I would like to place a real sports question here:
What would be the most captivating sports story of our lifetime?
Add more if you want below!
0 voters
For me The Magnificent 7 winning gymnastics gold Atlanta Olympics 1996, best sport moment of all time. France winning their first soccer world cup in 1998 (Iâm French).
I could also add Manchester City winning the Premier League with Aguero scoring a last minute goal on stoppage time back in 2012. Also, Villanova getting the game-winning buzzer beater at the 2016 March Madness. So many choices!
Personally itâs the Raptors winning the title and the shot against Philly lol.
However on a global scale there are so many bigger ones. I would lean towards Lance Armstrong entire story, Michael Jordan return from retirement (ie Last Dance), Tiger Woods winning Masters last year, and Usain Bolt
Mike Tysonâs entire career/life. Heâs reached that rare status where itâs notable when he does something normal.
Iâm no seeing the Donovan Bailey vs Michael Johnson 150m race as an option guysâŚ
A matured global superstar returning to his home town team after leaving in disgrace as a youngster and coming back from 3-1 down in the finals to beat the dynasty Golden State Warriors team and win Cleveland itâs first major championship in 52 years should be a major contender any time this question is asked. Itâs a story which lasted 15 years (at least) with all sorts of twists and turns while taking Lebron from being one of the most hated athletes of all time to redemption.
Itâs the plot of a cheesy sports movie, thatâs how incredible it was. When they make the documentary itâs going to blow The Last Dance out of the water.
Most of these are local if not national in their interest. Buster was too quick a story to be by definition âcaptivatingâ
O.J. Simpson? Michael Jordanâs first retirement? Ben Johnson being disqualified? Michael Phelpsâ 8 Golds at one Olympics? The Gretzky Trade? McGwire/Bonds chase Maris?
OJ Simpson⌠now thatâs something.
I was born in the 80s, MMA let alone the UFC did not exist. Now the UFC is one of the biggest global sports brands.
Some others - Jordan and the Bulls
Usain Bolt
Lance Armstrong
Balco
New England Patriots Dynasty - I canât see this being replicated.
I donât consider OJ really a sports story.
If weâre going to count some things prior to my birth Iâd say:
The career of Muhammad Ali
Jesse Owens and the 36 summer games
The Battle of the Sexes
In terms of single performance as a story, Tiger Woodâs 2019 Masters win is pretty amazing.
OJ is a crime story, really.
Greece shithousing their way to Euro 2004 was just confusing to watch. Players werenât rated before the tournament, they didnât look that good during the tournament and they didnât do much after the tournament. Leicester City were at least playing well when they won the league and their star players continued to impress after that one season.
Nothing about Mohammed Ali or the rumble in the jungle?
Maybe not in history - but the Canada / USSR '72 series was pretty awesome. Magic Johnson Announces Heâs HIV-positive.
The Hand of God of Maradonna
And I think my personal #1: Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier.
Leicester was on the brink of regulation and had 5000-1 disadvantage of odds to win that season. Might not have been the most emotionally captivating story but a comeback that was less than likely to have taken place.
Even though I wasnât alive for it Iâd say the miracle on ice. It made Americans actually care about hockey and was the perfect metaphor for the Cold War with the entire world watching.
Close behind would be Michael Jordan becoming the most dominant athlete of all time and turning basketball into a global sport.
One more recent one that I think will loom large for decades to come is Lebronâs decision. It has and will continue to fuel the player empowerment movement for many many years to come
Just for clarification, are you asking the #1 sports story for us personally? Or the #1 sports story on a mainstream level?
I ask because there are some stories that I didnt personally care about, but I can recognize their historical significance.
Well he said âour lifetimeâ and based on the picks it sounds like the original poster is probably between 30-40. The stories you are mentioning are way before that.
Either way, both my answers are not on the list.
For me personally it was probably the '97/'98 Red Wings. Them winning a championship for the first time in 42 years, then a day or so later Vladimir Konstantinov getting into a limo accident and becoming parallelized, to them âwinning it for Vladdyâ in '98.
Mainstream, I think I would say the Bulls dynasty of the 90âs capped off with Jordonâs comeback.
Sorry I should clarified, I meant personally
âPersonallyâ for me, itâs the 90âs Braves, the Mike Vick Phenomenon, & LeBron winning a title in Cleveland.
In my lifetime, itâs The Dream Team/The Jordan Era, Eli & the G-Men beating the Patriots, the OJ trial, the Cubs winning the World Series, & WWF buying WCW. 