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We love failure. Don’t deny it. Maybe we love success more, that’s possible; but we talk about failure – especially when it’s caught on camera. Some of the greatest moments in American history have been sheer and utter failures: Facebook stock, Obama’s first debate performance, David Hasselhoff’s reality show… we could go on and on. Sports failures, though, are something that hit closer to home. Whether it’s shooting at the wrong basket or dropping a handoff, sports failures can break your heart faster than a prom date’s “No.” Check out these five dream-killers from across the sporting world.
The Baton Death Run
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The Offender: USA Track and Field
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The Event: Men’s and Women’s 4x100m Relays, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Going into the 2012 London Olympics, USA Track and Field had been the laughing stock of the running world. Despite holding superior team members and being heavily favored to win both races, neither the men’s nor the women’s relay teams finished their races because they couldn’t seem to hand each other the little blue stick. Superpower, huh?
Shankapotamus
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The Offender: Billy Cundiff
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The Event: AFC Divisional Playoffs, 2011 NFL Postseason
We’ve seen place-kickers choke before. These “Capt’n Blowit” moments are synonymous with football. Poor Billy Cundiff hasn’t caught a break since shanking a chip-shot that would have sent the Baltimore Ravens to the 2012 AFC championship game. Since this is the most recent famous flop of its kind, Cundiff will have to stand in representation of all the shankers who came before – until somebody else screws up.
Mookie!
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The Offender: Bill Buckner
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The Event: Game 6, 1986 World Series, MLB Post Season
To miss a grounder in the World Series is like getting “cat” wrong in a spelling bee. It just defies explanation. But in this haphazard world, anything can happen. And it did. In possibly the most famous MLB error ever, Buckner cost Boston a World Series title by giving Mookie Wilson’s grounder the freedom it had not earned. This incident is so famous that the ball involved was eventually auctioned for nearly $420K. Not sure if Buckner got any…
The Turnaround
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The Offender: Dorando Pietri
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The Event: Men’s Marathon, 1908 London Olympic Games
Here’s one you’ve never heard of, but your grandfather may have. Pietri tried so hard to win the race that when he entered the final 400 meters he lost his way from exhaustion, taking the wrong path inside the stadium and requiring redirection from race officials. It took him over ten minutes to finish the final 400m – which is incidentally the only portion of the race with an audience. Nothing new under the sun, apparently!
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Lanny Hayes, Marketing Manager writes about entertainment subjects that are found on the many great stations offered by Go Dish as well as the dish internet service that is available. Stop by their Linked In profile.
