Threadlines: The Most Iconic Moments in Sports

Programming Note:

I started creating video essays!

Today’s article covers some of history’s most iconic sports moments. But for the best experience, you should go to the YouTube video essay that I created. Linked below. 
The stories are much more powerful when you can rewatch the play, hear the commentator, and see the athletes in full view.

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Now for the article:

SPORTS PROVIDE US MOMENTS

We watch sports because of the emotions that they can inspire. Sports can bring joy, sorrow, pain, and elation. We remember these moments. 

But there are a certain few moments in sports history that are so notable, so memorable, so iconic that they are remembered by a nickname. 

Whether it was a phrase quipped by a commentator or a memorable way a sports writer described it, there are certain moments in sports that go down in history remembered for more than just the moment itself, but also by their nickname. These nicknames go down in immortality.

THE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD

In 1951, two teams were challenging for the National League Pennant. The ever-rivals, the Giants and the Dodgers. The Giants and the Dodgers are one of the greatest rivalries in sports history, having held this fierce feud for over a century and across multiple coasts.

For years, the feud was between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, and continued through both teams’ move to the West Coast as they became the SF Giants and the LA Dodgers, respectively.

For an example of the ferocity of this rivalry, look to baseball and Dodger icon, Jackie Robinson, who, upon finding out he was traded to the Giants, decided to just retire from baseball altogether.

It’s also worth mentioning that in the 50s, the World Series was simply played between the top team from each League - there was no multi-team playoffs or divisional rounds or anything. Winning your league meant you were in the World Series.

In the 1951 season, the Brooklyn Dodgers surged ahead, holding a commanding lead by mid-season over the New York Giants and other NL teams. By August, with a 13+ game lead over the Giants, their World Series berth seemed assured. However, the Giants mounted an astounding comeback, winning 37 of their last 44 games, including a 16 consecutive game-winning stream while the Dodgers faltered. This shockingly resulted in an end of the regular season with both teams in deadlock, tied with 96–58 records.

These identical records triggered a 3-game playoff series to determine the true champion of baseball’s National League. After both teams won one game, it sent them to Manhattan for a decisive game 3. 

Going into the bottom of the 9th inning, the Dodgers held a 4-1 lead and were in a dominant position.

In the last half inning, the Giants were able to score 1 run, but they had also notched 2 outs. They were 1 out away from being sent home empty-handed by their bitter rivals.

2 men on base waited for Bobby Thomson to come to bat. 

As Thomson left the dugout, his manager, Leo Durocher, reportedly turned and said, "If you ever hit one, hit it now."

On the second pitch of the at-bat, Thomson swung hard at a fastball high and inside, making strong contact. The ball sailed in the air, landing in the decks behind left field for a 3-run, walk-off home run. 

The announcer, Russ Hodges’ elation has gone down in history as one of the greatest calls in sports history. 

Of course, a walk-off home run, especially one in the playoffs, is an incredible moment, one that baseball players dream of. But this was a win over a fierce rival after a remarkable regular season comeback. Moreover, this was a sports broadcast being watched by millions and heard on radio by millions more, including, incredibly thousands of American servicemen stationed overseas - all during a time when sports broadcasts were far less ubiquitous than they are now. 

Because of these factors, this truly momentous home run has gone down in history known as “The Shot Heard Round the World”, using a turn of phrase from an 1837 Ralph Waldo Emerson poem.

In the 90s, Brett Thomson, the hitter of the home run, received a letter from a Marine who had been stationed in Korea during the game:

"I was in a bunker in the front line with my buddy listening to the radio. It was contrary to orders, but he was a Giants fanatic. He never made it home and I promised him if I ever got back I'd write and tell you about the happiest moment of his life. It's taken me this long to put my feelings into words. On behalf of my buddy, thanks, Bobby."

But we are just getting started.

The Shot Heard Round the World has gone down in history, but what about a play that was given a nickname that has become so widespread that you now hear this phrase used in contexts ranging from business to video games to everyday life.

Let’s jump forward a few decades to 1975.

THE HAIL MARY

We are in Minnesota, in the NFL playoffs.

The powerhouse Vikings are coming off a very successful 12-2 season. They are hosting the Dallas Cowboys, coming off a successful, but lesser 10-4 season.

This playoff game would determine which of the two teams would advance to the NFC Championship and be one step closer to the Super Bowl. These were two of the biggest teams of the era and the game was highly anticipated.

The game was tightly contested throughout. The Vikings took an early lead, and the Cowboys struggled to generate much offense. The Vikings' defense, known as the "Purple People Eaters," put considerable pressure on Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, making it difficult for him to find open receivers.

As the game progressed, the Cowboys found themselves trailing 14-10 with just seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Facing a critical fourth down and desperation time, Roger Staubach dropped back to pass from his own 50-yard line, with more than half the field to go to the end zone. 

