. For Gabe Landeskog, Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Erik Johnson, and J.T. Compher-all members of the 2016-17 team-it was a happy ending indeed to lift that cup. (And in case you're wondering, the star player that demanded the trade? [[HilariousInHindsight Was lucky if his team even made playoffs, and those that did never got past the first round.]])

** Strug wasn't the only American to win gold while injured during those Olympics, as Wrestling/KurtAngle competed in freestyle wrestling with a broken ''neck''.

** Two years later, they win it again, but ''not without a fight'', as they had to go seven games ''three straight times'' just to make the Stanley Cup finals. The first round, against the Sharks, they were down 3–0 and had to win four straight to advance. The conference finals, against the Blackhawks, had the additional agony of a ''[[SuddenDeath Game 7]] [[DownToTheLastPlay overtime]]''. The Stanley Cup Finals themselves only went five games, but it took ''two'' overtimes for the Kings to seal the deal at home. The [=CBC=] commentator put it this way: "They did it the ''hard'' way. They did it the ''long'' way."

* Following the Lakers from that season, we have the Phoenix Suns seeing almost similar results after seeing an even worse AudienceAlienatingEra by comparison. For a team that once saw plenty of successes despite never winning the NBA Finals beforehand, the 2010's is easily considered the worst decade for fans of the team ever, no questions asked. From failures to providing worthwhile replacements for Amar'e Stoudemire and Steve Nash once they left the Suns to having a rotating carousel of head coaches to many draft picks that are seen as busts of the modern-day era to even relying on two interim general managers simultaneously at one point all while under a FauxAffablyEvil SlimeBall team owner in Robert Sarver (who's owned the team back in their famous Seven Seconds Or Less era in 2004, but his behavior wasn't exposed to the public until a 2022 investigation revealed the racist, sexist, and otherwise ugly and disgusting things he's said and done while as the team owner), it's no wonder why the Suns saw a decade of misery at hand despite having one season where they had a winning record at 48-34 at the time. However, when it came to them earning back their respectability as a franchise after losing it in the 2010's, we actually have to look back at the start of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic in this case. After being one of the last teams to join the 2020 NBA Bubble as perceived long-shots to do anything worthwhile there in the process (to the point where even the signing of back-up point guard Cameron Payne didn't move the needle much at all for Suns fans at the time since he was playing in China and the NBA G League before the pandemic began), they somehow managed to go a perfect 8-0 in their Bubble run and were both a Giannis suspension and missed shot by the Brooklyn Nets away from returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.[[note]]Technically, it was more either Giannis' suspension or a missed shot by the Nets since 2020 was the first year the NBA implemented the idea of the then-experimental play-in tournament where if both a Seed 8 & Seed 9 were at least 4 games apart from each other, the two teams would compete for the 8th and final spot in the playoffs available. However, because of the difference of games played that season due to said pandemic, the Suns failed to compete in it due to both the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers tying with the same record over the Suns having a 34-39 record at the end of their season. If either or even both teams lost, it would have been possible for the Suns to get in by beating either team either once or twice (depending on positioning), which would have let them get in for a first round match against the Lakers, ironically enough.[[/note]] Despite not making it to the playoffs that season, Chris Paul (who was with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time) was genuinely impressed by the Suns' efforts within the Bubble, which led to a surprising trade before the start of the next season between the two teams where the Suns acquired the superstar point guard for a few of the key players the team had at the time. Not only that, but they also signed Miami Heat forward Jae Crowder to the team to help shore up the loss of Kelly Oubre Jr. at the time as well. With the two players helping the young nucleus of Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Cameron Johnson out, the Suns went from a team that would have just been happy to be in the playoffs to a sudden, surprise NBA Finals contender, making it there for the first time since 1993 after beating the defending-champion L.A. Lakers in 6 games, sweeping the Denver Nuggets, and beating an upstart L.A. Clippers in 6 games. While they didn't win the NBA Finals that year, losing a 2-0 series lead in part due to an injury by power forward Dario Šarić, they did reach a happy ending in the fact that they escaped the darkest parts of their history and entered a new era of success going forward.

