Top 5 sports stories of 2023

The aussiebets.com team has put together our top 5 most influential storylines of 2023.

It is a story of true betrayal that left golfing stars such as  Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods in disbelief. 

The CEO of the PGA Tour, Jay Monahan went back on his word, in disbelief to players and fans, and gave into the “blood money” that he had previously called it, striking a deal with LIV owners to merge both golfing tours together again.

You can’t open up your browser or blindly scroll on social media without seeing Jake Paul's face popping up, it drives me nuts. 

The former Disney star now has a net worth on Forbes approximated at $70 Million U.S., after doubling from $30 Million after his pro-boxing career took off with the well-publicised Paul v Fury spectacle.

Jake and Logan Paul’s launch of Prime energy drink has also played a huge part in his presence all around the world. Prime even became the official energy drink of one of Europe's soccer powerhouses Bayern Munich.

Then there is BETR, which is Paul’s media platform that has also seen increased popularity. BETR combines sports media content with sports betting….. Great idea!

Las Vegas is a mecca for all things gambling and there is nowhere in the world that parties like Vegas. 

Vegas won their first top-class championship with the Vegas Golden Knights winning the NHL Stanley Cup after just 6 seasons in the league.

Although it was a bit of a bust, Formula 1 took to the track for its first race under a 10-year contract to light up the glitter strip with the world’s most-watched motorsport series. 

The Oakland A’s will join the Oakland Raiders and will make the move to Las Vegas after unanimously being approved by 75% of the 30 MLB teams.

However, there will be no bigger event in the USA in 2024 than the NR,L at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, announced earlier this year. The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles will play the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Brisbane Broncos play the Sydney Roosters in a season-opening doubleheader. 

If we start with the positive, the Saudi Arabian men’s team got an emphatic 2-1 victory over Argentina in the World Cup, as one of the greatest shocks in the 92-year history. It was such a big deal that Saudi Arabia declared it a national holiday a day after the victory.

Then there is, in my opinion, the not-so-positive. The signing of Christiano Ronaldo directly after the World Cup to Al Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year deal worth €200 million (A$315m) per season.

This sparked a mass influx of players to Saudi including 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema and Brazilian Neymar, just to name a few, however, the long list goes on. The league spent just over $1 billion U.S. dollars in the summer transfer window.

It has been a work in progress, but after such a successful Women’s Soccer World Cup in Australia in 2023, women’s sport has officially broken through and has the numbers to prove it.

The World Cup saw Stadium Australia at capacity four times during the tournament, three times involving our own national team and of course, during the final between England and Spain. 

It is not only soccer that has drawn the attention of Aussie sports fans with the rise of AFLW and NRLW. Both codes have seen much more attention in the media this past season, from feature articles from news corp to social media gurus following and chatting about the leagues.

The U.S. also invested significant amounts into women’s sports, especially soccer, basketball and ice hockey.