All awesome viral sports plays feature at least these three components: 1) flawless -- or extremely flawed -- execution; 2) an element of surprise; and 3) something that makes the audience want to watch over and over again.
And with that, we present five plays that owned the Internet at one point or another in 2014.
5. When Not to Play Dead
Don't blame Booker Mays. One can only assume the Arkansas State sophomore was following explicit instructions from his coaches when he played dead during a fake punt (watch above). To no one's surprise, the Miami defense was not overly concerned with or distracted by the fainting Mays, and had little trouble stopping the world's worst fake punt attempt.
4. Behold: The Scorpion
Jordan Kilganon is a man of middling stature (6 foot 1) who can do a lot of things that men of middle statue cannot do. Like, you know, throw up sick dunks called The Scorpion:
3. The Eephus Pitch, for the Win!
New rule: Every MLB team must throw at least one eephus pitch per game. Why? Look at this awesome heave from Japanese eephus sensation Kazuhito Tadano:
Favorite part of the whole video: The announcers' incredulous response to the umpire calling the pitch a ball. Some things just transcend the language barrier ...
2. The Most Demoralizing Curling Shot Ever
What Mike McEwen did here is, apparently, called a triple-raise takeout. If you don't keep up with the world of curling, that's code for "really awesome shot that messes up just about everything for your opponent." Somehow, though, it wasn't enough to take down Brad Gushue for the Masters Grand Slam of Curling title. Which raises the question: Would you rather win the Internet for a day, or win the boring old Masters Grand Slam of Curling? Pretty easy choice, right?
1. There Are Trick Plays, and There's This ...
Congrats, Lewis and Clark Middle School in Jefferson City, Missouri. You won over our hearts with the name (the Ugly Kardashian), the simple-yet-effective execution and the Little Giants shoutout. Take a bow.
Honorable mention: Arkansas pulls off an amazing fat-guy TD pass, kicker returns own kickoff for a touchdown, the hidden ball trick works beautifully, a high-school kicker nails a 61-yard field goal, FSU sorority sister schools defenders in flag football game.