** The 2019-20 season saw the change that Laker fans wanted once Magic Johnson publicly resigned from his position. Starting from that point, they fired head coach Luke Walton (who previously played for the Lakers the last time they were in the playoffs) for former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel and then ''finally'' traded for Anthony Davis during the 2019 NBA Draft after previously being declined his services a season earlier due to incompetence from the New Orleans Pelicans' managerial end. Once they added Davis to help [=LeBron=] out a bit in more tense matches in exchange for most of the young talents they acquired (leaving only Kyle Kuzma and arguably Alex Caruso as the sole leftovers from that era), the Lakers returned to being bold with their free agency signings once again, signing veteran talents like Jared Dudley, Danny Green, and Avery Bradley to help bolster their roster up against the serious competition of that time. Then throughout the season, the Lakers acquired players like Dwight Howard (who was once considered a major negative from their dark ages, but played like he wanted redemption there, even if he was initially planned to stay until [=DeMarcus=] Cousins got healthy before becoming an official part of their lethal center core with Anthony Davis and [=JaVale McGee=] later in the season) and Markieff Morris to help bolster their chances once they returned to the Playoffs. However, even this season gave the Lakers emotional turmoil, albeit for two completely unexpected reasons entering 2020. First, the news of Kobe Bryant (alongside eight other people, including his daughter Gianna and two of her youth basketball teammates) dying in a helicopter crash on January 26 of that year shocked the team, their fans, and pretty much everyone that followed the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] to their very core. Second, and much more serious to the world at large, the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic officially began in the U.S.A. on March 11, 2020, five days after the Lakers officially made the NBA Playoffs and were playing on pace for the best record in the Western Conference, if not the entire NBA. That damage caused a serious mental toll on the players signed (including future signings made during the unexpected break in Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith), with many people wondering if there was even going to be a finished season at all. However, the NBA did devise a plan to continue their season under what was considered the "2020 NBA Bubble" in Ride/WaltDisneyWorld, and in spite of serious concerns at the time, no player ended up catching COVID-19 there once the regular season continued. While the Lakers still faced emotional turmoil in relation to the pandemic (including a point on wanting to stop the NBA Playoffs completely alongside their in-town rival Clippers), they ultimately recovered from their slump to end the resumed regular season in time to get serious with the Playoffs going forward. Once there, they managed to beat their first three opponents (the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets) with considerable ease, winning 4-1 in convincing fashion for each series, before meeting one of [=LeBron=]'s old teams, the upstart Miami Heat, in the NBA Finals. While the Heat played the series like any other as underdogs with nothing to lose, the Lakers' talent levels proved to be no match for the Heat in the end, winning that series 4-2, with Game 6 ending in a 106-93 beatdown that looked a lot closer than it actually was. At the end of their time in the Bubble, the Lakers made sure to dedicate their 17th championship to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, with [=LeBron=] saying this championship was about respect.

* Much like the Saints, the famed Boston Red Sox. A franchise whose (in)ability to win became legendary. Over the course of 80 plus years, the Sox were constantly foiled in their attempts to win a World Series, either losing their division to the Yankees, or being beat in the Series, usually after having some sort of lead. Unlike the Cubs and White Sox who simply never won the pennant for decades, the Red Sox WOULD win the American League Championship 4 times and every single time lose the World Series in 7 games, usually in dramatic fashion or by blowing a lead, particularly in 1986 when they were a strike away from winning it all. Numerous star Sox players went their whole careers without a title (e.g. Williams, Yastrzemski, Fisk, et. al) or would defect to other teams, particularly the Yankees to get a ring (Boggs, Clemens). As recently as 2003, the Sox, who were leading the Yankees in the 7th game of the ALCS, BLEW THE LEAD AGAIN, and were beaten, and due to a bad managerial decision. During that offseason the Red Sox attempted to trade franchise icon Nomar Garciaparra after contract talks failed, for Alex Rodriguez, the best player in the game. Due to union complications on A-Rod's contract, the trade failed, and he ended up being traded to the Yankees. Nomar would be yet another Boston legend to leave when he was traded in July. On top of this, several Red Sox players including ace Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, and Derek Lowe were on their final years(only Varitek would return as team captain). The VERY NEXT YEAR, Boston curb-stomped the entire American League, flipped the script on the New York Yankees, by BEATING THEM after THEY HAD TRAILED; and then ''SWEPT'' the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. Staunch Red Sox haters had to bow to the awesomeness, and stand and applaud the Sox finally winning a hard-earned title at last.

* Much like the Saints, the famed Boston Red Sox. A franchise whose (in)ability to win became legendary. Over the course of 80 plus years, the Sox were constantly foiled in their attempts to win a World Series, either losing their division to the Yankees, or being beat in the Series, usually after having some sort of lead. Unlike the Cubs and White Sox who simply never won the pennant for decades, the Red Sox WOULD win the AL Championship 4 times and every single time lose the World Series in 7 games, usually in dramatic fashion or by blowing a lead, particularly in 1986 when they were a strike away from winning it all. Numerous star Sox players went their whole careers without a title (e.g. Williams, Yastrzemski, Fisk, et. al) or would defect to other teams, particularly the Yankees to get a ring (Boggs, Clemens). As recently as 2003, the Sox, who were leading the Yankees in the 7th game of the ALCS, BLEW THE LEAD AGAIN, and were beaten, and due to a bad managerial decision. During that offseason the Red Sox attempted to trade franchise icon Nomar Garciaparra after contract talks failed, for Alex Rodriguez, the best player in the game. Due to union complications on A-Rod's contract, the trade failed, and he ended up being traded to the Yankees. Nomar would be yet another Boston legend to leave when he was traded in July. On top of this, several Red Sox players including ace Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, and Derek Lowe were on their final years(only Varitek would return as team captain). The VERY NEXT YEAR, Boston curb-stomped the entire American League, flipped the script on the New York Yankees, by BEATING THEM after THEY HAD TRAILED; and then ''SWEPT'' the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. Staunch Red Sox haters had to bow to the awesomeness, and stand and applaud the Sox finally winning a hard-earned title at last.

