Top Ten Shocking Sports Moments 

 10. Nancy Kerrigan Assault

 09. Covid Cancels Sports

08. Death of Kobe Bryant

 07. 1994 MLB Strike 

06. OJ Simpson Murders His Wife

05. Wayne Gretzky Gets Traded 

04. Malice at the Palace 

03. Michael Jordan 1993 Retirement 

02. Tyson Bites Holyfield 

 01. Dale Earnhardt Dies in Car Crash

10. Nancy Kerrigan Gets Attacked 

There is a lot of this stuff that is going to show up on my list and that was in contention that was when I was young and I vaguely remember. This is one of them - I was 8 at the time but already super obsessed with all things sports and ESPN and this was such a monster story and even being that young I was like embroiled in the story and I couldn't give a shit about figure skating then. It was all part of a crazy year in sports that I'm sure will be highlighted on.

It made number 8 on my list for those reasons , and I mean even looking back how insane is it that thugs get involved in THIS way on sports of that level and assault a young girl who's just pursuing her dream and reaching the limits she did. Insanity.

Sucks I never got to submit a list for this. Well I’ll enjoy watching what you guys compiled. If COVID ain’t #1, I riot!

Mar 21, 2020 18:15:12 GMT KING KID said:

Sucks I never got to submit a list for this. Well I’ll enjoy watching what you guys compiled. If COVID ain’t #1, I riot!

How is Covid shocking? We saw the season cancelations coming from a mile away.

Anyway, I believe Nancy Kerrigan ranked #5 or #6 on my list, I remember seeing it on the news and thinking "Holy Shit!!"   Even moreso after the attack was linked to Tonya Harding,

Mar 21, 2020 21:08:02 GMT thereallt said:

Mar 21, 2020 18:15:12 GMT KING KID said:

Sucks I never got to submit a list for this. Well I’ll enjoy watching what you guys compiled. If COVID ain’t #1, I riot!

How is Covid shocking? We saw the season cancelations coming from a mile away.

Anyway, I believe Nancy Kerrigan ranked #5 or #6 on my list, I remember seeing it on the news and thinking "Holy Shit!!"   Even moreso after the attack was linked to Tonya Harding,

I mean it shut down every sport in the world but yeah we all saw that coming.

Anyways I’m going back to enjoying my UFC reruns on ESPN.

I didn’t include COVID because there wasn’t anything shocking about it. I’m equally as shocked that I can’t sit inside McDonald’s and eat. It’s weird, it’s unusual, but it isn’t shocking.

Anyway, this one was on my list and one of the first things I thought of. It’s such a strange and crazy story, even today.

I remember this but can't remember if it happened on the ice. If it didn't, it wouldn't have qualified for my personal final cuts.

I had the Harding/Kerrigan incident at #9 for the same reasons as UT.

Coronavirus Cancels Everything is a matter of perspective. I'm with KING KID in thinking it's shocking. Sure, everybody saw the writing on the wall by, say, March 10th. But few people would have predicted it's impact on sports even a month earlier. And nobody in the world saw it coming on December 10th.

Coronavirus is most definitely shocking. But also too current, ongoing for me to wrap my head around considering. I mean, for all we know, we don't know the half of it yet; for all we know, sports as we know them could be done... forever?

If that’s number ten, I’m excited for the rest because holy shit was this story shocking. And the slow leak of allegation that Harding had done it, completely crazy.

It didn’t happen on the ice 🤯 it was after a practice before Olympic trials.

Mar 22, 2020 12:51:19 GMT mikec said:

If that’s number ten, I’m excited for the rest because holy shit was this story shocking. And the slow leak of allegation that Harding had done it, completely crazy.

It didn’t happen on the ice 🤯 it was after a practice before Olympic trials.

Thanks, mikec. That's what I thought I recalled. Crowbar or tire iron or something, right? As a kid, I think this was the first most pro wrestling thing I'd ever heard of... And it happened in a "sport" that couldn't be further removed from pro wrestling on the Macho Scale, IMO at the time.*

*Many years later I realize pro wrestling probably has way more in common with figure skating than amateur wrestling, boxing, football, etc.

9. Covid Cancels Everything 

While I see and somewhat understand what thereallt is saying , I don't fully agree. I think a ton of us thought sports would be different , empty arenas and the like but I don't think anyone actually expected the NBA season to be cancelled and March Madness to cease from existence. And that imagery from the Utah game is what I go back to when there were seconds of WTF is happening right now with referees running our and Gobert testing positive. From that standpoint TO ME it happened so fast , watching at work one minute and within a short period of time the season being cancelled and all the aftermath across other sports.

I'd also include local high school sports and stuff too. Both my kids were affected by it , my son in his State Hockey Tournament and my daughter in her Ice Show to end the year. So it hit on multiple levels for me. It was crazy and still is. I ranked it but it was hard to place it in the right spot because it's still ongoing. #9 is fine with me for now but who knows what's to come.

Yeah had I made a list this would’ve been my #1. You’ve seen deaths and attacks happen but this one truly shut every sport down. Like UT mentioned this affected kids playing school sports too. Seniors weren’t able to chase for one more championship in HS or College. Seniors who aren’t going to the NBA never got to say goodbye to the basketball court. It’s just sad when you look at it like that.

Then you add in the fact that billionaires are shutting down their cash cows for it and it shows what kind of impact it’s had. Vince Carter might have prematurely played his final NBA game without a proper send off he deserves. The Bucks might not get that championship. LA/LA WCF just got stopped. Same goes for NHL teams chasing the Cup. Then look at UFC and WM and what they have to do now. Just craziness in the sports world because of this virus. It’s unheard of.

