Chris Perkins: Bask in 2023, already the Best Year Ever for South Florida Sports

As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Las Vegas on Tuesday, and the Panthers’ 9-3 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final became official, South Florida sports fans could still consider themselves incredibly blessed.

It’s been a heckuva ride in the calendar year of 2023.

At the risk of recency bias, it’s already our Best Sports Year ever (Lionel Messi is coming!).

And it’s only halfway over.

The Panthers’ run, which ended one day after the Heat’s playoff run, capped an amazing, all-encompassing six-month stretch that includes our local college and pro teams, men and women, across many sports.

Fittingly, the Best Sports Year Ever was highlighted by April 1, perhaps South Florida’s Best Sports Day Ever. It’s surely the best and busiest sports day I can recall in my 26 years living here. 

Or was the highlight June 7, the day Messi, perhaps the greatest soccer player ever, announced he’d be joining Inter Miami CF?

We’ve been blessed so much, we have options.

The 2023 celebrations started with the Dolphins in January. That’s the month they concluded their 2022 season with a wildcard playoff berth, their first postseason appearance since 2016.

The Dolphins lost to Buffalo, 34-31, but their playoff berth established a 2023 South Florida postseason standard that would only get better.

Here’s what followed for South Florida sports fans, and the reason I once called 2023 the Year of the Unexpected:

• The FAU men’s basketball team, a No. 9 seed, advanced to the Final Four in Houston for the first time in program history;
• –The Miami men’s basketball team, a No. 5 seed, advanced to the Final Four in Houston for the first time in program history, defeating top-seeded Houston along the way;
• Nova Southeastern University men’s basketball team won the Div. II title for the first time in program history, and did so by going undefeated (36-0);
• The Miami women;s basketball team, a No. 9 seed, advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history, defeating top-seeded Indiana along the way;
• The No. 8 seeded Heat advanced to the NBA Finals, losing to Denver in five games, defeating top-seeded Milwaukee in the first round;
• The No. 8 seeded Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to Vegas in five games, defeating top-seeded Boston in the first round;
• Of the the best soccer players of all time, Messi, announces he’ll join Inter Miami.

We won’t forget the Miami Marlins on this list. They were seven games over .500 going into Friday’s game, which would translate into the second wild-card spot in the National League.

But there’s more.

The Best Sports Year Ever, as stated earlier, includes one of South Florida’s Best Sports Days Ever.

On Saturday, April 1, we had:

• FAU men in Final Four vs. San Diego State in Houston (San Diego State won, 72-71);
• UM men in Final Four vs. Connecticut in Houston (UConn won, 72-59);
• Heat vs. Dallas (Heat won, 129-122);
• Panthers at Columbus (Panthers won, 7-0);
• Marlins vs. Mets (Mets won, 6-2);
• Inter Miami at Cincinnati (Cincinnati won, 1-0);
• Florida Derby (Forte won);
• Miami Open women’s final (Petra Kvitova def. Elena Rybakina);
• UM baseball vs. Florida State (UM won, 3-2).

And that was all a day before the Miami Open men’s final, and a month before the Miami Grand Prix (May 7).

Granted, South Florida only has one title in 2023, and that’s thanks to NSU men’s basketball. 

But titles are tough to attain.

Titles make a year, or a season, extra special.

In light of that, perhaps a championship could help another year lay claim to South Florida’s Best Sports Year Ever.

What about 1984? The University of Miami won its first national title by defeating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl 31-30 on Jan. 2; the Dan Marino-led Dolphins, who lost to San Francisco in Super Bowl XIX on Jan. 20, 1985, went 14-2, won the AFC East, and ended the calendar year with a 31-10 divisional playoff victory over Seattle on Dec. 29.

Perhaps 1997? The Marlins won the World Series, the Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, the Dolphins earned a wild-card berth, and the University of Miami advanced to the College World Series.

But the Panthers didn’t make the playoffs, UM football had a losing season, and UM men’s basketball went to the NIT Tournament.

Let’s look at 2001, when UM football won the national title with perhaps the best college football team ever. The Dolphins won a playoff game, but the Heat lost in the first round and neither the Marlins nor the Panthers made the playoffs. 

Perhaps 2012, when the Heat won the NBA title with the Big Three, is a candidate for South Florida’s Best Sports Year Ever. However, the Panthers lost to New Jersey in the conference quarterfinals, and neither the Dolphins nor Marlins made the playoffs. Additionally, UM football had a 7-6 record.

How about 1972, the Dolphins’ Perfect Season? Possibly. They went undefeated as the only major pro sports team in South Florida. UM football hadn’t yet arrived on the national scene. 

South Florida has had numerous singular big sports moments (The Decision by LeBron James comes immediately to mind) in its history and numerous big stars at all levels (Marino, LeBron, Shaq, Ichiro, Jaromir Jagr, Dwyane Wade, Ed Reed, etc…).

But we’ve never enjoyed the mass success we’ve had through the first six months of 2023.

Heck, few regions in America have enjoyed the mass success we’ve had through the first six months of 2023.

And Messi, who will debut sometime this summer, undoubtedly ranks as the biggest sports star South Florida has ever had.

Can the end of 2023 match the beginning?

Let’s see what happens with Messi, the Marlins, Dolphins, UM football, FAU football, FIU football, and everyone else.

Technically, not many South Florida teams can win a title in 2023. The Marlins can because the World Series is in 2023. 

But the football and basketball titles from 2023 will technically be won in the calendar year of 2024.

In light of that, most of the heavy lifting for this sports year is done.

No one would have predicted the events of the first six months, and we have no idea what’s in store for the next six months.

Take a deep breath, South Florida. You deserve it.

And then prepare yourselves for another unpredictable six months in what we’ll look back on as South Florida’s Best Sports Year Ever.