AOL Sports presents: Why Fans Love Sports

Updated
Tom Izzo on Michigan State's Loss to Middle Tennessee State
Tom Izzo on Michigan State's Loss to Middle Tennessee State

We understand -- your bracket is in shambles. Middle Tennessee? Yale? It's okay. It's not your fault.

To help restore that early March Madness jubilee, we've drawn up a totally different field of 64 -- but this time, you're the one deciding who moves on.

Separated into four "regions," we're out to discover what today's sports fans love the most.

"Moments" features the top sports feat of each year in the new millennium. "Athletes" follows a similar structure. "Memes" ranks our favorite sports-driven Internet sharables, and "Reactions" does the same with classic athlete celebrations, dances and the like.

The result will be a Final Four unlike ever before, eventually pitting a meme or reaction against a moment or athlete, determining what today's sports fans love the most.

To vote, keep your eyes peeled to @AOLSports on Twitter, where we'll be tweeting the official polls throughout the week.

Keep scrolling to find the full bracket, as well as a full voting schedule and live polls for the Round of 64.

Click the bracket below to enlarge




Reactions Region

(1) Lambeau Leap vs. (16) Westbrook's Gun Show

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/Omt1FzZjXal"%

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/MviqrpTQ9ht"%

(2) MJ Shrug vs. (15) Steph Curry Assuming His Shots Go In

via GIPHY

VS.

(3) Joey Bat Flips vs. (14) Victor Cruz's Salsa

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/eEdvmvFOj5A"%

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/O16YExaqj35"%

(4) Iverson Stomps Over Lue vs. (13) *Pick Your Own Ochocinco Dance*

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/MKQ1h7hbLLb"%

VS.

via GIPHY

(5) Randy Moss Moons Green Bay vs. (12) Onions

VS.

(6) Mutombo Finger Wag vs. (11) Money Manziel

via GIPHY

VS.

via GIPHY

(7) T.O. in the Cowboys Star vs. (10) Dab

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/iBTtL5pHH76"%

(8) Brandy Chastain loses her jersey vs. (9) Ray Lewis Dance

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/hTeLzL0r5WI"%

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/OJQATOgQIeF"%



Memes Region

(1) Crying Jordan vs. (16) Wilmer Flores gets emotional

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/eXrl1pDwtYH"%

(2) Tom Brady's sad sketch vs. (15) Clown Question, Bro

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/bVzI25wBLTF"%

(3) Everything Riley Curry does vs. (14) Discount Double Check

VS.

(4) Practice...? vs. (13) I'm Just Here So I Won't Get Fined

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/OOamaj5qIHF"%

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/OTTDuvuDbqK"%

(5) PLAYOFFS?!? vs. (12) That time DeAndre Jordan sparked an emoji war

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/ezanJYLv3Ep"%

VS.

(6) Butt Fumble vs. (11) Can't Wait!

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/e9EgLmQ6pl1"%

(7) You play to win the game! vs. (10) ?? Nick Young ??

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/e6uLX5Yli73"%

VS.

(8) Tim Howard saves everything vs. (9) The Bears are who we thought they were!

VS.

%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/OwD5A1vzQA7"%




Athletes Region

(1) Michael Phelps, 2008 vs. (16) LaDainian Tomlinson, 2006

The greatest American Olympics performance of all time, pitted against a 28-touchdown, 1,800-yard season for the former Chargers running back.

(2) Barry Bonds, 2001 vs. (15) Sidney Crosby, 2007

In 2001, Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs -- a record unlikely to ever be approached ever again. In 2007, a 19-year-old Sidney Crosby registered 120 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

(3) LeBron James, 2013 vs. (14) Carlos Beltran, 2005

Perhaps the peak season of LeBron James' prime culminated in a championship for Miami -- 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 57 percent shooting. But remember Carlos Beltran's record-breaking postseason tear with the Houston Astros in 2005?

(4) Shaun Alexander, 2005 vs. (13) Kevin Durant, 2014

Remember when Shaun Alexander scored 27 touchdowns and took his team to a Super Bowl? Seems like decades ago. You'll probably have an easier time remembering KD's MVP campaign of 2014.

(5) Randy Johnson, 2002 vs. (12) Miguel Cabrera, 2012

Randy Johnson's 24 wins in 2002 -- to go along with a 2.32 ERA and 334 strikeouts, was worthy of a Cy Young. But how does it compare with a Triple Crown?

(6) Serena Williams, 2015 vs. (11) Tom Brady, 2003

Serena's dominance of yesteryear is fresh in everyone's memories, but Tom Brady's championship 2003 season -- while he was just a few years removed from being a backup -- was one for the ages.

(7) Kobe Bryant, 2010 vs. (10) Drew Brees, 2009

In 2010, Kobe Bryant took home his final NBA title after averaging 27 points per game. A year prior, Drew Brees put up a season that culminated in a championship for the New Orleans Saints.

(8) Aaron Rodgers, 2011 vs. (9) Tiger Woods, 2000

Aaron Rodgers threw for 48 touchdowns in 2011 before winning a championship. In 2000, Tiger Woods won nine of his 20 events, including three majors, taking home more than $9 million in winnings.




Moments Region

(1) Red Sox Snap the Curse vs. (16) White Sox end World Series Drought

The top moment in sports from 2004 -- and our No. 1 overall -- goes up against a similar feat that went down just a year later, when the White Sox snapped an 88-year title drought.

(2) Tyree's Helmet Catch vs. (15) Boise State's Statue of Liberty Play

The higher seed will go down as one of the most exciting plays in Super Bowl history, but the underdog here provided quite a bit of excitement a year earlier.

(3) Aaron Boone's Walk-Off Homer vs. (14) Dyson Stopped at the Goal Line

The shot that vilified Aaron Boone forever in the city of Boston goes up against one of the most thrilling endings in Super Bowl history.

(4) Derek Jeter's 3000th hit vs. (13) Texas vs. USC Rose Bowl

A storybook milestone against one of the best college football games in recent memory.

(5) Malcolm Butler's Decisive Pick vs. (12) Tuck Rule

Two plays that will live forever in Patriots history. One clinched the most recent championship of a dynasty. The other perhaps enabled that dynasty.

(6) Mike Piazza's Home Run for New York vs. (11) James Harrison's 100-yard Interception

One home run helped revitalize an entire city after tragedy. The other was one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history.

(7) Ray Allen's Finals-Saving Three vs. (10) Usain Bolt's 2012 Olympics

​Of all Ray Allen's three-pointers, this one may go down as the most important. It goes up against one of the best Olympics performances ever.

(8) The Decision vs. (9) Beckham's One-Handed Grab

​The Decision changed the NBA landscape as we knew it, for years to come. Odell Beckham's one-handed catch was effectively the beginning of his NFL stardom.




Follow AOL Sports on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Advertisement