2008 in sports

[American football]

• Super Bowl XLII – the New York Giants won 17–14 over the heavily favored New England Patriots
• *Location: University of Phoenix Stadium
• *Attendance: 71,101
• *MVP: Eli Manning, QB
• BCS National Championship Game at Sugar Bowl :
• * The Louisiana State Tigers won 38–24 over the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the BCS National Championship, thus becoming the first two-time BCS National Champions, and the first BCS titlists with two losses in a single season.
• September 7 – In the New England Patriots' season opener, quarterback Tom Brady suffers a torn ACL that ruled him out for the season, a year after he led the Patriots to a 16–0 record and a Super Bowl XLII appearance.
• September 21 – The New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins to end their NFL-record 21-game regular-season winning streak dating back to December 2006, which coincidentally, was also against the Dolphins.
• December 28 – The Miami Dolphins finish 11-5 and become the first team in NFL history to win their division after winning only one game the year before, and it also marked the last non-Patriot division title in the AFC East until the 2020 NFL season.
• The Detroit Lions became the first team since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to lose all their regular season games. They lost an NFL record 16 games during the season. The Lions would be joined by the Cleveland Browns 9 years later as the second team to go winless since the NFL expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978.

  [Archery]

• 2008 Meteksan Archery World Cup takes place at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Leading medal winners are USA, Italy and Russia.

  [Association football]

• Egypt win the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations 1–0 over Cameroon. It is the sixth title in the competition for the Pharaohs.
• Manchester United wins the UEFA Champions League, defeating another English side Chelsea by penalty shootout 6–5, after a draw of 1–1 at the final.
• Spain defeated Germany 1–0 in the final of the 2008 UEFA European Football Championships
• LDU Quito wins the 2008 Copa Libertadores, defeating Fluminense in the final.

  [Australian rules football]

• Papua New Guinea win the 2008 Australian Football International Cup defeating New Zealand 7.12.54 to 7.4.46 in the Grand Final. A special 'Peace Team' composed of local Israeli and Palestinian players competed in the tournament.
• Hawthorn defeat Geelong 18.7.115 to 11.23.89 in the 2008 AFL Grand Final to win their tenth premiership. The crowd of 100,012 at the MCG is the largest at a VFL/AFL Grand Final since the 1986 VFL Grand Final.
• North Ballarat defeat Port Melbourne 18.12.120 to 11.9.75 in the 2008 VFL Grand Final at the Telstra Dome. This is the club's first VFL premiership in its 13th season in the league.

  Baseball

• Fresno State University Bulldogs made history by becoming the biggest underdogs to win an NCAA championship by beating their University of Georgia namesakes in the 2008 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska
• For the first time in both World Series and post-season history, a contest is suspended during an official game as Game Five is halted in the sixth inning with a tie score of 2–2 between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The game resumes two days later and the Phillies clinch their second World Championship with a 4–3 victory, winning the 2008 World Series in five games. Cole Hamels was named the World Series Most Valuable Player.
• Japan Series winners Saitama Seibu Lions won the 2008 Asia Series by beating Taiwan Series winners Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions by 1–0 at the final at Tokyo Dome

  Basketball

• University of Kansas Jayhawks defeat the Memphis Tigers in the championship game of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, 75–68 in overtime in San Antonio, Texas. The Jayhawks' Mario Chalmers was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
• University of Tennessee Knoxville Lady Vols, led by Most Outstanding Player Candace Parker's hustle, defeated the Leland Stanford Jr. University Cardinal, 64–48 to win their second consecutive NCAA women's basketball tournament in Tampa, Florida, and their eighth overall.
• Boston Celtics win their seventeenth NBA Championship by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the 2008 NBA Finals. Paul Pierce was named Finals MVP.
• Euroleague won by CSKA Moscow of Russia by defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 91–77 in the final
• The Detroit Shock would win their 3rd championship in franchise history after sweeping the league-best San Antonio Silver Stars in the 2008 WNBA Finals. It was the first sweep in the finals in a best-of-5 series.
• The Melbourne Tigers defeat the Sydney Kings in five games in the NBL Grand Final series to win their fourth championship.