* Much like the Saints, the famed Boston Red Sox. A franchise whose (in)ability to win became legendary. Over the course of 80 plus years, the Sox were constantly foiled in their attempts to win a World Series, either losing their division to the Yankees, or being beat in the Series, usually after having some sort of lead. Unlike the Cubs and White Sox who simply never won the pennant for decades, the Red Sox WOULD win the AL Championship 4 times and every single time lose the World Series in 7 games, usually in dramatic fashion or by blowing a lead, particularly in 1986 when they were a strike away from winning it all. Numerous star Sox players went their whole careers without a title (e.g. Williams, Yastrzemski, Fisk, et. al)or would defect to other teams, particularly the Yankees to get a ring (Boggs, Clemens). As recently as 2003, the Sox, who were leading the Yankees in the 7th game of the ALCS, BLEW THE LEAD AGAIN, and were beaten, and due to a bad managerial decision. The VERY NEXT YEAR, Boston curb-stomped the entire American League, flipped the script on the New York Yankees, by BEATING THEM after THEY HAD TRAILED; and then ''SWEPT'' the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Staunch Red Sox haters had to bow to the awesomeness, and stand and applaud the Sox finally winning a hard-earned title at last.
** And not just any trailing in the ALCS. The Red Sox fell to an 0-3 deficit in a 7 game series and did something that no other baseball team had done before -- come back and WIN from that. And it wasn't easy either. They were down 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th on the 1 year anniversary of that fateful 2003 ALCS game. But as Kevin Millar went up to bat, the clock struck midnight and somehow he managed a walk against probably the best closer of all time, Mariano Rivera. Then Millar was substituted for with Dave Roberts who stole second on an extremely close play. Then Bill Mueller hit a single that was just out of the reach of Rivera to score Roberts for the tying run. And that was just the beginning. Games 4, 5, and 6 were real tough battles throughout full of twists, turns, strange umpiring calls, and Keith Foulke basically sacrificing his career for the chance at glory. Needless to say, the Happy Ending was earned in a huge way.

* Much like the Saints, the famed Boston Red Sox. A franchise whose (in)ability to win became legendary. Over the course of 80 plus years, the Sox were constantly foiled in their attempts to win a World Series, either losing their division to the Yankees, or being beat in the Series, usually after having some sort of lead. Numerous star Sox players went their whole careers without a title (e.g. Williams, Yastrzemski, Fisk, et. al). As recently as 2003, the Sox, who were leading the Yankees in the 7th game of the ALCS, BLEW THE LEAD AGAIN, and were beaten. The VERY NEXT YEAR, Boston curb-stomped the entire American League, flipped the script on the New York Yankees, by BEATING THEM after THEY HAD TRAILED; and then ''SWEPT'' the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Staunch Red Sox haters had to bow to the awesomeness, and stand and applaud the Sox finally winning a hard-earned title at last.

* Individual race example: During his previous 19 years as a full-time UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} driver, UsefulNotes/DaleEarnhardt had won a record-tying 7 Winston Cup[[note]]now simply the Cup Series[[/note]] championships while establishing himself as of the sport's most dominant drivers. His one "white whale", though, was the season-opening Daytona 500; which Earnhardt had never won, losing four of those races in especially gut-wrenching fashion[[note]]1986; when Earnhardt led late until running out of gas; then having to watch Geoff Bodine win after Earnhardt blew an engine attempting to restart following his pit stop, followed by 1990 when Earnhardt led late only to blow out a tire on the final lap after running over a piece of bell housing from Rick Wilson's blown engine, allowing little-known driver Derrike Cope to win in an upset. 1993, meanwhile, had the Intimidator leading until being passed on the last lap by eventual winner Dale Jarrett. Finally, 1997 saw him in contention with 10 laps to go before being knocked out in a crash[[/note]]. However in 1998; Earnhardt - aided by a Lap 138 push by teammate Mike Skinner - took the lead, eventually holding off Bobby Labonte to win the race (on a caution-checkered flag); not only finally getting a victory in the Daytona 500 after 20 years but in the process snapping a streak of 59 races over nearly 2 years coming in.

** Any driver who survived the late 60s/70s in [=F1=] has to count, although special mention should go to Sir Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda. Stewart raced at a time when a Formula One driver was twice as likely to die at a race than finish it, and lost his mentor (Graham Hill), his best friend (Jim Clark), and his protégé (François Cevert) among many others during his racing career. Niki Lauda suffered from a similar problem as well as nearly burning to death in a horrific crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix, only to come back to racing less than three months later. Both of them achieved hard-earned peace with the advancement of safety measures (Stewart), and returning to win even more world championships as well as rising through the media to become an important media personality and later govern a team into winning races again (Lauda).
* In 2005, gymnast Nastia Liukin lost the world all around title by less than one hundredth of a point. She was poised to defend her title in 2006 but had a major ankle sprain that left her unable to compete in any event except bars at Worlds. Liukin's ankle injury required surgery and did not heal properly. The recovery period kept her out of both national and international competition for much of the year. Her subpar performances in 2007 led many to believe her prospects as an all around competitor were greatly diminished, especially in light of the rise of teammate Shawn Johnson, who had won every all around competition she competed in during 2007. In 2008, Nastia won an early match over Shawn due to her falling on a vault, but after that Shawn beat Nastia in ever all around meet, and was touted as the favorite to win the all around competition at the 2008 Olympics. At the Olympics, Nastia performed at peak performance and won the all around competition.
* A similar story goes back to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The U.S. women's gymnastics team (dubbed "The Magnificent Seven") were up against the usually-stiff challenge and under incredible pressure to win their first-ever gold medal, and everyone there had to give their all, but perhaps none as much as Kerri Strug. It had been a tight contest throughout, and it would be down to her, on the Vault, to decide it all. But then, she flubs the first vault and lands badly, twisting her ankle. Meaning the gold medal would come down to her pulling off a good second vault ''on a bad ankle''[[note]]The Russian team was about to come on, and coach Bela Karolyi believed Strug's points would be needed to stay ahead. They weren't, as it turned out, but he didn't know that.[[/note]] In ''the'' Moment of Awesome of the 1996 games, Strug bit the bullet, ran, leapt, and appeared to stick the landing '''on one foot'''[[note]]she actually landed briefly on both feet, then immediately picked up her injured foot and hopped in a circle for the salute to the judges -- a credit card commercial with Creator/MorganFreeman is responsible for the "on just one foot" meme.[[/note]], winning [=Team USA=] its first-ever team gymnastics gold: a story worthy of a Hollywood movie, only played out for real.
** Less well remembered is the image of Strug dropping to the ground crying in agony immediately afterwards. HarsherInHindsight with [[https://athleteafilm.com/ recent revelations about what the team endured]] with Coach Karolyi and child-molesting doctor Larry Nassar. [[CareerEndingInjury Strug never competed in gymnastics again]], and [=McKayla=] Maroney, who'd competed on a broken foot, retired early.
** Strug wasn't the only American to win gold while injured during those Olympics, as ProWrestling/KurtAngle competed in freestyle wrestling with a broken ''neck''.
* Everyone remembers how the 1980 US Olympic hockey team beat [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_Ice the Russians, generally thought at the time to be the greatest hockey team in the world]], and that they would go on to win the gold medal. But what very few people remember is that their first game in that Olympics ended in a draw, and that every time they won, they did so by coming from behind. ''Every single time they won.''