Me making this #1 would’ve maybe helped it move up a spot or two but this is a lot bigger to the sports world then the people have voted it to be.

Too add even more to what KING KID is saying about this never happening before , at least not that I remember. The thing I also think that amplifies it , is that in times like 9/11 in the past or a number of other things to happen in the world - sports was the thing a lot of people looked to as a distraction and for pseudo therapy. Now it was really the first thing taken from us and no longer do we have the sports distraction like we've had in the past at a time where we can literally spend as much time watching sports as we want. Ironic really. Shocking to me.

I appreciate that there's nothing more annoying than someone chiming in despite not sending in a list, but I agree with LT. To me it's not a sports issue, so while it is shocking in one respect, it's no different to saying WWII. I would not have included it.

Mar 22, 2020 14:57:13 GMT Todd said:

I appreciate that there's nothing more annoying than someone chiming in despite not sending in a list, but I agree with LT. To me it's not a sports issue, so while it is shocking in one respect, it's no different to saying WWII. I would not have included it.

I like this. This is where I'll ultimately fall on Covid-19 being a "shocking sports moment".

At least when aliens invaded, it let to Space Jam.

Mar 22, 2020 14:57:13 GMT Todd said:

I appreciate that there's nothing more annoying than someone chiming in despite not sending in a list, but I agree with LT. To me it's not a sports issue, so while it is shocking in one respect, it's no different to saying WWII. I would not have included it.

It’s not annoying. The main object these lists is the discussion that comes with them. So chime away - as long as you agree with me.

Also I obviously disagree , it affected sports. In America sports were one of the first things to really change the landscape. And we did watch it play out on air , with an NBA ready to be played.

I don’t see how this isn’t a shocking sports situation. I mean are you reading anything anyone is posting to say that it is?

It hurts me for seniors more then anything but I don’t feel bad for the millionaires sitting at home bored with all that money and time to stream themselves playing video games. However it shut down sports completely and that makes it a shocking moment in sports.

Mar 22, 2020 14:57:13 GMT Todd said:

I appreciate that there's nothing more annoying than someone chiming in despite not sending in a list, but I agree with LT. To me it's not a sports issue, so while it is shocking in one respect, it's no different to saying WWII. I would not have included it.

Yeah this is how I feel.

The Spanish Flu canceling the Stanley Cup finals in the middle of the series is more shocking than COVID19 and I bet nobody put that on their list.

Going back to Kerrigan, I have a feeling mikec is going to be disappointed with the rest of this list :lol:

Mar 22, 2020 16:19:30 GMT RT said:

Mar 22, 2020 14:57:13 GMT Todd said:

I appreciate that there's nothing more annoying than someone chiming in despite not sending in a list, but I agree with LT. To me it's not a sports issue, so while it is shocking in one respect, it's no different to saying WWII. I would not have included it.

Yeah this is how I feel.

The Spanish Flu canceling the Stanley Cup finals in the middle of the series is more shocking than COVID19 and I bet nobody put that on their list.

Going back to Kerrigan, I have a feeling mikec is going to be disappointed with the rest of this list :lol:

Stop comparing hockey to sports that matter.

Mar 22, 2020 16:21:51 GMT UT said:

Mar 22, 2020 16:19:30 GMT RT said:

Yeah this is how I feel.

The Spanish Flu canceling the Stanley Cup finals in the middle of the series is more shocking than COVID19 and I bet nobody put that on their list.

Going back to Kerrigan, I have a feeling mikec is going to be disappointed with the rest of this list :lol:

Stop comparing hockey to sports that matter.

You’re the worst

Mar 22, 2020 16:19:30 GMT RT said:

Mar 22, 2020 14:57:13 GMT Todd said:

I appreciate that there's nothing more annoying than someone chiming in despite not sending in a list, but I agree with LT. To me it's not a sports issue, so while it is shocking in one respect, it's no different to saying WWII. I would not have included it.

Yeah this is how I feel.

The Spanish Flu canceling the Stanley Cup finals in the middle of the series is more shocking than COVID19 and I bet nobody put that on their list.

Going back to Kerrigan, I have a feeling mikec is going to be disappointed with the rest of this list :lol:

mikec is disappointed by EVERY list.

As someone who barely knows what a basketball is I'm really interested in checking out the results to see how many pierced my bubble. 2 for 2 so far.

8. Death of Kobe Bryant 

I know it's another recent one , and not exactly on the field or court but there was no way this wasn't making my list. Kobe is one of my favorite athletes of all time and I'll always remember where I was and how I found out and how weirdly shook I was for like the next week. As someone who rarely gets affected that much by celebrity deaths - this one threw me through a loop because of how long I watched and loved Kobe on the court.

Wow.

This would’ve been my #2. Recency bias or not. This is the most shocking death in sports to me. The way it affected me for weeks afterwards is just wild. The fact that he’s a legend in the sport and died so out of nowhere was just unreal. His daughter going with him and those passengers made it hurt more. Truly the saddest and most shocking death in sports to me.

Didn't qualify for me as it didn't happen in the sport, on the field, etc. but totally get UT's sentiment and it definitely carried a huge WTF shock factor.

Damn this completely slipped my mind, it should have been top 5. I was completely blown away by the news of Kobe and Gigi's death. I remember thinking it was a hoax when I first heard about it. Shocking AND tragic.