Entertainment
15 Insane Moments in Sports History
15. Mike Tyson Knockout
This boxing match was against Michael Spinks in 1988 in Atlantic City and was one of Tyson’s most famous fights. Both athletes were undefeated and both claimed that they were the ultimate heavyweight champion. This fight was needed to settle the score and find out who was best. Tyson ended up knocking Spinks out in a record 91 seconds. Fans went wild, Tyson definitely earned the $20 million he was owed for giving a great show.
14. Fan Man Invasion
His real name is James Miller and he became famous for air dropping into an array of sporting events with his parachute. One of his appearance really turned heads as it was a massive event – the boxing match between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. Not everyone was a fan (pun intended) of this entertainment. His paraglider became tangled up in overhead lights during the boxing match causing panic. Once he fell from the lights above, totally disrupting the bout, fans and security started to attack him, leaving him unconscious. He eventually was charged for this act and is forever dubbed as fan man.
13. Clint Malarchuk
This was one of the most gruesome accidents in sports history, that it literally had spectators passing out. Malarchuk had his throat accidentally cut by a stray skate while he was playing. It ended up severing an artery and he needed 300 stitches. Blood gushed in a pool all around him and he begged to get off live TV in fear of his mother seeing him die. To this day, you can still see the video online and it is horribly graphic. Thank God he survived, but it was an accident that will never be forgotten in sports history.
12. Latrell Sprewell Choke
This incident happened in 1997 between basketball player Latrell Sprewell and coach P.J Charlesimo during practice. The coach yelled at Sprewell to `put a little mustard` on making his pass, the basketball player dismissed him. The coach naturally approached him and Sprewell snapped. He dragged him backwards by the throat and choked him for about ten seconds finishing it with a punch to the face, before everyone separated the two. The following day, his remaining contract of $23.7 million was voided due to his actions and he was suspended with no pay.
11. Andres Escobar Murder
Andrés Escobar’s life changing moment happened in 1994 during a soccer match in the World Cup with the United States. Escobar ended up losing the game for his Colombian team by accidentally scoring on his own net, giving the win to the opposite team. After returning home to Colombia after they were eliminated, the soccer player went out clubbing with his friends. After separating from them, around 3 AM, three random men appeared in the parking lot, shot and killed him and is widely believed it was because of the goal.
10. Hank Gathers` Death
This basketball player shocked the world by his unexpected death during a game in 1990. He had an irregular heartbeat and had to use a beta blocker. The athlete found that this blocker affected his performance and cut his dosage back. He began to show visible signs of struggle, especially when he was playing. Suspicions began to arise that the player wasn’t taking any dosage when he was scheduled for games. He collapsed during a game against the Portland Pirates, was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead at age 23. It was later found that he had a heart muscle disorder and his family sued charging negligence.
9. Aaron Hernandez
The sad story of this American football player ends in tragedy. The former Patriots star was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd and faced a long lasting and very public trial. He was sentenced to life in prison with no parole. He eventually was found dead in his cell by suicide. It is believed that Hernandez suffered severe CTE, a degenerative disease in people who suffered severe blows to the head, in turn affecting their behaviours. The disease is associated with impulsiveness, depression and aggression. Inside his cell at the time of his suicide, an image of an all seeing god eye with the word Illuminati was drawn in his blood, as well as John 3:16 written across his forehead.
8. Mike Tyson and the Ear
This is one of the most famous incidents in sports history of all time. This was the second time that Tyson and Holyfield were meeting in the ring and things got intense. Holyfield headbutted Tyson causing a cut above his eye, which rubbed Tyson the wrong way. He fought back by biting the tip of his competitor’s ear off. Apparently he said that Holyfield kept on head butting him and was never getting reprimanded. Tyson automatically got disqualified, had his boxing license suspended and was fined $3 million. He eventually publicly apologized in 2009 and the two athletes have buried the hatchet.
7. Greg Louganis
Louganis is an openly gay, professional diver and Olympian competitor. After the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the athlete did not disclose that he was infected with HIV. This was especially crucial because he had hit his head on the board and bled into a communal pool that other athletes swam in. He claimed that he was paralyzed with fear that he would infect other athletes or doctors, thankfully nobody was. Professionals who studied the incident insisted that there was never any risk to others as chlorine kills off HIV bacteria and that the epidermis protects infections unless there was an open wound exposed.
6. Heysel Stadium
This happened on May 29th, 1989 in Belgium before the European Cup final between Italy and England. Over 600 people were injured and 39 people were killed. It started because fans of both teams began to fight and charge at each other. Everyone who was near the wall began to get crushed at the mass amount of people charging towards them. The wall eventually gave out, injuring a lot more. Surprisingly enough, the game was never cancelled and Italy won 1-0.
5. Munich Massacre
During the 1972 summer Olympics, eleven Israeli athletes were taken hostage by eight terrorists in Germany and eventually killed. They were demanding that 234 prisoners be released. The news was broadcast live and full coverage was offered around the world. Everyone’s reaction was horror and sadness as they learned the news that all eleven innocent athletes had been murdered. The Olympic competition was suspended for the time being. There was a memorial service with 3000 athletes in attendance and over 80 000 spectators.
4. Boston Marathon Bombing
This attack was quite recent, happening in 2013. Homemade bombs were made by two men to set off near the finish line of the race. When the bomb went off, it ended up killing three people and injuring hundreds. The crime was committed by two Russian brothers, one of whom died during the time of the attack. The surviving brother has been sentenced to death. There has been film adaptations of this tragedy made since.
3. Kobe Bryant Rape Accusation
A 19 year old hotel employee filed a sexual assault accusation against the famous basketball star in 2003. After the accusation came out, he had to admit that he did engage in sexual activities with her, cheating on his wife. The accuser ended up refusing to testify in court, allowing for the charges to be dropped against the athlete. A civil case was created by the same accuser that eventually got settled out of court. The star had to publicly apologize although he continued to deny that he had assaulted her. His wife filed for divorce, but later reconciled with him.
2. Tonya Harding & Nancy Kerrigan
This was a major scandal in the skating world that had the whole country talking. Nancy Kerrigan was attacked after practice, because she was a threat to Harding and a major competitor. Harding`s ex husband and her bodyguard hired someone to break her competitor’s leg so that she would not be able to compete. Harding eventually pleaded guilty to the charges and her reputation was damaged forever.
1. Penn State
Justice was brought after many years of suffering that was kept a secret at Penn State University. Jerry Sandusky had 52 counts of child molestation under his belt when the truth was revealed. The school president and athletic director know about him molesting children and reported nothing, throughout all of the years. In 2012, he was sentenced to a minimum of thirty years in prison and a maximum of sixty years. At his age, it was essentially a life sentence. Penn State will forever be associated with this sex scandal that disgusted so many.