** Brian O'Driscoll is generally regarded as Ireland's greatest player of the 21st century, if not of all time. He ended his international career with more caps (international match appearances) than any other player in history[[note]]a record that soon after fell to New Zealand's Richie [=McCaw=][[/note]], and also retired as the all-time leading try scorer for both Ireland and the Six Nations Championship[[note]]the main competition for European national teams, involving England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales[[/note]]. In the same 2013–14 season that saw Wilkinson's retirement, he had two chances to go out a winner.

*** Then came the final of the [=Pro12=], a league which involves teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. BOD's club, Leinster, was facing the Glasgow Warriors. Glasgow took an early 3–0 lead, and O'Driscoll was forced off injured after 8 minutes. However, there were no nail-biters this time. Leinster soon took a lead and never gave it up, winning 34–12 and giving BOD a winner's medal in his final appearance as a player.
* UsefulNotes/AustralianRulesFootball: Going into the 2016 season, the Western Bulldogs had only won one premiership, way back in 1954, and hadn't played in a Grand Final since 1961: the longest cold streak in the league in both counts. During that time, they had lost seven Preliminary Finals between 1985 and 2010, narrowly avoided being merged in 1989, and suffered near-constant financial troubles. Then, in round 3, captain Bob Murphy injured his knee and was out for the season. They finished seventh after the home-and-away season, and were underdogs (pardon the pun) all through the finals - against the West Coast Eagles in Perth, then reigning three-time premiers Hawthorn, then Greater Western Sydney in UsefulNotes/{{Sydney}}, before finally making it to the Grand Final against the top-placed Sydney Swans...'''and they won.''' Even injured captain Bob Murphy got a happy ending, with coach Luke Beveridge calling him up during the presentations and giving his premiership medal to him.[[note]]Murphy later decided to return the medal; it's since been given to the club's museum.[[/note]]
** Next year would see another team break a lengthy drought. Fillled with ambition, loads of fans, a desire to avenge a lackluster finish last year, and an interesting combination of seasoned veterans and surprisingly-skilled rookies (including several who joined in the last weeks of the regular season), the Richmond Tigers faced off in the G against the favored Adelaide Crows. At first it seemed the Crows would continue their dominance, but somewhere in the second quarter the Tigers' fire was lit, and they pounced. With contributions all over[[note]]Including from the rookies such as Jack Graham—youngest on the ground at only 19, yet he ended up leading the ground with three goals[[/note]], the Tigers went on to absolutely smother Adelaide and earn the club its first premiership since 1980. The celebrations went on long and hard, especially at the Tigers' traditional ground of Punt Road, located literally next door to the [=MCG=]. The victory was capped by them claiming a first in the sport, as Dustin Martin became the first player to win a premiership, the Norm Smith Medal for best on the ground in the Grand Final, and the Brownlow Medal for best and fairest in the season all in the same year.

** Unfortunately, the win would be tainted when two years later, it was discovered the team had used cameras to steal signs from opposing pitchers.[[note]]Sign-stealing itself is not illegal, but using technology to do so is.[[/note]]
* Baseball's Earn Your Happy Ending for 2019 is the Washington Nationals. Both the city (never won since 1924 with the original Senators) and the team (never won in the 51-year history of the franchise which began as the Montreal Expos) were desperate for a title. The team had reached the National League Division Series 4 times in the past decade, but suffered devastating losses. They lost their best player, Bryce Harper, to a hated division rival before the season, and they certainly didn't start out as a championship-caliber team; a 19-31 start to the season had people talking firing ''another'' manager. But the Nationals started to develop a trend...''for persisting and coming back''. To begin, they turned a 19-31 start into a 93-69 finish, clinching one of the two Wild Card slots. From there, the Nationals' fight really began.

