1997 in sports

• Alpine Skiing World Cup • Men's overall season champion: Luc Alphand, France • Women's overall season champion: Pernilla Wiberg, Sweden ==American football==

• Super Bowl XXXI – the Green Bay Packers (NFC) won 35–21 over the New England Patriots (AFC) • Location: Superdome • Attendance: 72,301 • MVP: Desmond Howard, KR (Green Bay) • Sugar Bowl (1996 season): • The Florida Gators won 52–20 over the Florida State Seminoles to win the national championship • October 18 – Liz Heaston becomes the first woman to both play and score in a college football game ==Artistic gymnastics==

• World Artistic Gymnastics Championships – • Women's all–around champion: Svetlana Khorkina, Russian • Women's team competition champion: Romania • Women's vault champion: Simona Amânar, Romania • Women's uneven bars champion: Svetlana Khorkina, Russian • Women's balance beam champion: Gina Gogean, Romania • Women's floor exercise champion: Gina Gogean, Romania • Men's all-around champion: Ivan Ivankov, Belarus • Men's team competition champion: China • Men's vault champion: Sergei Fedorchenko, Kazakhstan • Men's still rings champion: Yuri Chechi, Italy • Men's floor exercise champion: Alexei Nemov, Russian • Men's parallel bars champion: Zhang Jinjing, China • Men's pommel horse champion: Valery Belenky, Germany • Men's horizontal bar champion: Jani Tanskanen, Finland ==Association football==

• Champions League – Borussia Dortmund beat Juventus FC 3–1 • UEFA Cup – FC Schalke 04 beat F.C. Internazionale Milano • Copa Libertadores – Cruzeiro Esporte Clube beat Sporting Cristal ==Athletics==

• August – 1997 World Championships in Athletics held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece. ==Australian football==

• Australian Football League • Port Adelaide join the league • Adelaide Crows win Grand Final for the first time – downing St. Kilda on the last day in September • ==Baseball==

• June 12 – Interleague play begins in baseball, ending a 126-year tradition of separating the major leagues until the World Series. • World Series – Florida Marlins won 4 games to 3 over the Cleveland Indians. The Series MVP was Liván Hernández, Florida ==Basketball==

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship – • Arizona Wildcats win 84–79 in overtime over the Kentucky Wildcats. This is Arizona's first NCAA title in men's basketball. • NBA Finals – • Chicago Bulls earn their second repeat of the decade as they beat the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 (see Steve Kerr). • WNBA Finals (inaugural WNBA season): • Houston Comets defeat the New York Liberty in one game playoff series. • National Basketball League (Australia) Finals: • Melbourne Tigers defeated the South East Melbourne Magic 2–1 in the best–of–three final series. ==Boxing==

• January 18 – Oscar De La Hoya maintained his World Boxing Council super lightweight title in with a 12–round unanimous decision over Miguel Ángel González in Las Vegas, Nevada. • May 13 – death of Eduard Zakharov (22), Russian boxer • June 28 – Mike Tyson bites off a piece of the ear of Evander Holyfield in the third round of their WBA Heavyweight title fight, getting disqualified by referee Mills Lane. • July 9 – Mike Tyson's boxing license is suspended for at least a year and he is fined $3 million for biting Evander Holyfield's ear in a televised match. • October 18 to October 26 – World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Budapest, Hungary ==Canadian football==

• Grey Cup – Toronto Argonauts won 47–23 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders • Vanier Cup – UBC Thunderbirds win 39–23 over the Ottawa Gee-Gees ==Cricket==

• The Ashes – Australia win the six test series 3–2 • ICC Trophy – Bangladesh • Women's Cricket World Cup – Australia beat New Zealand by five wickets • County Championship (England and Wales) won by Glamorgan ==Cycling==

• Giro d'Italia won by Ivan Gotti of Italy • Tour de France – Jan Ullrich of Germany • UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Laurent Brochard of France ==Dogsled racing==

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion • Martin Buser won with lead dogs: Blondie & Fearless ==Field hockey==

• Men's Champions Trophy: Germany • Women's Champions Trophy: Australia ==Figure skating==

• World Figure Skating Championships – • Men's champion: Elvis Stojko, Canada • Ladies' champion: Tara Lipinski, United States • Pairs' champions: Mandy Wötzel & Ingo Steuer, Germany • Ice dancing champions: Oksana Grishuk / Evgeny Platov, Russia == Floorball ==

• Women's World Floorball Championships • Champion: Sweden • European Cup • Men's champion: Fornudden IB • Women's champion: Högdalens AIS ==Gaelic Athletic Association==

• Camogie • All-Ireland Camogie Champion: Cork • National Camogie League: Cork • Gaelic football • All-Ireland Senior Football Championship – Kerry 0–13 died Mayo 1–7 • National Football League – Kerry 3–7 died Cork 1–8 • Ladies' Gaelic football • All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Monaghan • National Football League: Waterford • Hurling • All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Clare 0–20 died Tipperary 2–13 • National Hurling League – Limerick 1–12 beat Galway 1–9 ==Golf==

'''Men's professional''' • Masters Tournament – Tiger Woods • U.S. Open – Ernie Els • British Open – Justin Leonard • PGA Championship – Davis Love III • PGA Tour money leader – Tiger Woods – $2,066,833 • PGA Tour Player of the Year – Tiger Woods • PGA Tour Rookie of the Year – Stewart Cink • Senior PGA Tour money leader – Hale Irwin – $2,343,364 • Ryder Cup – Europe won 14½–13½ over the United States in team golf. • Tiger Woods creates an uproar with his record 12-shot victory at the Masters, and becomes the first Masters winner of African-American descent. He set the record for the lowest to-par score of −18, and the lowest 72-hole score of 272. He also rises to the No. 1 ranking on June 15, in only his 42nd week as a professional – the fastest ascent to the No. 1 ranking. '''Men's amateur''' • British Amateur – Craig Watson • U.S. Amateur – Matt Kuchar • European Amateur – Didier de Voogt '''Women's professional''' • Nabisco Dinah Shore – Betsy King • LPGA Championship – Christa Johnson • U.S. Women's Open – Alison Nicholas • Classique du Maurier – Colleen Walker • LPGA Tour money leader – Annika Sörenstam – $1,236,789 ==Handball==

• World Men's Handball Championship – won by Russia • World Women's Handball Championship – won by Denmark ==Harness racing==

• North America Cup – Gothic Dream • Western Dreamer won the United States Pacing Triple Crown races – • Cane Pace – Western Dreamer • Little Brown Jug – Western Dreamer • Messenger Stakes – Western Dreamer • United States Trotting Triple Crown races – • Hambletonian – Malabar Man • Yonkers Trot – Lord Stormont • Kentucky Futurity – Take Chances • Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship – • Pacers: Our Sir Vancelot • Trotters: Pride Of Petite ==Horse racing==