There have been numerous "Top Sport Stories of the Decade" as this decade comes to a close. This decade for sports has been an interesting one. There has been a lot of controversy and many stories that are sad and tragic. There have been some uplifting ones as well. I wanted to share some of the ones I found most compelling, interesting, and important. What I have noticed was that many of these sports stories tend to focus on the latter part of the decade, which may be a result of the stories being more fresh in people's minds or maybe they simply received more coverage with the emergence of new media. I plan to focus on the major sports in the United States (the big four of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey). Though I will scatter a few of the other emerging sports as I call them, MLS soccer, NASCAR, and UFC. And even pro-wrestling, since it is a form of sport as entertainment. College football will be included as well. Stories that I will not include but I do consider important are Michael Phelps' 8 Olympic gold medals (Olympics are important, but just don't grab Americans the way it does in Europe), Tiger Woods' affair/fall from grace (too soon to examine it and it has nothing to do with sports), Lance Armstrong (since cycling is not, in my opinion, a major sport in America, but still an amazing accomplishment) and Duke U's Lacrosse team's sexual assault case (there is probably still more to this story as well).
Some stories get inclusion as a result of under coverage, some because of the bizarre nature of the story, and some for the repercussions. Many of the stories have little to do with the actual on-field accomplishments, since this decade has really been a decade of scandal. But, there have been some great sport accomplishments, LA Lakers championships, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox ending their droughts, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers both winning multiple championships in the NFL, Florida/SEC dominance in college football, and several NHL teams winning the cup for the first time. I have created a long list and will proceed to write out my top stories in no particular order. Some stories have been combined into a category and some have been combined with a person that spurred the story, I did so in order to relate where the story began it's coverage and in order to save some space.
1. NHL Lockout of 2004-2005 Season
Hockey is often overlooked in American sports' media, it is still one of the big 4 sports, but the fan base is smaller and more niche. This story is a pretty big deal though, baseball and basketball both had lockouts in the 1990s, but they seasons were only shortened, and in baseball there was no playoffs. But the NHL lockout is the first time an entire season was cancelled, not a single game was played by the the 30 NHL teams. Players went to Europe to play, (nearly 400 of them!) some never to return to the U.S.A. again and some even went to play for minor league teams. At the center of the issue was money. Teams were not making enough compared to the amount that they paid players. The league wanted to institute a salary cap on teams, or possibly a luxury tax or even revenue sharing, along with a pay cut across the board. Something which was something the players would not let happen, even though the league was losing money. After nearly a year the lockout ended with the salary cap being approved. The result is that stability would come to the league, which has been mostly true, but there are still teams in trouble such as the Phoenix Coyotes.
2. Pat Tillman's death
Pat Tillman was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals who after 4 seasons in the NFL decided to put his career on hold to go serve this country in the War in Afghanistan. Tillman was killed in 2004 as a result of friendly fire. There was a big controversy following his death because it appeared that there was a cover up of some sort by his army unit. The cover up became the story, but the real story is that Pat Tillman is a great American who served his country not out of requirement or a draft, but out of his love for the nation. Tillman's number was retired by the Cardinals as well as his college team. Tillman is also represents something that professional sports needs more of, real heroes.
3. Pacers/Pistons brawl
November 19 2004 was the night that may be one of the worst nights in NBA history. Near the end of the Pacers and Pistons game in Detroit, after a tough contest between the teams, a fan tossed his soda onto Ron Artest of the Pacers. Artest responded by running into the stands and punching a fan, (not the one who tossed his soda at him). Team-mate Stephen Jackson followed him and punched a fan as well, then the players returned to the floor where Artest punched two more fans and Jermaine O'Neal punched a fan as well. Fans spilled unto the floor, players were running into the stands and back, security finally made its way to restore order, but it was too late. The mess resulted in Artest's suspension for the rest of the season, (several other players were suspended too) as well as legal ramifications for the fans and the players as well (most of the players received community service and probation). This made the NBA look like the players were unprofessional. Having a soda or beer thrown at a player is wrong, but for the player to lose their cool to such an extreme manner hurt the league as a whole, not just the player or team's reputation. Never has there been such an event to occur in professional sports, to see players and fans to engage in violence with one another is almost unheard of it. And to basically see a riot occur is still unbelievable.
