Top 10 Sports Games Decided by Officials
Congratulations to Bryan Johnson for winning 1st place in the Top 10 List Writing Contest.
Let me draw a picture for you. It's the biggest game of the year and it's your team against their team. Which team will be better prepared, better trained and mentally prepared for the challenge ahead? Whose team worked harder in the gym and spent extra hours pushing themselves for this moment? After all, that's what athletic achievement is all about, right? Well, you would think so, but the sad reality is that you have to look at the referees, the officials and the referees and wonder who they are pushing today.
We have professional NBA referees indicted by the federal government for fraud and point spreading for money. But wait, of course this is an isolated incident and it won't happen again, right?
Maybe this particular referee or umpire is just bad, maybe they have hopes for their country, or maybe they really got this important game wrong. You know a game that will stay in the eyes of the fans forever. These games happened and the stats and videos are here to stay. Here's a list of the top 10 sports games and events that are ultimately decided by the officials, not the players.
10. Illinois vs. Ohio State, Nov. 10, 2007
Ohio State was undefeated and ranked number one in the nation entering this crucial Big Ten matchup. Illinois had a strong team and the game turned into a battle. This contest does not create a list for a specific game-changing whistle, but rather for all calls in favor of the state of Illinois. One of the infamous calls was an Illinois fumble at Ohio State's 3-yard line, which was brought down by contact and, of course, not reviewed. The thing was that a week ago Purdue vs. Penn St. game had many controversial calls as well, and it just so happened that the same crew of referees called both games.
NCAA football officials took notice after Purdue coach Joe Tiller sent a formal complaint to the Big Ten. They did some research and discovered that crew chief Stephen Pamo was hiding a few things. Here's what they found. Pamon and his wife filed for bankruptcy in 2002 after accumulating $429,427 in liabilities. Two of their accounts payable were casinos. He allegedly had a bad gambling problem that caused much of his debt. In 1997, he was accused of beating his girlfriend's three sons with an electric wire.
The list goes on, but the point is that this man was in charge of a 7-man NCAA football refereeing panel. It was the last game Stephen Pamon and his staff ever called. They were fired after a Big Ten investigation. Ohio State was ranked No. 7 nationally, but would still have a chance at the national championship on Jan. 7 against LSU.
9. San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
It was a pivotal divisional rivalry between the Chargers and Broncos in Week 2 of the 2008 NFL season. The Broncos drove the ball down the field and trailed by 7 points. They're at the San Diego 2-yard line with less than a minute left in the game. Jay Cutler dropped back into the pocket, and as he released the ball, it flew out of his hands and went backwards. In the NFL, a backward pass is a failure. Referee Ed Hochuli blew the whistle as soon as the ball hit the ground and called the play dead.
Meanwhile, the Chargers pounced on the ball and recovered it. The worst thing an official can do in this situation is kill the play because it negates a possible noise call when the play is called. Of course, the play was reviewed and not found, but failed to convert possession, so Denver returned the ball to the 10-yard line. If Hochuli hadn't blown the whistle early, the game would have ended in a Chargers win. Sure enough, two plays later, Cutler throws a touchdown pass to Eddie Royal. Mike Shanahan saw his opportunity and went for the two-point conversion and the win. Jay Cutler hit Eddie Royal again in the back of the end zone and the game ended with Denver winning by one point.
The two teams played for a playoff berth in the final game of the season, and San Diego prevailed. This game would have been higher on the list if Denver hadn't missed the playoffs.
8. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings, May 31, 2002
It was one of the best 7 game playoff streaks in NBA history. But 7 games should have gone? On June 10, 2008, Tim Donaghy's attorney filed a court document alleging that Game 6 of the 2002 Finals was called by two referees. Two unnamed officials were interested in extending the streak to seven games. These were company guys who extended the streak for financial reasons, mostly to cash in on the NBA and find a way to get those Lakers to the finals.
In this game, the Lakers hit 40 free throws, 27 of which came in the 4th quarter. All Kings big men Divac, Webber, Scot Pollard and Lawrence Funderburke were in foul trouble with a combined 20 fouls in the game. That allowed Shaq to go with 41 points and 17 rebounds. The Los Angeles Lakers went nearly six minutes without a field goal, but managed to hit 18 free throws in the game's final 6 minutes and 21 seconds. Of course, the Lakers won Game 7 and earned another championship victory against the Nets.
