Sports Myths that are Fake

[Blackadar]

The bane of the sports purist is the fake myth. Sometimes you hear something that is just outright fake, but really didn't happen that way. Some are disputable, like "did the Babe actually call his shot". Others aren't, like Wally Pip asking to take a rest (he was actually benched).

As a boxing purist, this one drives me nuts:

George Foreman was not dominating the fight before being knocked out by Ali / Ali was just laying on the ropes and taking punishment. This is FALSE. Ali was winning the fight on all 3 judges scorecards (by 2 points on 1 and by 3 points on the other two) and almost had Foreman gone at the end of the 5th. Ali did counter punch off the ropes, but he was winning the fight decisively before finally putting Foreman away in the 8th. If they fought 10 times, Ali would win 9 because he was so good at slipping punches and so remarkable (and fast) at counter punching - two things that entirely nullified Foreman's style and strengths.

This is a 35 year old Ali against Michael Dokes (briefly WBA champion a few years after this)



In short, Foreman couldn't hit that on his best day.

[larrymcg421]

As I point out at least once a year in the NFL thread, the 72 Dolphins champagne celebrations are a myth.

http://www.snopes.com/sports/football/miami72.asp

[Abe Sargent]

Or recent things, like the Titans TD attempt stopped by the Rams that would have kept the Titans from winning. Nope -would've kept them them from tying the game.

[tarcone]

Shoeless Joe Jackson threw the World Series.

[cartman]

The US beat the USSR in the hockey gold medal game of the 1980 Winter Olympics

[stevew]

Ryan Tannehill was a college WR comments make any dolphins game unwatchable. I know it's technically true but he was behind a 3 or 4 year starter too.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by cartman

The US beat the USSR in the hockey gold medal game of the 1980 Winter Olympics

or that Buckner's error came in game 7

[kcchief19]

The blown call by Don Denkinger cost the Cardinals the 1985 World Series.

In reality, after Jorge Orta was called safe at first, Steve Balboni followed up with a single (only after first baseman Jack Clark dropped an easy pop foul). The Royals put on a sacrifice bunt, and Orta was forced out at third base.

After a passed ball and intentional walk, Dane Iorg hit the game-winning two-run single with one out, the only out being recorded was Orta at third base.

Oh, and then there was game 7.

[ISiddiqui]

A similar myth follows the Steve Bartman incident.

[timmae]

Keeping the baseball theme running.... Steve Bartman did not cost the Cubs a trip to the World Series. At the time of the incident the Cubs were leading Game 6 by a score of 3-0. After the foul ball, the Cubs promptly issued a walk and allowed a single, Alex Gonzalez punted an infield groundball for an error, a double, an intentional walk, a sacrifice, another intentional walk, a double, a single and eventually a fly ball out. I'd argue any of the following 5 baserunners the Cubs allowed cost the world series moreso than the kid in the left field foul section.

[BYU 14]

Bartman's interference cost the Cubs the playoff game against the Marlins, when Cabrera booted a double play ball after this.

[BYU 14]

Damn we all posted at the same time.

[BYU 14]

Also Baseball, the myth that Fred Snodgrass cost the Giant the 1912 World Series dropping a fly ball. After that play he made a great catch to save a run, then Christy Matthewson called for Chief Myers to take a foul pop up hit by Tris Speaker, that Fred Merkle could have caught easily. Speaker then singled to tie the game and set up the winning run.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Damn we all posted at the same time.

[AENeuman]

Bobby Thomson Shot Heard Around the World was not heard around the world

[timmae]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

Bobby Thomson Shot Heard Around the World was not heard around the world

But was it even a shot?!

[Buccaneer]

Similar to the abovementioned Cubs, Giants, Cards and Red Sox myths, I would add the do-or-die dramatization of Carter's 1993 HR and perhaps to some extent, Mazeroski's HR in 1960. Carter was in Game 6, Maz was with the score tied.