* To punctuate a 2016 full of hard-earned happy endings, there is the tale of Nico Rosberg. For 11 years, the German had appeared in over 200 races and won 23 of them, but one accomplishment had always escaped him: the Formula 1 Driver's Championship. It didn't help that his biggest competition was his teammate: three-time and defending champion Lewis Hamilton. As expected, the 2016 F1 season swung back and forth between the two rivals, but this year Rosberg managed to build a bit of a lead as the season wound down to the final race at Abu Dhabi. In spite of Hamilton seemingly keeping the opportunities open for other racers to unseat him from the podium, Rosberg persevered and in the end finished just behind Hamilton, taking the title by a mere five points. A hard-fought title taken at the very last race makes Rosberg's Driver's Title earned in the truest sense. For Rosberg, it also made a fitting finish, as he soon after announced his retirement from the sport.

* Individual race example: During his previous 19 years as a full-time UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} driver, UsefulNotes/DaleEarnhardt had won a record-tying 7 Winston Cup[[note]]now Monster Energy Cup[[/note]] championships while establishing himself as of the sport's most dominant drivers. His one "white whale", though, was the season-opening Daytona 500; which Earnhardt had never won, losing four of those races in especially gut-wrenching fashion[[note]]1986; when Earnhardt led late until running out of gas; then having to watch Geoff Bodine win after Earnhardt blew an engine attempting to restart following his pit stop, followed by 1990 when Earnhardt led late only to blow out a tire on the final lap after running over a piece of bell housing from Rick Wilson's blown engine, allowing little-known driver Derrike Cope to win in an upset. 1993, meanwhile, had the Intimidator leading until being passed on the last lap by eventual winner Dale Jarrett. Finally, 1997 saw him in contention with 10 laps to go before being knocked out in a crash[[/note]]. However in 1998; Earnhardt - aided by a Lap 138 push by teammate Mike Skinner - took the lead, eventually holding off Bobby Labonte to win the race (on a caution-checkered flag); not only finally getting a victory in the Daytona 500 after 20 years but in the process snapping a streak of 59 races over nearly 2 years coming in.

* The 2019 Cricket World Cup can easily be described as one of the most exciting and dramatic tournaments the sport has ever seen, particularly for England, the hosts, who had to that point ''never'' won it. To say they embody this trope would be to make light of the incredible drama they endured for a month and a half. They went into the tournament in strong standing, among the best in the world. But after seven of nine matches in the round robin, England had lost three and seemed on the verge of elimination; they had to win the last two to ensure advancement, and one of their opponents was India, #1 in the world. They endured, winning their last two matches to lock in third place and advance to the final four. Standing between them and the finals were eternal rivals Australia, who had beaten them during the round robin. And they would bat first, which had statistically been the favored position. But England again knuckled down, bowled out Australia, and then ran their score down easily. Then came the final; New Zealand would give England the challenge of their lives. They survived England's fearsome bowling to rack up 241. England had easily scored in the 300's multiple times in the tournament, but New Zealand's bowling attack would steadily knock out England's strongest hitters one after the other. But to use cricket lingo, the tail wagged just when it was needed. Anchored by Ben Stokes, the bottom order went for broke and desperately caught up. They needed two to win from the last ball. They hit the last ball, they scramble and get one...and lose their last wicket in a run out. ''Level at 241!'' It would go to the Super Over: the first time it was ever used in the World Cup or any [=ODI=]. And England made use of their second chance, scoring 15 key runs. So it was up to New Zealand to score 16 in six balls. And in the last ball, IronicEcho hit. They needed two to win from the last ball. They hit the last ball, they scramble and get one...and get run out. ''Level again!'' '''BUT'''..the rules state that if the Super Over ends level, the match would be decided by the total number of boundaries hit by the teams. Because of England's desperate clawback, they had more boundaries and knew it. The moment they made the run out and stopped New Zealand from overtaking, they and all of Lord's Cricket Ground erupted in celebration. As commentator Ian Smith exclaimed, "''England have won the World Cup! By the barest of margins!''"
* The 2019-2020 Kansas City Chiefs earned their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years, and it wasn't easy. They were minus a few players from their run last year, and several key players (including their key quarterback Patrick Mahomes) had to sit out here and there due to injuries, but they earned second seed and a bye week...but then it got interesting. In the Division Round, they dropped 24 straight points to the Texans before finding their groove and answering with 28 unanswered points of their own, ultimately crushing Houston 51-31. Then, in the AFC Championship Game, the Tennessee Titans once again took an early lead (17-7) against the Chiefs, but once again the Chiefs rallied, smothered Tennessee's running back Derrick Henry, and scored another 28 unanswered points on their way to a 35-24 win and a ticket to only their third Super Bowl in franchise history[[note]]Their last two appearances? A loss to Green Bay in the very first AFL-NFL Championship Game in 1967 and a win in Super Bowl IV in 1970: incidentally, the last Super Bowl before the AFL and NFL merged.[[/note]] Their opponents? The San Francisco 49ers, hungry to win their first title in several decades themselves. And Super Bowl LIV turned out to be an intense back-and-forth contest: the first half ending in a 10-10 tie. Then, the pattern emerged again. Mahomes struggled for a bit, threw two rare interceptions, and the 49'ers capitalized to build a 20-10 lead. For the third time this postseason, the Chiefs were down ten or more. It took until about six minutes to go in the game before Mahomes finally found himself again. A 44-yard pass from Mahomes to Tyreek Hill was the first hint of a Chiefs surge where they would score a touchdown, force the Niners to a three-and-out, and score again. From down ten to up four in just a few minutes, then they would hold on, stopping the Niners from scoring further and getting in one more touchdown to seal the deal. Particular happy endings go to Patrick Mahomes (youngest ever to win Super Bowl MVP), Head Coach Andy Reid (finally winning the big one after 21 years), and the State of Missouri (the Cardinals won the World Series in 2011, the Royals joined them four years later, and [[Awesome/TheStanleyCup the Blues won the Stanley Cup]] the previous June; with the Chiefs' victory, every major Missouri team had made it to the top within a ten-year span).
* Argentinean football is no stranger to recovery cases and happy endings:
** Here's the tale of San Martín de Tucumán, one of the biggest teams in its province, whose economic mishandlings led them from being relegated from the Primera B Nacional (AFA's second tier) all the way down to its regional league (which back then qualified as the fourth tier, with a HarderThanHard tournament separating these leagues from the Torneo Argentino A, the third ter for non-AFA argentinean teams). Then, after a restructuring of the categories, San Martín was invited to the newly-created Torneo Argentino B in 2004, the new fourth rung. A speedy recovery had them blazing throughout all of the rungs led them not only to returning to the Primera B Nacional in 2007, but also reach the upper level, Primera División in 2008.

