The biggest mistakes in sports

Sport/event: NFL Super Bowl

Year: 2015

What happened: Few strategic decisions have ever become so infamous. After marching down the field to the 1-yard line, trailing the New England Patriots 28-24, with 26 seconds left, the Seattle Seahawks had a decision to make with the Super Bowl on the line: throw it or give it to star running back Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks decided to throw it. Patriots cornerback Malcom Butler recognized the call, jumped the route, and intercepted the pass, sealing the championship for the Patriots. Lynch has since said he was "expecting" the ball on the play.

Sport/event: MLB

Year: 1920

What happened: One of the great mistakes in all of sports, the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, arguably baseball's biggest star, to the Yankees for $125,000. Ruth, who had won three World Series with the Red Sox, went on to lead MLB in home runs 10 times in 15 years with the Yankees, including hitting a record-breaking 60 home runs in 1927. The Yankees won four World Series with Ruth and made it there three other times. The Red Sox, meanwhile, did not win a World Series for 86 years in what became known as the "Curse of the Bambino."

Sport/event: NBA draft

Year: 1984

What happened: In June of 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers were on the clock with the second pick in the draft. Nigerian center Hakeem Olajuwon had been taken with the first pick. The Blazers selected Sam Bowie, a 7-foot-1 center out of Kentucky. A 6-foot-6 shooting guard frrom UNC named Michael Jordan went with the third pick to the Chicago Bulls. The rest is history.

Sport/event: NBA draft

Year: 2007

What happened: Missing out on Michael Jordan likely haunted plenty of Blazers fans. Unfortunately, 23 years later, they missed out on another generational star when they selected Greg Oden first overall over Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA draft. Oden, a college star, was plagued by injuries in the pros and averaged just 8.9 points per game across 82 games with the Blazers. He's considered a draft bust. Durant, meanwhile, is still active today, with an MVP, 13 All-Stars, 10 All-NBA selections, and 2 championship rings under his belt.

Sport/event: Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics

Year: 2016

What happened:. A white lie practically upended Ryan Lochte's swimming career. At the 2016 Rio games, Lochte and a group of American swimmers said they were robbed at gunpoint after a night out in Rio. However, police later refuted that claim, and it was later reported that the group of swimmers became rowdy at a gas station and damaged goods at a convenience store. Armed security guards stopped them and demanded they pay for the goods. The fabricated or over-exagerrated story overtook many Olympic headlines, and some of the swimmers were even arrested and pulled off a plane leaving Rio. Though charges were dropped, Lochte lost all of his sponsors, was suspended by US Swimming, and never regained his Olympic form.

Sport/event: NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Year: 1993

What happened: With 11 seconds left in the national championship game and the Michigan Wolverines trailing North Carolina by two, Chris Webber raced into the front-court with the ball, only to get trapped in the corner. A frantic Webber called a timeout, except Michigan was out of timeouts. It resulted in a technical foul, which gave UNC two free throws and possession of the ball, essentially ending the game. Webber would go on to have a fantastic NBA career, but the blunder has become an unfortunate part of his legacy.

Sport/event: NBA

Year: 2004

What happened: The fight between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons in 2004, dubbed "The Malice at the Palace," is arguably the most infamous fight in American sports. It was already a heated game, with technicals being handed out in the fourth quarter after a skirmish between Ron Artest — now Metta World Peace — and Ben Wallace. It reached another level when a fan threw a drink at Artest, who was lying on the scorers' table. Artest famously went into the stands and began swinging at fans, setting off a melee that saw fans and players fight in the stands and on the court. The game was halted, and nine players were suspended, with Artest missing the rest of the season.

Sport/event: NFL

Year: 2015

What happened: Tom Brady asked the New England Patriots equipment team for a softer football to grip before the 2014 AFC Championship. What happened from there is still a bit unclear, but it did not play out well for Brady or the Patriots. The scandal that became known as "Deflategate" resulted in a four-game suspension for Brady, a $1 million fine for the Patriots, the loss of two draft picks, plus further evidence to many football fans that the Patriots were cheaters. While Brady's intentions remain unknown, investigators found texts between the Patriots employees saying Brady wanted a softer football, with one calling himself "the deflator." Brady even destroyed his phone before investigators could look at it. It was a drawn-out scandal in which nobody came out looking good.

