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When it comes to sports FAILs, there are the silly kind that end up on Tumblr or Reddit and then there are the more serious blunders that really change the game. If you're looking for the head-shakingly disappointing moments in the sports world from 2014, you don't have far too look. Plenty of coaches, players, administrators, and even teams as a whole messed up big time, both on and off the field this year.
Sure, Tony Parker's air ball free throw and 50 Cent's opening pitch were embarrassing (and are listed here), but the Oakland Athletics' collapse, Roger Goodell's blunders, and Luis Suarez's feeding frenzy were letdowns on a different scale. From the funny sports gaffes to the serious allegations levied against athletes this year, 2014 was quite a year for sports scandals.
Then there were all the hearts of fans broken by the likes of the Toronto Blue Jays, the St. Louis Blues, and Spain's World Cup team, thanks to their inability to live up to their high expectations.
From Sochi to the San Francisco Giants's dugout, 2014 saw some major sports letdowns, than won't be forgotten anytime soon. If all this bad news is bumming you out, lift your spirits with the greatest simple pleasures in life and the best moments in sports of 2014.
http://www.ranker.com/list/sports-letdowns-2014/ranker-sports,
50 Cent
In the words of the great Bob Uecker, 50 Cent's pitch was, "Juuuust a bit outside." Fiddy threw out the first pitch at a New York Mets game in May 2014 and missed home plate badly. In fact, the pitch was so bad, we'll leave it to you judge which was worse - Fiddy's pitch or Carly Rae Jepsen's opening pitch from 2013.
Adrian Peterson
One week into the 2014 NFL season, Minnesota Vikings All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges. The prosecution alleged that Peterson used a small tree branch to beat his 4-year-old son. Five days following the indictment, he was placed on the NFL Exempt/Commissioner's Permission List, which required him to remain away from all team activities. About a month after the child abuse indictment, it was revealed that Peterson had used funds from his All Day, Inc. charity to fund a 2011 orgy with four women and two relatives, including his underage brother.
Andrea Bargnani
Not to mock a guy for injuring himself, but 7-foot tall New York Knicks center Andrea Bargnani went up for a posterizing slam dunk on two players from a tanking 76ers team, and ended up crashing to the floor and tearing up his elbow. The Knicks went 22-18 the rest of the way without him, adding further insult as their trade with Toronto for Bargnani was ultimately a waste.
Jim Irsay
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested in late March after he was stopped by a police officer for erratic driving. Police found more than $29,000 in cash as well as numerous bottles containing prescription drugs in the trunk of his vehicle. The NFL suspended Irsay for six games and fined him $500,000 for violating their substance abuse policy.
Roger Goodell
It was a rough start to the 2014 NFL season for Commissioner Roger Goodell. It all began with the Ray Rice incident, which came to light on September 8. TMZ released a video from February 2014 showing Rice knocking out his then-fiancee with a punch to the face in an Atlantic City casino elevator. Goodell suspended Rice for the first two games of the season back in July, when the league office had received notice that Rice had been arrested. He was heavily criticized by media figures and domestic violence advocates and a month later admitted that the NFL, "didn't get it right."
Goodell ultimately suspended Rice indefinitely and he was released by the Baltimore Ravens. Other players, including San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald and Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy (who was found guilty of two counts of domestic violence), were allowed to start the 2014 season with their teams. While Hardy was later suspended, McDonald continued to play as no formal charges were filed against him.
San Jose Sharks
Even if you barely follow hockey, chances are you're aware of the San Jose Sharks's reputation for postseason failure. They've finished first or second in 9 of the past 10 seasons and yet they didn't get past the Western Conference Finals in any of those years.
In 2014, after finishing second in the Pacific Division with 111 points, the Sharks jumped out to a quick 3-0 game lead against the Los Angeles Kings. True to their postseason history, they choked away the series as the Kings won four straight to advance to the next round and eventually win the Stanley Cup.
Spain national football team
Spain came in to the World Cup on a hot streak. The defending World Cup champions had won back-to-back Euro Cup titles in 2008 and 2012, and were expected to be a strong contender in Brazil. But all streaks must come to an end and Spain's time had come. They failed to make it out of the Preliminary Round and were outscored by their group opponents 7-4, including a 5-1 elimination drubbing courtesy of The Netherlands.
Tony Parker
Tony Parker is a world class athlete and a four-time NBA Champion, but even he is prone to missing free throws. While you can find plenty of air ball free throws from Parker on YouTube, this one against the Chicago Bulls has to be one of the weirdest, and worst, of all time.
Luis Suárez
With Uruguay's final World Cup round match against Italy scoreless in the 79th minute, superstar Luis Suarez collided with Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. Replays showed that Suarez lunged at Chiellini and bit him on the shoulder. Though the game would end in a 1-0 win for Uruguay advancing them to the Elimination Stage, Suarez would not be allowed to compete. Two days after the event, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee banned him for nine international matches.
Sochi Olympic Games
The sketchiness of the facilities and venues at the Sochi Winter Olympics will live in infamy. Among the many ridiculous things to befall visiting media and athletes were U.S. bobsledder Johnny Quinn locked in the bathroom and being forced to burst through the wall to free himself, side by side toilets, and rusty tap water.