** The 2019-20 season saw the change that Laker fans wanted once Magic Johnson publicly resigned from his position. Starting from that point, they fired head coach Luke Walton (who previously played for the Lakers the last time they were in the playoffs) for former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel and then ''finally'' traded for Anthony Davis during the 2019 NBA Draft after previously being declined his services a season earlier due to incompetence from the New Orleans Pelicans' managerial end. Once they added Davis to help [=LeBron=] out a bit in more tense matches in exchange for most of the young talents they acquired (leaving only Kyle Kuzma and arguably Alex Caruso as the sole leftovers from that era), the Lakers returned to being bold with their free agency signings once again, signing veteran talents like Jared Dudley, Danny Green, and Avery Bradley to help bolster their roster up against the serious competition of that time. Then throughout the season, the Lakers acquired players like Dwight Howard (who was once considered a major negative from their dark ages, but played like he wanted redemption there, even if he was initially planned to stay until [=DeMarcus=] Cousins got healthy before becoming an official part of their lethal center core with Anthony Davis and [=JaVale McGee=] later in the season) and Markieff Morris to help bolster their chances once they returned to the Playoffs. However, even this season gave the Lakers emotional turmoil, albeit for two completely unexpected reasons entering 2020. First, the news of Kobe Bryant (alongside eight other people, including his daughter Gianna) dying in a helicopter crash on January 26 of that year shocked the team, their fans, and pretty much everyone that followed the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] to their very core. Second, and much more serious to the world at large, the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic officially began in the U.S.A. on March 11, 2020, five days after the Lakers officially made the NBA Playoffs and were playing on pace for the best record in the Western Conference, if not the entire NBA. That damage caused a serious mental toll on the players signed (including future signings made during the unexpected break in Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith), with many people wondering if there was even going to be a finished season at all. However, the NBA did devise a plan to continue their season under what was considered the "2020 NBA Bubble" in Ride/WaltDisneyWorld, and in spite of serious concerns at the time, no player ended up catching COVID-19 there once the regular season continued. While the Lakers still faced emotional turmoil in relation to the pandemic (including a point on wanting to stop the NBA Playoffs completely alongside their in-town rival Clippers), they ultimately recovered from their slump to end the resumed regular season in time to get serious with the Playoffs going forward. Once there, they managed to beat their first three opponents (the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets) with considerable ease, winning 4-1 in convincing fashion for each series, before meeting one of [=LeBron=]'s old teams, the upstart Miami Heat, in the NBA Finals. While the Heat played the series like any other as underdogs with nothing to lose, the Lakers' talent levels proved to be no match for the Heat in the end, winning that series 4-2, with Game 6 ending in a 106-93 beatdown that looked a lot closer than it actually was. At the end of their time in the Bubble, the Lakers made sure to dedicate their 17th championship to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, with [=LeBron=] saying this championship was about respect.

** Less well remembered is the image of Strug dropping to the ground crying in agony immediately afterwards. HarsherInHindsight with [[https://athleteafilm.com/ recent revelations about what the team endured]] with Coach Karolyi and child-molesting doctor Larry Nassar. Strug never competed in gymnastics again, and [=McKayla=] Maroney, who'd competed on a broken foot, retired early.

** Less well remembered is the image of Strug dropping to the ground crying in agony immediately afterwards. HarsherInHindsight with [[https://athleteafilm.com/ recent revelations about what the team endured]] with Coach Karolyi and child-molesting doctor Larry Nassar. Strug never competed in gymnastics again, and McKayla Maroney, who'd competed on a broken foot, retired early.

