2008 Woodie Awards
The Script: Sometimes in sports, everybody loses
Opinion
Ben Gooding
Issue date: 9/3/08 Section: SPORTS
When we often look back at sports and its enriched history, we tend to only focus on the good. The 1972 Miami Dolphins and their perfect season or the Diamondbacks' World Series clincher in 2001 come to mind.
But what about all those moments in sports that some of us would love to forget?
First on the list has got to be Tonya Harding's notorious plot to take out the competition. During the 1994 Figure Skating Championship in Detroit, she and her husband hired Shane Stant to attack Nancy Kerrigan.
This was definitely one of the lowest points in sports. I doubt women's figure skating will match that level of aggression ever again.
Next we move on to baseball and the Cleveland Indians' ill attempt to draw fans to their games. In 1979, attendance was down and ownership decided they would sell 10-cent beers when the Texas Rangers came into town.
It is reported that even the understaffed security members on-hand were just as drunk as the fans.
The trouble started when a Cleveland fan ran onto the field and tried to steal left-fielder Jeff Burrough's hat. The Rangers' bench was cleared, and they ran out onto the field armed with baseball bats.
Fans responded likewise, armed with knives and pieces of the stadium seats that they had destroyed. The game was ultimately forfeited to the Rangers.
Despite the riot, the promotion worked. It attracted 25,134 fans, when the previous season average was 8,000.
Another infamous brawl has to be the one that occurred between the Florida International University Golden Panthers and the University of Miami Hurricanes in 2006. In the third quarter, Miami scored a touchdown, making the score 13-0.
After the extra point was kicked, a fight broke out. An FIU special teams player tackled the Miami holder and punched him in the chin. Another FIU player kicked him in the head. Both sidelines were cleared.
What made this such a glorious brawl had to be the sheer stupidity displayed by all parties. During the entire fight, one player from Miami grabbed the school flag and ran circles around the melee giving it a Civil War feel.
In one photo, you can even see a player running out onto the field on crutches. Even the announcer made an idiot of himself by saying some very controversial things on the air.
You've got to love sports. You never know what is going to happen. Sometimes it's great, but sometimes, if you are lucky, it gets pretty ridiculous.
But what about all those moments in sports that some of us would love to forget?
First on the list has got to be Tonya Harding's notorious plot to take out the competition. During the 1994 Figure Skating Championship in Detroit, she and her husband hired Shane Stant to attack Nancy Kerrigan.
This was definitely one of the lowest points in sports. I doubt women's figure skating will match that level of aggression ever again.
Next we move on to baseball and the Cleveland Indians' ill attempt to draw fans to their games. In 1979, attendance was down and ownership decided they would sell 10-cent beers when the Texas Rangers came into town.
It is reported that even the understaffed security members on-hand were just as drunk as the fans.
The trouble started when a Cleveland fan ran onto the field and tried to steal left-fielder Jeff Burrough's hat. The Rangers' bench was cleared, and they ran out onto the field armed with baseball bats.
Fans responded likewise, armed with knives and pieces of the stadium seats that they had destroyed. The game was ultimately forfeited to the Rangers.
Despite the riot, the promotion worked. It attracted 25,134 fans, when the previous season average was 8,000.
Another infamous brawl has to be the one that occurred between the Florida International University Golden Panthers and the University of Miami Hurricanes in 2006. In the third quarter, Miami scored a touchdown, making the score 13-0.
After the extra point was kicked, a fight broke out. An FIU special teams player tackled the Miami holder and punched him in the chin. Another FIU player kicked him in the head. Both sidelines were cleared.
What made this such a glorious brawl had to be the sheer stupidity displayed by all parties. During the entire fight, one player from Miami grabbed the school flag and ran circles around the melee giving it a Civil War feel.
In one photo, you can even see a player running out onto the field on crutches. Even the announcer made an idiot of himself by saying some very controversial things on the air.
You've got to love sports. You never know what is going to happen. Sometimes it's great, but sometimes, if you are lucky, it gets pretty ridiculous.
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