Sport/event: Soccer

Year: 2010, 2013, 2014

What happened: One of the world's most gifted players, Suarez has also undoubtedly committed one of the most dumbfounding violations by biting opponents on several different occasions. He was suspended seven games in 2010 for biting a PSG player. He was suspended 10 games in 2013 for biting a Chelsea player. And in 2014, at the World Cup, he bit an Italian player. He was later suspended for nine games.

Sport/event: NBA draft

Year: 2003

What happened: Mistakes happen in drafts — there's no science to it. But few mistakes stand out more in NBA history than the Detroit Pistons' decision to take Darko Milicic second in the 2003 draft. LeBron James, of course, went first. The Pistons then went with a Serbian big man who many thought could dominate in the NBA. The next three picks? Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade — the latter two are Hall of Famers; Anthony is destined for it. Milicic played three seasons in Detroit and is considered one of the biggest busts in NBA history.

Sport/event: NBA free agency

Year: 2010

What happened: There was great interest in LeBron James' free agency in the summer of 2010 — rarely did a 26-year-old MVP hit the open market. James knew this, and with the help of ESPN, decided to broadcast his decision. What resulted was an awkward, stilted interview with ESPN's Jim Gray in which a clearly nervous James announced, "This fall I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat." The decision, wording, and spectacle did James no favors — Cleveland Cavaliers fans burned his jersey, and James and the Heat became the villains of the NBA for the next four years.

Sport/event: Winter Olympics

Year: 2006

What happened: In the final stretch of the women's snowboard cross gold medal race, American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis held a sizeable lead, with a gold medal in sight. On one of the final jumps, Jacobellis got air and a bit too cocky, and attempted a backside method grab. However, she lost her balance and fell, as Switzerland's Tanja Frieden passed her. Jacobellis finished second for a silver medal. While she initially said she was disappointed, she later told reporters: "Snowboarding is fun. I was ahead. I wanted to share my enthusiasm with the crowd. I messed up. Oh well, it happens."

Sport/event: NFL draft

Year: 2003

What happened: The Vikings had 15 minutes to draft a player with the 7th pick in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft and couldn't. That's in part because a trade with the Baltimore Ravens wasn't finalized with the NFL on time — despite the Vikings calling it in and believing it was done. As ESPN's Kevin Seifert outlined, the Vikings only realized that they were still on the clock while watching the live broadcast. Time expired, the Vikings missed their pick, and were jumped by the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers before the making their selection at No. 9. Still — you had 15 minutes, guys!

Sport/event: Soccer

Year: 2021

What happened: Things did not go as planned when a group of European soccer clubs attempted to form a long-discussed "Super League." The league, consisting of elite Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A teams, aimed to create a closed-competition league that would massively profit those teams and massively change the power structure of European soccer. The idea was met with swift backlash from FIFA, UEFA, Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A, as well as fans who condemned the project. In two days, the league folded, as teams dropped out, citing the sharp criticism. While the idea of the Super League hasn't entirely gone away, the 2021 version was a disastrous rollout and experiment.

Sport/event: Tennis

Year: 2022

What happened: Novak Djokovic famously refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine. That decision caused major chaos for him during the pandemic. Djokovic was detained in Australia after his alleged visa to enter the country without being vaccinated to play the Australian Open was denied. What became an international affair ended with Djokovic being deported from the country. He also missed the 2022 US Open because he wasn't vaccinated and two years of the Miami Open and BNP Paribas Open.

Sport/event: WNBA

Year:. 2021

What happened: Candace Parker was the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time MVP when the Los Angeles Sparks let her walk in free agency to the Chicago Sky. Parker may have been past her prime, but she was still one of the best players in the WNBA. She proved that in short time with the Sky, helping them win the 2021 championship while averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Sparks went 12-20 that season.

Sport/event: NBA Draft

Year: 2009

What happened: The NBA draft is littered with poor choices, but the Timberwolves' in 2009 stands out because they had two chances to get it right! Minnesota had the fifth and sixth picks in the draft and first selected Ricky Rubio, a Spanish star, then Jonny Flynn, a guard from Syracuse. Stephen Curry went to the Warriors with the seventh pick. Flynn played just two seasons in Minnesota and underwhelmed, falling out of the NBA entirely after 2012. While Rubio had a decent run in Minnesota, it certainly pales in comparison to Curry's career.

Sport/event: NFC Championship

Year: 2021

What happened: The Packers had a decision to make on fourth down, with 2:09 remaining in the NFC Championship, trailing by eight against the Buccaneers: kick a field goal to cut the lead to five or go for the touchdown and two-point conversion. The Packers opted for the field goal, choosing not to put the ball in Aaron Rodgers' hands, but effectively putting it in Tom Brady's. Brady and the Bucs were able to get enough first downs to run out the clock, and Rodgers and the Packers never got the ball back. While going for it was no sure thing, it certainly would have been a worthwhile gamble over what the Packers chose.

