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NO. 1 IN YOUR HEARTS — Sports give us a lot of moments to celebrate.
Whether it’s applauding a good effort, celebrating a win or empathizing with the common humanity that brings millions of people together for a cause, we celebrate the human side of sports today.
With that in mind, here are a few of our favorite moments from the weekend.
Sunderland for life, Everton for a day
Bradley Lowery is a young fan of Sunderland in the English Premier League. But when his mother announced a month ago that he was terminally ill with cancer, all of English soccer stepped up in a big way.
When Everton hosted league power Manchester City on Sunday, the Toffees invited Bradley to kick the first goal of the match. It may not have counted on the scoreboard, but it was the biggest goal of the day in Everton’s 4-0 upset of a club just two points outside the top four.
There's only one Bradley lowery! pic.twitter.com/w2Lnf8O1CQ
— EVERTON (@_evertonfans_) January 15, 2017
After the stunning win, Everton star Romelu Lukaku picked up Bradley and carried him around the pitch to shake hands with every player.
Unbelievable and unforgettable.
Romelu Lukaku carries Bradley Lowery, who shakes all the players hands. He'll never forget this moment. Amazing.pic.twitter.com/s6kD6wBqQi
— BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) January 15, 2017
Utes fans' premature celebration
The Runnin’ Utes missed a near-upset of No. 4 UCLA after the Bruins escaped Salt Lake City with a win Saturday afternoon.
Utah had a few chances to win, which will likely give them confidence going forward. Lorenzo Bonam’s last-second shot was not one of them, though, as his buzzer-beating jumper hit paydirt and sent off a wave of cheers.
There was only one problem: Utah was down three.
Utah is down by 3 to UCLA. They shoot and make a 2 at the buzzer and celebrate... pic.twitter.com/2TqCMds0RU
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) January 15, 2017
UCLA held on for an 83-82 win — but to be fair to Utah fans, it was a pretty great final shot.
Proud Mama’s Boy
In the game, Bryce Alford had 15 points for the Bruins. But he also had something to say to fans in Salt Lake City who apparently made reference to his relationship with UCLA coach Steve Alford.
Also, the "daddy's boy" chant is weak. I'm a momma's boy get your facts straight 😂
— Bryce Alford (@balford20) January 15, 2017
Well played, young Alford; well played.
Johnny Football sighting
Since we're in the NFL playoffs, has anybody spotted Johnny Manziel lately?
Fox 5 in San Diego did — watching the Toreros upset BYU 88-75 in West Coast Conference play.
Random sports news- Johnny Manziel spotted at USD-BYU MBB @LisaLane_Sports@Jacob_Roth21@JManziel2pic.twitter.com/a6qXNq89DQ
— Jordan Whitley (@JordanWhitley) January 15, 2017
Who knew?