  [Bowls]

• April – World Indoor Singles and Mixed Pairs Championship held at Bowls Stadium, Swansea

  [Boxing]

• February 23 – Wladimir Klitschko defeats WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden in New York City, to unify the IBF and WBO Heavyweight titles. The Klitschko-Ibragimov fight was the first heavyweight unification bout since Holyfield-Lewis in 1999.
• March 8 – David Haye achieves a TKO of Enzo Maccarinelli in the second round in a unification fight for the WBC, WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles.
• April 19 – Joe Calzaghe, fighting for the first time in the US, wins a 12-round split decision over Bernard Hopkins for the latter's world light heavyweight title
• June 28 – Manny Pacquiao defeats David Díaz via 9th-round knockout to take the WBC lightweight crown, his 4th world title in 4 divisions.
• October 18 – Bernard Hopkins beats then-undefeated Kelly Pavlik via unanimous decision. Throughout the fight, Hopkins, although 17 years older than Pavlik, managed to outwork and outhustle Pavlik throughout the fight.
• November 8 – Joe Calzaghe remains unbeaten after 46 fights with a 12-round unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
• December 6 – Manny Pacquiao defeats Oscar De La Hoya after eight rounds in a fight billed as "The Dream Match" in Las Vegas, when De La Hoya couldn't answer the bell for the ninth round. It was officially a technical knockout.

  [Canadian football]

• November 23 – The Calgary Stampeders win the 96th Grey Cup game, defeating the Montreal Alouettes 22–14 at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

  Cycling

Road Cycling

• Carlos Sastre wins the 2008 Tour de France.
• Alberto Contador wins the 2008 Giro d'Italia.
• Alberto Contador wins the 2008 Vuelta a España.

  Track Cycling

[2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships]

[Competition aerobatics]

• Mikhail Mamistov won the 16th FAI European Aerobatic Championships in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
• Ferenc Tóth won the 9th FAI European Glider Aerobatic Championships in Radom.

  [Cricket]

• Rajasthan Royals win the inaugural Indian Premier League.
• 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup was held in Malaysia from February 17, 2008, to March 2, 2008.

  [Curling]

Diving">Diving (sport)">Diving

• FINA Diving World Cup concludes with China taking 7 gold and 4 silver medals

  [Figure skating]

• March – 2008 World Figure Skating Championships held at Göteborg

  [Floorball]

• Men's World Floorball Championships
• * Champion:
• Women's under-19 World Floorball Championships
• * Champion:
• EuroFloorball Cup 2007–08
• * Men's champion: AIK IBF
• * Women's champion: UHC Dietlikon
• EuroFloorball Cup 2008
• * Men's champion: AIK IBF
• * Women's champion: IKSU innebandy

  [Gliding]

• The winners of the 30th FAI World Gliding Championships in Lüsse are Michael Sommer, György Gulyas and Olivier Darroze.
• Laurent Couture, Michael Buchthal and Matthias Sturm won the gold medals in the 30th FAI World Gliding Championships in Rieti, Italy.

  Golf

• The Masters – Trevor Immelman wins his first major.
• Tiger Woods wins the 2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship over Rocco Mediate following an eighteen-hole playoff which they tie at even par. This forces a sudden death playoff on the seventh hole and Woods makes a par to Mediate's bogey.
• United States defeats Europe to win the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky

  Handball">Team handball">Handball

• 2008 European Men's Handball Championship: Denmark
• 2008 European Women's Handball Championship: Norway

  [Horse racing]

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Denman
• Grand National – Comply or Die

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Viewed
• Canadian Triple Crown:
• # Queen's Plate – Not Bourbon
• # Prince of Wales Stakes – Harlem Rocker
• # Breeders' Stakes – Marlang
• Dubai – Dubai World Cup won by Curlin
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Zarkava
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Frozen Fire
• Japan – Japan Cup won by Screen Hero
• English Triple Crown Races:
• # 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Henrythenavigator
• # The Derby – New Approach
• # St. Leger Stakes – Conduit
• United States Triple Crown Races:
• # Kentucky Derby – Big Brown
• # Preakness Stakes – Big Brown
• # Belmont Stakes – Da' Tara
• Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
• * Day 1:
• *# Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint – Ventura
• *# Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf – Maram
• *# Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies – Stardom Bound
• *# Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf – Forever Together
• *# Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic – Zenyatta
• * Day 2:
• *# Breeders' Cup Marathon – Muhannak
• *# Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint – Desert Code
• *# Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile – Albertus Maximus
• *# Breeders' Cup Mile – Goldikova
• *# Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Midshipman
• *# Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf – Donativum
• *# Breeders' Cup Sprint – Midnight Lute
• *# Breeders' Cup Turf – Conduit
• *# Breeders' Cup Classic – Raven's Pass