* A similar story goes back to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The U.S. women's gymnastics team (dubbed "The Magnificent Seven") were up against the usually-stiff challenge and under incredible pressure to win their first-ever gold medal, and everyone there had to give their all, but perhaps none as much as Kerri Strug. It had been a tight contest throughout, and it would be down to her, on the Vault, to decide it all. But then, she flubs the first vault and lands badly, twisting her ankle. Meaning the gold medal would come down to her pulling off a good second vault ''on a bad ankle''. In ''the'' Moment of Awesome of the 1996 games, Strug bit the bullet, ran, leapt, and stuck the landing '''on one foot''', winning [=Team USA=] its first-ever team gymnastics gold: a story worthy of a Hollywood movie, only played out for real.

* The 1991 WorldSeries as a whole, played between the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves: The 1990 Twins and Braves finished at the bottom of their respective divisions. The '90 Twins in particular suffered the ignominious distinction of losing a game AFTER setting a historical first during that game: Turning two triple plays. The '91 teams played the longest (in number of innings) seven-game World Series to date, drawing four of its contests into extra frames, including a marathon 12-inning Game 3, decided when Twins manager Tom Kelly ran out of pitchers in the bottom of the 12th, and the decisive 1–0 Game 7, which was won in the bottom of the 10th inning by a single hit by career [[JackOfAllTrades utility infielder]] Gene Larkin over the heads of a drawn-in outfield, scoring Dan Gladden from third base, capping starter Jack Morris' heroic ten-inning three-hit complete game shutout. Morris earned the World Series MVP award; teammate Kirby Puckett had made Game 7 possible the previous night by launching a Charlie Leibrandt pitch into the left-center-field seats. Sports Illustrated named the 1991 World Series the greatest '''of all time'''.
* Manchester United were red hot favourites for the 1958 European Cup (and everything else besides) - until the Munich disaster killed eight players, left two so injured they never played again, and the manager so close to death he was read the Last Rites twice during his stay in hospital. Somehow they still managed to make the FA Cup Final that year (losing to Bolton); they next won the FA Cup in 1963, the League in 1965 and finally, with only two of the surviving players still present, the European Cup in 1968.

* Sachin Tendulkar, the India cricket legend, made his international debut at the age of 16 and over the course of a career spanning 21 years and counting has come to be recognised by many as the best batsman to ever play the game, setting individual records that may never be broken and leading the team to victory in many matches single-handedly. For most of this time, he was part of a below average team which failed to progress much at major international events. In 2003, the team made it to the finals of the World Cup in South Africa only to be hopelessly outclassed in the first half of the game by Australia, leaving no chance for victory by the time Sachin came in to bat. And when in the next world cup the team crashed out in the first round, many felt that that's one trophy he'd never have. And then, the 2011 world cup, his 6th as a player, where he was playing as a 38 year old, with many of his teammates being toddlers when he started his international career and who had repeatedly stated their desire to win the cup for their childhood hero Sachin. With Sachin playing an instrumental part in their progress, that is exactly what they did! Manly tears were shed aplenty on that beautiful night... none more so than when after giving Sachin a lap of honour on their shoulders, a young member of the team said: "He (Sachin) has carried the burden of the country for more than 20 years, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9yj9fUvfr4 it's time we carried him]]".

** The 2019-20 season saw the change the Lakers wanted once Magic Johnson publicly resigned from his position. Starting from that point, they fired head coach Luke Walton (who previously played for the Lakers the last time they were in the playoffs) for former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel and then ''finally'' traded for Anthony Davis during the 2019 NBA Draft after previously being declined his services a season earlier due to incompetence from the New Orleans Pelicans' managerial end. Once they added Davis to help [=LeBron=] out a bit in more tense matches in exchange for most of the young talents they acquired (leaving only Kyle Kuzma and arguably Alex Caruso as the sole leftovers from that era), the Lakers returned to being bold with their free agency signings once again, signing veteran talents like Jared Dudley, Danny Green, and Avery Bradley to help bolster their roster up against the serious competition of that time. Then throughout the season, the Lakers acquired players like Dwight Howard (who was once considered a major negative from their dark ages, but played like he wanted redemption there, even if he was initially planned to stay until [=DeMarcus=] Cousins got healthy before becoming an official part of their lethal center core with Anthony Davis and [=JaVale McGee=] later in the season) and Markieff Morris to help bolster their chances once they returned to the Playoffs. However, even this season gave the Lakers emotional turmoil, albeit for two completely unexpected reasons entering 2020. First, the news of Kobe Bryant (alongside eight other people, including his daughter Gianna) dying in a helicopter crash on January 26 of that year shocked the team, their fans, and pretty much everyone that followed the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] to their very core. Second, and much more serious to the world at large, the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic officially began in the U.S.A. on March 11, 2020, five days after the Lakers officially made the NBA Playoffs and were playing on pace for the best record in the Western Conference, if not the entire NBA. That damage caused a serious mental toll on the players signed (including future signings made during the unexpected break in Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith), with many people wondering if there was even going to be a finished season at all. However, the NBA did devise a plan to continue their season under what was considered the "2020 NBA Bubble" in Ride/WaltDisneyWorld, and in spite of serious concerns at the time, no player ended up catching COVID-19 there once the regular season continued. While the Lakers still faced emotional turmoil in relation to the pandemic (including a point on wanting to stop the NBA Playoffs completely alongside their in-town rival Clippers), they ultimately recovered from their slump to end the resumed regular season in time to get serious with the Playoffs going forward. Once there, they managed to beat their first three opponents (the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets) with considerable ease, winning 4-1 in convincing fashion for each series, before meeting one of [=LeBron=]'s old teams, the upstart Miami Heat, in the NBA Finals. While the Heat played the series like any other as underdogs with nothing to lose, the Lakers' talent levels proved to be no match for the Heat in the end, winning that series 4-2, with Game 6 ending in a 106-93 beatdown that looked a lot closer than it actually was. At the end of their time in the Bubble, the Lakers made sure to dedicate their 17th championship to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, with [=LeBron=] saying this championship was about respect.