Under some more heavy pressure from the Vikings' defense, Staubach launched a long pass toward the end zone, hoping for a miracle.

In an interview, Staubach remembers, “Time was running out. When I threw the ball to Pearson, I kind of under-threw it… I closed my eyes and said a ‘Hail Mary.’”

The pass was meant for Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson, who was still being closely covered by Vikings cornerback Nate Wright.

Pearson leaped and somehow caught the ball with one arm, managing to hold it against his hip… As he came down with the ball, the referees signaled for a touchdown, and a miraculous Cowboys win. 

Staubach's post-game comments remembering his “Hail Mary”, led to the play being forever dubbed the "Hail Mary" pass. Of course, pulling from the Catholic prayer.

Since then, however, the term has become synonymous with any crazy, last-second heave in football. It has also transcended sports entirely, becoming an idiom used for a desperate, last attempt. You’ll hear people refer to a “Hail Mary” in contexts ranging from a business plan to a cram study session before a test. 

The Hail Mary has become much more than just one play - but the Cowboys’ miraculous pass and catch in 1975 is where it all started. 

But what about if a sports moment is remembered not just for the good parts, but for how infamous has become over the years?

THE HAND OF GOD

Our story starts in 1982.

The United Kingdom and Argentina were at war over an undeclared territory in the Atlantic Ocean outside South America - the Falkland Islands. This brief skirmish involved a territorial dispute that was begun by the Argentinian army invading the British-claimed area, prompting the British government under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to dispatch a naval task force to reclaim the territories.

4 years later, and it’s the FIFA World Cup, the biggest tournament of the greatest sport in the world. It’s the quarterfinal round, and Argentina is facing England. How interesting is it when sports mirrors life? 

The Argentinian squad was led by their larger-than-life captain, Diego Maradona. The England squad was led by their star striker, Gary Lineker. 

After a goalless, but tense first half, both squads took the field for the second half.

Minutes later, the ball was hooked into the air by an England midfielder, lofting it high towards the England goal.

The English goalkeeper, Peter Shilton, came out to punch the ball clear. However, another player also rose up to punch the ball.

The diminutive Diego Maradona, jumped high into the air, and despite being significantly shorter than Shilton, used his left hand to punch the ball into the net. 

This was an obvious breaking of the rules, but… the referee, not having seen the infringement, allowed the goal to stand, much to the disbelief and outrage of the English players and fans.

Argentina went on to win the game 2-1. It’s worth mentioning that Argentina’s second goal also came at the hands, or more aptly this time, the feet of Diego Maradona, as he scored one of, if not the, greatest goal of all time, dribbling through the entire English team en route to an amazing solo goal.

However, despite that spectacular effort, the media attention after the game focused on Maradona’s blatant handball.

Stefan Szymanski writes that “Maradona told reporters that the goal was scored in the English translation, ‘a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.’ The phrase stuck, and with it the legend of the goal.”

Now Maradona did eventually admit that he did hit the ball with his hand.

Not that we needed him to admit that, we can see it clear as day.

Maradona recalls the event as a form of vengeance to the English for the defeat they handed his country 4 years prior, “I knew it was my hand. It wasn't my plan but the action happened so fast that the linesman didn't see me putting my hand in. The referee looked at me and he said: 'Goal.' It was a nice feeling like some sort of symbolic revenge against the English.”

The “Hand of God” will go down in history as one of football’s most controversial and infamous moments, and it is a phrase that is still widely used today. 

Now let’s look at a sporting nickname that refers to more than just a singular moment, but one that refers to an entire game.

THE FLU GAME

In the 1997 NBA Finals, the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls are deadlocked at 2 games apiece in a 7 game series.

The Utah Jazz are dominant at home, and looking to win Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead.

The night after Game 4 - 2 days before this critical Game 5, the Chicago Bulls star player, Michael Jordan wakes up in a cold sweat. He is vomiting, shaking, and sweating profusely. His trainer comes to visit him in the middle of the night when Jordan hardly has the strength to sit up in bed.

And, he wasn’t showing signs of improvement. As the night progressed, the Bulls trainers told Jordan there was no way he was playing the next day. 

Over the next 24 hours, Jordan remained in bed until he dragged himself out a few hours before tip-off. 

Scottie Pippen, Bulls teammate recalls “The way he looked, there's no way I thought he could even put on his uniform, I'd never seen him like that. He looked bad -- I mean really bad."

But, Jordan played. Through the first quarter of the game, he wasn’t doing a ton. He was running slowly, spending lots of time resting on his knees, and generally not able to play basketball. Then, through the second quarter, he began to take some shots, and then he began to make some shots. 

At halftime, Michael Jordan had somehow scored 17 points despite serious dehydration and fatigue. His body just didn’t have much of any type of fuel in it, fluids, food, you name it.

In the second half, Jordan spent much of the 3rd quarter resting on the bench but came onto the court for the decisive final quarter. He then led the Bulls to mount a 10-point comeback to take the lead with time running out. His final effort included a 3-pointer at the game tied 85-85 with 25 seconds remaining to put the Bulls up 3.