[larrymcg421]

Rocky Balboa did not win his first fight aqainst Apollo Creed.

[nol]

There was a Golden Age of intercollegiate sports in which no players (especially none that attended the school you personally cheer for) took easy classes, were compensated under the table, or had their misdeeds covered up by the powers that be in the name of winning more football or basketball games.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Similar to the abovementioned Cubs, Giants, Cards and Red Sox myths, I would add the do-or-die dramatization of Carter's 1993 HR and perhaps to some extent, Mazeroski's HR in 1960. Carter was in Game 6, Maz was with the score tied.

Yeah, I love how Carter's is portrayed as this great comeback when Henderson in scoring position with 1 out and it was only in Game 6

(Just makes me sad a little thinking that a Salvador Perez HR in game 7 this year would have been the greatest WS highlight of all time)

SI

[Landshark44]

I heard Ronnie Lott cut off his own finger to get back in a NFL game...


It got smushed between two helmets, and he said "cut it off, Im going back in..."


I think it's "partly" true...

[Barkeep49]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Bartman's interference cost the Cubs the playoff game against the Marlins, when Cabrera booted a double play ball after this.

It was Alex Gonzalez who booted the double play. Cabrera was the SS for the Marlins at the time not the Cubs.

[Maple Leafs]

One that comes to mind: the idea that Scott Norwood missed an easy chipshot.

[Dr. Sak]

Brett Hull was in the crease for the Cup clinching goal against Buffalo.

[QuikSand]

More of a misconception than a myth, but surely 75% of casual sports fans believe that the Kentucky Derby is the horse racing equivalent to the Superbowl or something similar. They're shocked to hear no horse has ever won it more than once.

[Cap Ologist]

Originally Posted by stevew

Ryan Tannehill was a college WR comments make any dolphins game unwatchable. I know it's technically true but he was behind a 3 or 4 year starter too.

Not sure what you mean by this, but he actually had a lot of playing time as a receiver. He had 55 and 46 catches in his two full seasons playing WR. Stephen McGee beat him out at QB before he got injured and Jerrod Johnson took over for the remainder of that season and the next before injuries forced Johnson out clearing the way for Tannehill his junior year.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Rocky Balboa did not win his first fight aqainst Apollo Creed.

I count this as one of my maturity moments.

I was a total annoying know-it-all in High School. Never wanted to lose an argument. Would go out of my way to make sure that people knew that they were wrong and I were right. Justified it all with some vague notions of "the truth" being important or whatever I needed to say to myself to rationalize being a brat.

Then, in college, my girlfriend's brother came to visit, and somehow it came up that he thought that Rocky won in the first Rocky movie. I explained to him that he was wrong and quickly went through the results of the final fights in the Rocky movies. He disagreed. (This was in the 90s so we didn't all have computers in our pockets to quickly pull out and find the answer). And I . . . dropped it. I let him be wrong. I said something along the lines of "I guess you might be right."

Now, my motivations were very apparent and immediate (didn't want to piss off the girlfriend). But it was the first time that I had a sense that not every argument needs to be won--or even argued. That being right is important, but so is picking your spots.

[albionmoonlight]

dola:

As for myths, I would pick "Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team."

As a high school sophomore, Jordan was not granted the special privilege of playing for the varsity team, but was instead on the JV team with the other sophomores. He played on the varsity team his junior and senior years and was a McDonald's All American.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

But it was the first time that I had a sense that not every argument needs to be won--or even argued. That being right is important, but so is picking your spots.

You could not be more wrong on this.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Cap Ologist

Not sure what you mean by this, but he actually had a lot of playing time as a receiver. He had 55 and 46 catches in his two full seasons playing WR. Stephen McGee beat him out at QB before he got injured and Jerrod Johnson took over for the remainder of that season and the next before injuries forced Johnson out clearing the way for Tannehill his junior year.

I guess that I always feel like they're pushing it like he was this freak WR who learned to play QB. Whereas he was just not a good enough QB to get any PT.