A good sports moment has to have the right combination of factors: 1) it’s got to be truly shocking (or at least weird) 2) it must make you awe or gasp 3) it must inspire or delight 4) it must generate an emotional reaction, like cheering, laughing, crying or just shrugging your shoulders 5) it should be a bit goofy (either funny or sad or both) 6) it must have a backstory behind it that gives context to the story (e.g., what led up to the moment)
Viral moments from sports have the power to connect with millions of people around the globe, turning them into fans of the athlete, team or sport in question. They also have the potential to linger in our minds for a long time, becoming shorthand for certain players or even entire eras of sports history.
This summer, the Olympics had a lot of viral moments – from “pommel horse guy” earning a bronze medal and a spot on “Dancing with the Stars” to Ilona Maher rumbling over Australians to Steph Curry knocking out France. But there were plenty of other wacky and head-scratching moments outside the Olympic arena.
In baseball, a best-on-best matchup can produce iconic stories and transcend its two teams, bringing in millions of new fans and creating memes that become a part of the culture. That’s what happened in the bottom of the ninth inning when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout.