Sex, drugs and dives | Barry Aldworth
Sport and success are two things that will always go hand in hand. However while sport has given us many success stories, it has also given us many stories of controversy and shame. Recently this ability of sport to create controversy has caught up with someone who for many was a true sporting icon, Lance Armstrong. However it’s not only drugs that have brought controversy into sport. Match fixing, money disputes, affairs and even politics have played a key role in creating some of sports most infamous moments.
The Phantom Punch: Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, two of heavyweight boxing’s greatest champions were set to square off for a second time in 1965. Billed as a clash of the titans, the re-match lived up to the controversy of the first fight, ending with what many feel was not even a legitimate knock-out. Midway through round 1, Liston fell to the canvas after a punch by Ali that seemingly missed the target. Even Ali was unsure if he’d connected going as far to ask his corner men “Did I hit him?” To this day it has never been conclusively proven whether the punch landed or missed. Those who believe the punch missed claim Liston took a dive out of fear of Ali’s new religion, ‘The Nation of Islam,’ or because his lifetime of dealing with shady characters had left him indebted to the Mafia.
Hotel wins Argentina the World Cup: Coming into the final of the 1978 World Cup, the Netherlands were favourites to beat the hosts, Argentina. However after their semi-final match, the Dutch held a private celebration in the indoor pool at the team’s hotel. However midway through the party, hotel workers lifted the curtain covering the pool to reveal the Dutch team drunk, nude and accompanied by several strippers to an audience of photographers from every paper that the hotel could find. Instead of preparing for their match, the Dutch team spent the following three days explaining their actions to their wives, girlfriends and even politicians. While the hotel’s actions may not have been morally correct it certainly had the desired effect with Argentina winning 3-1.
Officials cost athlete gold: In the 1908 Olympic marathon Dorando Pietri entered the stadium with a substantial lead. However as dehydration set in, Dorando collapsed, not once but five times, getting up each time in an attempt to finish the race. Fearing that he would die in front of Queen Alexandra, officials helped Dorando across the line to win gold. However Dorando was disqualified after an appeal by Team America, with Irish-American Johnny Hayes promoted into first. Officials trying to protect an athlete and their queen had cost Dorado his only chance at Olympic gold.
Referees get jobs back because of referee’s mistake: Having this year taken the decision to replace the striking full-time referees, the NFL put its trust in replacement referees, some of whom had never even called a college game. The decision backfired when the replacements awarded the Seahawks a touchdown in the final seconds of their match against the Packers, despite Packers’ cornerback Jennings clearly intercepting the ball. This decision ultimately forced the NFL to give into the demands of the full-time referees, who were back in charge of the next match.
Controversy will always have its place in sport; sometimes it destroys the reputation of an athlete or a team, sometimes it can change the course of history or cause a game to take on a whole new political dimension. However without a blown call, the questioning of whether the ball really crossed the line or in some cases downright dirty tactics, us fans would find ourselves bored a lot more often.