ShareThisThe leading stories from the sports world for 2011 are topped by examples of an unusually bleak landscape:
1. Penn State child sex-abuse scandal: The indictment of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has led to further revelations from other corners of the sports world. In the end, increased scrutiny may bring some relief to victims and prevent future abuses. But how much have these predators undermined the next generation of people who are devoted to helping children, not to mention the kids who need the help?
2. Hockey deaths and head injuries: The hockey world heard the alarms that started to wake up the NFL in 2010, instituting tougher penalties for dangerous play. Three current or former NHL enforcers died young in 2011, one from excess alcohol and painkiller consumption, two of apparent suicides. Superstar Sidney Crosby has been shelved for most of this year because of repeated collisions and post-concussion symptoms.
3. NFL and NBA lockouts: The NFL was too profitable for its labor dispute to abbreviate the 2011 season, but the NBA faced a very real threat and lost 16 games per team off its regular season. The NFL players held together remarkably well, and the product on the field has not suffered in the slightest for the loss of minicamps and other offseason practices. The NBA's compressed schedule, featuring stretches of three games in three nights, represents a real threat to the quality of the sport and to the long-term health of players.
4. Women's World Cup: The thrilling quarterfinal between Team USA and Brazil created a buzz that pushed the tournament into a new realm. When the Japanese team beat the Americans in the final, it established the sport's increased competitiveness, emotionally boosted a country still reeling from a horrifying tsunami and reconfirmed the growing power of Asian female athletes.
5. Al Davis' death: The Oakland Raiders icon occupied an outsize role in pro sports. An innovator, a gadfly, an uncompromising rebel, he led the Raiders in a way that did more to shape the NFL than any other franchise could.
(E-mail Gwen Knapp at gknapp(at)sfchronicle.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)
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