Sports gambling expert R.J. It was Bell who discovered the inconsistencies with Donaghy's games. He tracked all of their games over four years and saw teams score more points than expected at the Las Vegas sportsbook, scoring 57% of the time compared to just 44% in previous years.
7. New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1996 ALCS Game 1
It was October 9, 1996, and it was one of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees struck first and took an early lead, but Baltimore soon scored some runs and took the lead. Baltimore was ahead by one run heading into the bottom of the 8th inning, and All-Star Derek Jeter stepped to the plate. He swung and hit a high fly ball to deep right field.Tony Tarasco came back and was about to catch it when 12-year-old fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall with his foot and pulled the ball. over the fence.
Right field umpire Rich Garcia, yes, he was only in charge of right field, promptly called the play a home run for Jeter — tying the game. Tarasco lost it and got in the face of Garcia, who insisted he had a chance to catch the ball. According to baseball rules, if a fan reaches out of the stands, jumps onto the field and touches the ball, spectator interference must be ruled out and Jeter will be called out or a ground-rule double will be issued. The Baltimore Orioles protested the game with the league, but it was decided and nothing was done.
The Yankees would win the game in the 12th inning with a home run by Bernie Williams and eventually take the series 4-1. Although he insisted the ball would not be caught by Tarasco. After the game, Jeffrey Maier became a New York celebrity appearing on numerous national talk shows.
6. Dallas Stars vs. Buffalo Sabres.
It was the Dallas Stars' first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Buffalo Sabers hadn't been there in twenty-five years. On June 19, 1999, in Game 6, the Dallas Stars took a 3-2 series lead. Buffalo scored the game's opening goal in the first half, and Dallas tied the game 1-1 in the second half. The game was tied in regulation and two extra periods.
In the third overtime, Brett Hull scored on a rebound from the edge of the crease to win the Stanley Cup, or he was in the crease. "No Goal" was the instant chant of the Buffalo Sabers faithful. Currently, the NHL crease rule stated that no player could be in the crease containing the goaltender's box unless the puck was already there. Brett Hulls certainly makes us wrinkle before the puck. It's clear as day in videos and pictures. NHL supervisor of officials Bryan Lewis reviewed the video and allowed the goal to present the Stanley Cup to the Dallas Stars.
This game led to a change in the crease rule in the National Hockey League. It truly goes down as the most controversial goal in Stanley Cup Finals history. It was another blow to Buffalo fans in the 1990s.
5. 2002 Winter Olympics, Pairs Figure Skating Finals
If you want to talk about dynasties in sports achievements, you should mention the dominance of the Russian Figure Skating Pair. Russia has won gold in pairs figure skating at every Olympic Games since 1964. That's 12 in a row. This streak is still ongoing, but not without serious controversy. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, the favorite Russian couple was Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, and the biggest competition there was the team of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier from Canada.
Things got off to a good start for the Russians with a victory over Canada in the short program, but in the free skate, Russian pair Sikharulidze made a small but obvious technical error when they came out of the double axel. Sale and Pelletier completed their program perfectly with no mistakes. At that time, the announcer of the competition, Scott Hamilton, announced the Canadians as the winners. The judges found it different to give the Russians seven 5.9 points during the presentation compared to the Canadians' four. Presentation weighed more than technical merit in the period when the Russians were given gold. Immediately there was talk of fraud. Suspicion quickly fell when French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne had an emotional breakdown, saying she was being pressured by the French Skating Organization to vote for the Russians no matter what.
There is also an indictment against Alimjan Tokhtakhounov, who is said to have prepared a conspiracy to fix the doubles figure skating championship. Toktakhounov has ties to the Russian mafia and was charged with wire fraud and bribery, sports bribery and violating the Travel Act. After the failure, the Canadian couple was awarded the gold medal, as were the Russians. This is the only time in the history of the Olympic Games that two gold medals have been awarded for one event.
4. Argentina and England, 1986 World Cup Semi-Finals
Football is one of the most watched and valued sports in the world. Every four years, countries compete for the World Cup championship. Now let's set the scene, this game took place between the two countries four years after the Falklands Wars and England v Argentina became one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport.