Sport/event: NBA Finals

Year: 2013

What happened: Ray Allen's incredible, game-tying corner three-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals helped save the Miami Heat's season. But what led to that moment? With 19 seconds to play and the Spurs up three, head coach Gregg Popovich made an interesting decision, substituting the 7-foot Tim Duncan for 6-foot-8 Boris Diaw, likely to make the Spurs more switchable to try and stop a Miami three-pointer. However, 12 seconds later, after LeBron James missed a three, the 6-foot-11 Chris Bosh was able to grab an offensive rebound over smaller defenders and kick it out to Allen, who crushed San Antonio's chances of winning a championship right there. Miami would go on to win in overtime and win a deciding Game 7. Popovich is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, but it was not his best tactical moment.

Sport/event: Golf — US Open

Year: 2006

What happened: Phil Mickelson was one hole away from winning his first US Open when he made the curious decision to use his driver on the 18th hole at Winged Foot Golf Club. The decision immediately struck viewers as questionable: Mickelson had struggled with his driver earlier in the round and even the announcers suggested he use a different club. Mickelson hit his first shot into the hospitality tent, immediately putting him in peril. Mickelson's next three shots did not go according to plan, essentially capping off a meltdown that cost him the tournament.

Sport/event: NFL

Year: 1984

What happened: After years of negotiations between the Colts and the city of Baltimore over stadium improvements and a new stadium, Colts owner Bob Irsay had had enough. He accepted an offer from Indianapolis to move the team to Indiana and did so, literally in the middle of the night in January. Movers packed up the team facilities and moved overnight to Indianapolis, shocking Baltimore fans. Baltimore didn't get a football team again until 1996 while Irsay became known to many as one of the most villainous owners in American sports.

Sport/event: NBA

Year: 2013

What happened: The Oklahoma City Thunder had been working on an extension for James Harden before the reigning Sixth Man of the Year became a restricted free agent. However, the Thunder were a bit cash-strapped, having paid many other players on the team. Though Harden wanted a max contract, the Thunder offered slightly less, which would have saved them extra money on taxes. Harden declined it, so the Thunder traded him to the Rockets — where Harden would go on to lead the league in scoring three times and win an MVP. The Thunder never made it back to the Finals and fell apart four years later when Durant left in free agency.

Sport/event: NFL

Year: 1993

What happened: All Leon Lett had to do was not touch the ball. With three seconds remaining on a snowy Thanksgiving game, the Dolphins attempted a game-winning field goal. It was blocked by the Cowboys, and the ball gently rolled toward the Cowboys' end zone. Miami could only regain possession if the Cowboys touched it, and many Cowboys players surrounded the ball, telling each other not to touch it. That's when Lett, a star defensive tackle, came running toward the ball, slipped in the snow, and kicked it. Miami recovered the ball at the 1-yard line, then kicked the game-winning field goal. Lett — who had famously blew a surefire touchdown in the Super Bowl the year before — later called it one of the worst days in his career.

Sport/event: NBA

Year: 2014

What happened: Perhaps this poor decision isn't of tremendous importance, but it did make Nick Young a meme for life. In a March 2014 route of the Knicks, Young attempted a stepback three that seemed all but certain to go in. As the ball appeared to be on its way to rattling in, Young turned around early and lifted his hands in the air in celebration. However, the ball rattled out, and Young looked back and realized his celebration was for naught.

Sport/event: NFL

Year: 2008

What happened: DeSean Jackson had to take a few more steps to secure a 61-yard touchdown in the second quarter of a game against the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, perhaps ecstatic about catching the first touchdown of his career, Jackson dropped the ball a few inches short of the end zone. The Eagles did end up punching in a touchdown shortly after, but they lost the game.

Sport/event: Olympics

Year: 2018-present

What happened: After finding that Russian Olympians participated in a state-sponsored doping program, the International Olympic Committee banned Russia from the 2018 Olympics. However, over 160 athletes still competed as "Olympic Athletes from Russia," in red-clad uniforms — even if it was under a neutral flag. This continued in the 2020 and 2022 games, as more Olympic Athletes from Russia competed. Critics have said that it's been a fake ban and a lack of punishment against Russia's Olympic Committee, and it's hard to argue otherwise.