Ode to Sports: A year when games and fans came off the bench

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, left, and quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrate after the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 7, 2021. Brady's fifth Super Bowl title, at 43 no less, was one of the best moments of 2021, when a continuing pandemic could not dim the brightest of stars of the sports world.(AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File)

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young holds the Heisman Trophy at an award ceremony, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in New York. (Todd Van Emst/Heisman Trust via AP, Pool)

Tiger Woods fist bumps his son Charlie Woods on the 16th green during the second round of the PNC Championship golf tournament, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Scott Audette)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry yells after scoring against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)