It was 0:0 at the break and both defenses were playing well. Argentina star Diego Maradona was 5ft 5in six minutes into the second half as he ran straight into the hands of England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Maradona took out his left fist and hit the ball. to the network. Maradona's teammates initially waited for the handball whistle and did not celebrate the goal. It didn't come from referee Ali Bin Nasser or the referee. Argentina was leading 1-0 with a goal later called "the hand of god". The whole country of England and fans everywhere were in shock.
Argentina won 2-1 and won their second World Cup. England has not participated in the final of the World Cup since 1966.
3. St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals, Game 6 of the 1985 World Series
In this matchup, the nine-time World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals were looking for their first title. The Cardinals took a three game to one lead in the series and Kansas City went into Game 5 with a 6–1 victory.
Game 6 was played on October 26, 1985, and the contest quickly turned into a pitcher's duel. The Cardinals' Danny Cox and the Royals' Charlie Leibrandt pitched 7 scoreless innings, Brian Harper homered Terry Pendleton in the 8th, and St. Louis took a 1-0 lead into the 9th. The Cardinals were 3 out in the top of the tenth. Rookie Todd Worrell blasts "The Wild Thing" and makes his way to the mound. Jorge Orta comes in and hits a ground ball to first baseman Jack Clark, who flips the ball to Worrell, who covers. The throw easily beats Orta as it goes down the line, goes wide, but umpire Don Denkinger sees it a little differently and calls Orta safe. All replays from every angle clearly show that the throw beat the runner.
I can't tell you how important it is to get the first shot in this situation. With the leadoff batter in the outfield, the Royals took advantage and drove across two runs to win the game. The following night, the Royals carried their momentum and blasted the Cardinals 11-0 to win their first and only World Series title. How different things might have been if Denkinger had been wearing glasses that night.
2. USA vs. Russia, 1972 Summer Olympics
Coming into the Games, the USA basketball team had won seven straight gold medals and compiled a 63-0 Olympic record. Each team won the first eight games of the tournament, setting up a USA vs. Soviet final. It was a good fight, but many challenges were going in the Soviet's favor.
With three seconds left in the game, USA guard Doug Collins hit two free throws to give his team a 50-49 lead. As the second free throw took place, the Soviet coaching staff blamed the scoreboard, saying they had called a timeout before the second free throw. The rules state that this is not legal and cannot call a timeout between free throws. Suddenly, the Soviet ball went in through the chaos on the ground and failed to score, but the officials decided to wait and give the Soviets one more chance and allow them to set up an offside play. But when the ball was put into play by the umpires, the scoreboard was not ready and there was one second left on the clock. The Soviets inbounded and shot the ball off the backboard, and the U.S. stormed down the field to celebrate Olympic gold. But wait, in the last game, after only one second, not three, the horn sounded and the referees gave the Soviet team one more chance to win. Three times is the charm and the Soviets complete a long pass and never trail.
Mutual chaos ensued and the Americans protested the decision. This game led to numerous rule changes in international basketball.
1. Roy Jones Jr. and Park Si Hun, 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, and the USA boxing team dominated the competition, winning nine of the twelve gold medals. Several countries felt cheated and that all calls went the Americans' way. The loudest opposition came from the Korean delegation. Fast forward 4 years and the Summer Olympics were held in Seoul, the capital and largest city of South Korea.
Park Si-hun was a decent fighter, but was clearly sent off by the hometown judges in the first four rounds of the tournament. On the other hand, 19-year-old Roy Jones Jr. he dominated the race and won easily. Both met in the final, and it was the worst officiating in the history of the Olympic Games. As predicted, Roy Jones Jr. dominated Park, imposing his will on him and beating him all over the ring. Throughout the fight, Park was cautioned for slapping, grabbing and was given an eight count. A combination of punches thrown into linked fists resulted in 86 hits for Roy and 32 for Park. Roy Jones Jr. he punched 54 more. Uganda's Bob Kasule, Uruguay's Alberto Duran and Morocco's Hiouad Larbi returned with a decision for Park Si-hun to win the gold medal.
In Seoul, boxing scandals were so prolific that the sport was on the verge of being suspended as an Olympic event, and a new points system was adopted. He took his decision seriously and became the man we know today. Believe me, the video says it all.
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