4. Gone too soon - early deaths in pro sports
There have been many shocking and sad deaths this decade. Many players taken down in their prime. Sean Taylor of the Redskins was shot and killed. Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver on his way home from pitching a game. Cory Lidle was killed in a plane crash, shockingly similar to the Thurmon Munson tragedy. Darryl Kile died a few days before he was scheduled to make his next start, he died of a unusual heart defect. Chris Henry died at the young age of 26, sad as he was trying to restore his public image and make changes from his previous lifestyle. Fred Lane, a running back for the Carolina Panthers was murdered by his wife, a mere 25 years old in the beginning of what could have been a great career. Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, two friends and NFL players who were lost at sea while on a fishing trip in the offseason. Derrick Thomas, the great Kansas City Chief linebacker who died as a result of a car accident. Josh Hancock, another St Louis Cardinal player who died young. Joe Kennedy, a journeyman pitcher who died suddenly of hypertensive heart disease, at the age of 28. Eddie Griffith, Malik Sealy, both Minnesota Timberwolves who died in car accidents. Dan Snyder a 23 year old hockey player who died in a car accident, the driver was his then teammate Danny Heatley. And lastly, Korey Stringer, who died in 2001 in training camp for the Vikings. There have been numerous other deaths, but this point is not to dwell on their death, but to celebrate their life and for the accomplishments.
5. Dale Earnhardt's death
I wanted to separate this point from the previous list. All of the players had varying degrees of success, some were hall of famers, some were solid players, and some died before their careers could fully blossom. Earnhardt is different, he was one of the greats. Earnhardt's #3 car was semi-retired it hasn't been used since his death. His death is also different because he was essentially on the field, he died as he attempted to win NASCAR's biggest race, the Daytona 500, which he was in the top 3 at the time of the crash. Earnhardt's death spurred changes to NASCAR's safety regulations.
6. The emergence of Mixed Martial Arts
MMA is quickly becoming of the new big sports in America. The major MMA is the UFC, started in the early 90s. The UFC has expanded between pay per view and TV deals and even into merchandise, clothing, and video games. Names once no one new are now household names, Chuck Liddell (was on Dancing with the stars even!), Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir, Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Rampage Jackson, and Forrest Griffin. The UFC is the best known, but there are several other promotions such as IFC and Strikeforce and many many others. But UFC is the biggest and I predict will eat up the smaller ones and become "the league" in the MMA. The sport is on the rise and will an ever expanding fan base, it is amazing that a sport that is essentially two people fighting in a cage could become some popular.
7. David Beckham come to the U.S. and the MLS reaps the benefits
Soccer failed in the 1970s in the US, but in 1996 the MLS debuted. Early on it was a big money loser, but things began to turn with the beginning of the decade. The teams started to become profitable and the league added new teams. Then in 2007 David Beckham came to the U.S. One of the biggest stars in the sport. Beckhan is known as much for his off-field news as his play on, from being married to a Spice Girl to having a film named in his honor. Beckham made people even more excited about soccer and gave the league the ability to secure a better TV contract and even more stars and even more teams. The league become a money maker, not a money loser and even more expansion is planned for the future.
8. Chris Benoit and other pro wrestlers dying young
There were several pro wrestlers dying young this decade (Chris Candido, Eddie Guerrero, Bam Bam Bigelow, Mike Awesome, Umaga, Curt Hennig, Crash Holly, Test, and British bulldog/Davey Boy Smith). But the one that got the most attention and was the most bizarre was Chris Benoit. Benoit was one of the best technical wrestlers of his time, he was ruthless and truly one of the toughest competitors. He won many titles including the world championship, the premire title in WWE. Benoit's career was a struggle to make it to the top and by 2007 he was one of the top in WWE. Benoit's death was not only his, but his family's as well. Although what went down specifically is not known for sure, what is known is tragic. Benoit killed his wife and son, before hanging himself in his home gym. Benoit's death made the national news unlike any wrestler's death before. And with it came the truth from steroid and drug use to head injuries that put his mind out of place. With all of this came the cries of was the WWE ignoring drug use and encouraging their employees to juice? The WWE had a firestorm that they had never seen before, Benoit's death along with Guerrero's resulted in the creation of a drug policy and testing of the employees. It also resulted in WWE offering drug rehab for both current and former employees. WWE continues to be the premiere pro-wrestling company, but now has to better protect its employees and image in the face of this event.
9. Michael Vick
Vick story is important because he was one of the marquee names in the NFL. But he took a fall from grace that is nearly unprecedented. Vick went from the football field to jail as part of an alleged dog fighting ring. He would spend about a year in prison for his part in the ring, Vick not only fought the dogs, but killed some of the weaker ones himself. After doing his time, he returned to the league, but the fact that a player of his star stature had the stupidity to get involved in dogfighting, a barbaric sport, in what makes this story so compelling. Along with the fact that he was an active player at the time in the prime of his career.
10. Rae Carruth
Rae Carruth was a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers with a couple of seasons under his belt. In 2000, Carruth was tried and found guilty for murdering his girlfriend and their unborn child. The events of the murder were that Carruth drove up to his girlfriend's vehicle while another car drove up and shot her. She died after calling police. Their daughter was born via C-section, 3 months early, and died shortly after. Carruth received 18 years in prison. This story has faded for many, but it still remains one of the saddest in the sports for the circumstances under which the events transpired.
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