** Speaking of the Miami Heat, [=LeBron=] James would earn his happy ending in the following year of 2012. At the beginning of his career, [=LeBron=] was seen as a [[TheAce basketball prodigy]] that would take Cleveland to multiple championships the minute he put on the Cavalier trunks. Jokes were often made about how the city of Cleveland was spending all the city's money on James himself. Unfortunately for Cleveland, [=LeBron=] wouldn't be able to give them a championship, despite taking them to the finals and many playoff appearances. Rumors began to spread that [=LeBron=] didn't have the "clutch gene" to make crucial plays when needed to win the big games. There were also doubts about his mental ability to handle real pressure during games, as he would seem to wear down in the 4th quarter. James often complained that he couldn't win the big games himself and needed the right role players, but sports commentators saw that as an excuse and more proof he wasn't on the level of UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan or Kobe Bryant - never mind the fact that both men did have the right role players on their teams when they won championships. If that wasn't bad enough, his decision to leave Cleveland for Miami to join his friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to create a mini-dream team was met with a huge backlash by both basketball fans and the sports media. [=LeBron=] was the most hated man in sports in 2011 and many cheered when the Miami Heat lost the finals to the Dallas Mavericks. However, in 2012, [=LeBron=] would finally prove himself by playing some of the [[UpToEleven best basketball]] anyone has ever seen. He would show up during the big games and make crucial shots even while he was injured during the finals. He would earn the respect of both the basketball fans and the sports critics in the media. He finally won his NBA championship ring and proved himself as one of the greats. To add icing on the cake, he would win the finals MVP and lead the London Olympics Dream Team to a gold medal victory. However, some critics still doubted [=LeBron's=] 2012 championship victory, because it happened during the lockout year and not during a full season. He silenced the critics again by winning the regular season MVP award for the fourth time, and lead the Miami Heat to back-to-back championships against a very tough San Antonio Spurs team. He won the Finals MVP award again for scoring 37 points in Game 7, tying Bill Russell and Michael Jordan as the third player in NBA history to win the Finals MVP awards in back-to-back championship runs.

** The 2019-20 season saw the change the Lakers wanted once Magic Johnson publicly resigned from his position. Starting from that point, they fired head coach Luke Walton (who previously played for the Lakers the last time they were in the playoffs) for former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel and then ''finally'' traded for Anthony Davis during the 2019 NBA Draft after previously being declined his services a season earlier due to incompetence from the New Orleans Pelicans' managerial end. Once they added Davis to help [=LeBron=] out a bit in more tense matches in exchange for most of the young talents they acquired (leaving only Kyle Kuzma leftover from that era), the Lakers returned to being bold with their free agency signings once again, signing veteran talents like Jared Dudley, Danny Green, and Avery Bradley to help bolster their roster up against the serious competition of that time. Then throughout the season, the Lakers acquired players like Dwight Howard (who was once considered a major negative from their dark ages, but played like he wanted redemption there, even if he was initially planned to stay until [=DeMarcus=] Cousins got healthy before becoming an official part of their lethal center core with Anthony Davis and [=JaVale McGee=] later in the season) and Markieff Morris to help bolster their chances once they returned to the Playoffs. However, even this season gave the Lakers emotional turmoil, albeit for two completely unexpected reasons entering 2020. First, the news of Kobe Bryant (alongside eight other people, including his daughter Gianna) dying in a helicoptor crash on January 26 of that year shocked the team, their fans, and pretty much everyone that followed the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] to their very core. Second, and much more serious to the world at large, the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic officially began in the U.S.A. on March 11, 2020, five days after the Lakers officially made the NBA Playoffs and were playing on pace for the best record in the Western Conference, if not the entire NBA. That damage caused a serious mental toll on the players signed (including future signings in Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith), with many people wondering if there was even going to be a finished season at all. However, the NBA did devise a plan to continue their season under what was considered the "2020 NBA Bubble" in Ride/WaltDisneyWorld, and in spite of serious concerns at the time, no player ended up catching COVID-19 there once the regular season continued. While the Lakers still faced emotional turmoil in relation to the pandemic (including a point on wanting to stop the NBA Playoffs completely alongside the in-town rival Clippers), they ultimately recovered from their slump to end the resumed regular season in time to get serious with the Playoffs going forward. Once there, they managed to beat their first three opponents (the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets) with considerable ease, winning 4-1 in convincing fashion for each series, before meeting one of [=LeBron=]'s old teams, the upstart Miami Heat, in the NBA Finals. While the Heat played the series like any other as underdogs with nothing to lose, the Lakers' talent levels proved to be no match for the Heat in the end, winning that series 4-2, with Game 6 ending in a 106-93 beatdown that looked a lot closer than it actually was. At the end of their time in the Bubble, the Lakers made sure to dedicate their 17th championship to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, with [=LeBron=] saying this championship was about respect.