Great Sporting Events in History

Which of the below would you travel back in time for to see?

From boxing to football and baseball there have been thousands of stand out moment for our readers who we polled in the UK and US, despite our audience reaching 125 countires, many of you said the same.

Whilst the likes of Michael Jordan’s shot for the Bulls in 1989 did not make it to our top 10, few of us were expecting the upset win when Michael Jordan hits a buzzer-beating game-winner and proceeds to fist pump his way into NBA immortality. For maximum effect, get your seats behind the opposite basket to replicate the iconic video footage of the shot. Jordan will be facing away from you for the shot, but you’ll see the full celebration.

10 World Series, 1956
Going quite a bit back in time, Michael F. picks “Don Larsen’s perfect game in the ‘56 World Series. A rare moment magnified by the situation, a pivotal World Series game 5, and made sweeter for Larsen by his previous two World Series starts: disastrous losses to the same Brooklyn Dodgers he shut down that day.”

9 Rose Bowl, 2006
“Texas beating USC in the BCS Championship,” says Casey P. “I was bartending during that game. When USC went up 12 late, everyone cashed out and left. Texas roared back to win by 3, after weeks of hype about where USC stood on the all-time list, how badly they would have beaten other legendary teams, and how the Longhorns were an afterthought. A lot of the people that bailed had come back to watch the end. That’s the best college football game in the 21st century, and the best game in any sport I’ve ever watched.”

8 Buster Douglas, 1990
“When James ‘Buster’ Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson on February 3rd, 1990,” says Blake L. “When asked how he did it, Buster said ‘My mom told everyone I was going to beat Mike Tyson.’ She died of cancer days before the fight and he did it so his mom wouldn’t die a liar.”

7 Lou Gehrig, 1939
Charles C. picks “Lou Gehrig’s ‘I am the Luckiest Man’ speech. One of the greatest to pick up a bat and glove giving a farewell speech remembered to this day.” Gehrig had played for the Yankees for 17 seasons before ALS forced him to retire.

6 South Africa, 1995
“South Africa winning the Rugby world cup in 1995,” says Asmus S. “The bunch of misfit underdogs wins against the odds and unites a divided country behind them. If this had been made up for a movie (they made a good one about it), people probably would have called it to cheesy and unbelievable.” Another reader, Michael R., isn’t such a fan. “A likely story,” he says, sarcastically. “Absolutely without any suspicions of heavy use of doping, bribery, poisoning, political pressure or dubious refereeing decisions.

5 Arsenal FC, 2004
Adam P. picks Arsenal’s 2003-2004 season, where they became known as the Invincibles. “Winning the title without losing a single game, playing some of the most attractive and skillful football the world had seen,” he explains. “And to win the league on the stadium of the bitter local rival was just the icing on the cake.”

4 Muhammad Ali, 1996
“Ali lighting the torch at the 1996 summer Olympics,” says Rich C. Organizers had actually planned on giving the honor to Evander Holyfield, since he was from Atlanta, and they pushed back against Ali’s nomination, calling him a draft dodger.

3 WrestleMania XXVI, 2010
“When The Undertaker beat Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXVI to end Shawn’s career,” says Robert B. Yes, it was scripted, but Robert says that doesn’t keep wrestling from being a sport. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t full of spectacular feats of athleticism,” he says, “which, in my mind and the minds of many likeminded wrestling fans, means that we consider it a sport, and what’s more is that we can’t wait for some of the other big sports organizations like football and boxing to finally admit that maybe, just maybe, there’s a bit of a fix every now and then.”

2 The Red Sox, 2004
“The Red Sox finally breaking the Curse’ and winning the World Series for the first time in 86 years!” says Nichole A. Though, other readers point out that the real triumph was the way they won the American League Championship before going on to easily sweep the World Series. As Jon T. puts it: “Best part was hearing the Fox announcers the whole time saying, ‘NO team has EVER come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the pennant!’ How many times did they say that over the course of games 4-7?” And the best single moment, says Jennifer J.: “Bottom of the 9th, game 4 of the ALCS, Red Sox v Yankees. 3 outs away from being swept. Dave Roberts pinch runs for Kevin Millar and steals 2nd.”

1 England 1966
England football fans at Wembley Stadium on 30 July 1966 witnesses one of the best English football sides ever and a stiker scoring a hat-trick in the final (first time ever) although he (Geoff Hurst) was not supposed to be in the squad as though due to an untimely injury to Jimmy Greaves, Geoff took his place and scored the winner!