If they had a second chance, they probably would reconsider A look at some of the funniest sports failures that have reached made the headlines in their time.
Super Bowl XLVII Blackout
The blackout will undoubtedly join Janet Jackson’s wardrobe gaffe and Buffalo Bills kicker Scott Norwood’s missed field goal from the 1991 Super Bowl in the pantheon of Super Bowl failures. Although it’s not one of the biggest mistakes in sports history, it’s nonetheless a failure that makes people chuckle inconsolably.
Red Sox Sell Homer Hero in 1919
Baseball’s biggest star at the time is sold to the Yankees by then-White Sox owner Harry Frazee for $100,000. In the following 15 seasons, Babe Ruth would hit 659 home runs and coach the Yanks to four World Series victories. Before winning their next series, the cursed Sox must wait 86 years.
Girl Hijacks Game, 1968
Due to injuries and penalty timeouts, NBC’s broadcast of a crucial NFL game between the Jets and Raiders drags on. The network turns to the movie, which tells the tale of a Swiss orphan girl, with one minute remaining and the Jets ahead 32-29. Oakland wins 43-32 after scoring twice in the final minute. It might have been more suitable to play one of the top 10 football movies of all time instead.
Questionable Career Change?
After leading the Chicago Bulls to three straight NBA titles at the height of his career, Michael Jordan declares he has lost interest in basketball and is retiring to play baseball. For the AA Birmingham Barons, he continues to bat.202, but unhappily to no avail.
John McEnroe 1984 French Open
When John McEnroe approached the 1984 French Open final, everything could not have been going better for him. He had not dropped a game all season and was invincible, but his career was doomed by an idiotic rant directed at a cameraman. Most people attribute McEnroe’s absurd outburst as the cause of his collapse, although Lendl’s tenacity played a significant role in the comeback.
Sometimes sports provide us with great moments that we will never forget; other times it leaves us facepalming ourselves. Can you think of any other failure stories?