Clik here to view.
When it comes to sports FAILs, there are the silly kind that end up on Tumblr or Reddit and then there are the more serious blunders that really change the game. If you're looking for the head-shakingly disappointing moments in the sports world from 2014, you don't have far too look. Plenty of coaches, players, administrators, and even teams as a whole messed up big time, both on and off the field this year.
Sure, Tony Parker's air ball free throw and 50 Cent's opening pitch were embarrassing (and are listed here), but the Oakland Athletics' collapse, Roger Goodell's blunders, and Luis Suarez's feeding frenzy were letdowns on a different scale. From the funny sports gaffes to the serious allegations levied against athletes this year, 2014 was quite a year for sports scandals.
Then there were all the hearts of fans broken by the likes of the Toronto Blue Jays, the St. Louis Blues, and Spain's World Cup team, thanks to their inability to live up to their high expectations.
From Sochi to the San Francisco Giants's dugout, 2014 saw some major sports letdowns, than won't be forgotten anytime soon. If all this bad news is bumming you out, lift your spirits with the greatest simple pleasures in life and the best moments in sports of 2014.
http://www.ranker.com/list/sports-letdowns-2014/ranker-sports,
50 Cent
In the words of the great Bob Uecker, 50 Cent's pitch was, "Juuuust a bit outside." Fiddy threw out the first pitch at a New York Mets game in May 2014 and missed home plate badly. In fact, the pitch was so bad, we'll leave it to you judge which was worse - Fiddy's pitch or Carly Rae Jepsen's opening pitch from 2013.
Adrian Peterson
One week into the 2014 NFL season, Minnesota Vikings All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges. The prosecution alleged that Peterson used a small tree branch to beat his 4-year-old son. Five days following the indictment, he was placed on the NFL Exempt/Commissioner's Permission List, which required him to remain away from all team activities. About a month after the child abuse indictment, it was revealed that Peterson had used funds from his All Day, Inc. charity to fund a 2011 orgy with four women and two relatives, including his underage brother.
Andrea Bargnani
Not to mock a guy for injuring himself, but 7-foot tall New York Knicks center Andrea Bargnani went up for a posterizing slam dunk on two players from a tanking 76ers team, and ended up crashing to the floor and tearing up his elbow. The Knicks went 22-18 the rest of the way without him, adding further insult as their trade with Toronto for Bargnani was ultimately a waste.
Jim Irsay
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested in late March after he was stopped by a police officer for erratic driving. Police found more than $29,000 in cash as well as numerous bottles containing prescription drugs in the trunk of his vehicle. The NFL suspended Irsay for six games and fined him $500,000 for violating their substance abuse policy.
Roger Goodell
It was a rough start to the 2014 NFL season for Commissioner Roger Goodell. It all began with the Ray Rice incident, which came to light on September 8. TMZ released a video from February 2014 showing Rice knocking out his then-fiancee with a punch to the face in an Atlantic City casino elevator. Goodell suspended Rice for the first two games of the season back in July, when the league office had received notice that Rice had been arrested. He was heavily criticized by media figures and domestic violence advocates and a month later admitted that the NFL, "didn't get it right."
Goodell ultimately suspended Rice indefinitely and he was released by the Baltimore Ravens. Other players, including San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald and Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy (who was found guilty of two counts of domestic violence), were allowed to start the 2014 season with their teams. While Hardy was later suspended, McDonald continued to play as no formal charges were filed against him.
San Jose Sharks
Even if you barely follow hockey, chances are you're aware of the San Jose Sharks's reputation for postseason failure. They've finished first or second in 9 of the past 10 seasons and yet they didn't get past the Western Conference Finals in any of those years.
In 2014, after finishing second in the Pacific Division with 111 points, the Sharks jumped out to a quick 3-0 game lead against the Los Angeles Kings. True to their postseason history, they choked away the series as the Kings won four straight to advance to the next round and eventually win the Stanley Cup.
Spain national football team
Spain came in to the World Cup on a hot streak. The defending World Cup champions had won back-to-back Euro Cup titles in 2008 and 2012, and were expected to be a strong contender in Brazil. But all streaks must come to an end and Spain's time had come. They failed to make it out of the Preliminary Round and were outscored by their group opponents 7-4, including a 5-1 elimination drubbing courtesy of The Netherlands.
Tony Parker
Tony Parker is a world class athlete and a four-time NBA Champion, but even he is prone to missing free throws. While you can find plenty of air ball free throws from Parker on YouTube, this one against the Chicago Bulls has to be one of the weirdest, and worst, of all time.
Luis Suárez
With Uruguay's final World Cup round match against Italy scoreless in the 79th minute, superstar Luis Suarez collided with Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. Replays showed that Suarez lunged at Chiellini and bit him on the shoulder. Though the game would end in a 1-0 win for Uruguay advancing them to the Elimination Stage, Suarez would not be allowed to compete. Two days after the event, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee banned him for nine international matches.
Sochi Olympic Games
The sketchiness of the facilities and venues at the Sochi Winter Olympics will live in infamy. Among the many ridiculous things to befall visiting media and athletes were U.S. bobsledder Johnny Quinn locked in the bathroom and being forced to burst through the wall to free himself, side by side toilets, and rusty tap water.