As the game expired, the Bulls took home a critical win in the series, behind an unbelievable 38 points from the weak, dehydrated, empty Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen had to essentially drag Jordan off the floor.

A few days later, the series returned to Chicago for Game 6, where the Bulls beat the Jazz to take home the NBA title.

Jordan recalls that Game 5 against the Jazz was “Probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, I almost played myself into passing out just to win a basketball game.”

25 years ago: Michael Jordan added to his legend with the "Flu Game" - Sports Illustrated Chicago Bulls News, Analysis and More

As the media and fans remember this monumental effort, Jordan’s performance has gone down in history known as “The Flu Game”

It’s worth noting that the common hypothesis for Jordan’s illness is food poisoning from a pizza he ate but… “The Flu Game” sure sounds better than “The Food Poisoning Game” - and so, “The Flu Game” goes down in history.

As we move from Jordan’s mammoth performance in The Flu Game, we are going to go to the international stage.

THE MIRACLE ON ICE

In 1980, the Winter Olympics were being held in Lake Placid, New York. It’s during the height of the Cold War, and tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were high.

In ice hockey, one of the most-watched sports of the Winter Olympics, the Soviet Union had been dominant for years. The Russians had won gold in the previous four Winter Olympics and were comprised of seasoned Soviet professionals. The Soviets had not lost an Olympic ice hockey game since 1968.

The United States, on the other hand, were comprised of amateur and college players, and were the youngest team at the tournament, with an average age of 21.

Prior to the 1980 Olympics, the Soviet Union had outscored the US in ice hockey In head-to-head matchups with a cumulative score of 28–7.

The 1980 United States team was made up of 20 players, and only 1 of them had played in an Olympic Games before.

This Soviet Union team was full of future Hockey Hall of Famers, including Boris Mikhailov, Valeri Kharlamov, and Vladislav Tretiak, widely regarded as the premier goaltender of the era. 

This all led to the United States and the Soviet Union ice hockey teams facing off in the medal round. 

Before the game, US Coach Herb Brooks read his team a statement, “You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours.”

The first two periods passed, and the Soviets were only leading by one goal, 3-2. In the final third period, the US team managed to score two goals in quick succession, giving them the lead. 

For the next 10 minutes, somehow, some way, the United States hung on as the Soviets failed to score again and again.

And as the clock counted down, the announcer Al Michaels delivered the now famous call, “11 seconds, you've got 10 seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? YES!”

Following the 1981 made-for-TV movie, Miracle on Ice, chronicling this incredible victory, we now know the United States’ 1980 Winter Olympics victory by that name - the “Miracle on Ice.”

This nomenclature - using the word “miracle” to describe a momentous sporting event, has also stuck around, and you’ll find that word scattered all throughout sporting nicknames. The Music City Miracle, the Motown Miracle, the Miracle in Miami, the Minneapolis Miracle, the list goes on.

But perhaps the greatest and most enduring of all the miracles is the Miracle on Ice.

Finally, let’s examine what has been picked as the greatest play in NFL history. One that you can’t help but think of when you think of sports moments with a nickname.

IMMACULATE RECEPTION

It was a playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders in the early 1970s. We are in the AFC Division round, and the Steelers are trailing late into the final quarter of the game. Oakland held a 1-point lead, 7-6, going into the last 25 seconds. The Steelers are at their own 40-yard line, and they need a miracle.

Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw is snapped the ball and drops back to pass. The Raiders quickly put on some intense pressure from their defensive line. There is some scrambling, but Bradshaw is soon forced to launch a desperation pass towards the Steelers running back, John "Frenchy" Fuqua. 

It almost looks good. Fuqua is looking behind him to catch it, but as the ball arrives, Raiders safety Jack Tatum collides with him, and the football ricochets backward, seemingly toward the ground and toward an inevitable Steelers loss.

Somehow, the Steelers rookie running back Franco Harris who was trailing the play catches the football inches from the ground. He scoops it up and takes off. This all happens so fast that the camera crew doesn’t adjust their frame until a second into Harris’ run. He sprints into the endzone for a touchdown, earning the Steelers a dramatic 13-7 lead with just seconds remaining.

The improbable nature of the play, combined with its timing in the playoffs, solidified its status as one of the most memorable moments in NFL history.

Ultimately, the Steeler's season soon ended to the 1972 Miami Dolphins - who are of course - the only perfect team in NFL history. The Steelers’ would go on to become a powerhouse of the league in the 1970s, winning 4 Super Bowls in that decade alone.

But this moment would live on, burned into the minds of Steelers fans, Raiders fans, football fans, and sports fans. 

The play was coined the “Immaculate Reception”, riffing off the “Immaculate Conception” a concept in the Catholic faith.

Now that I mention it, that’s two NFL-related play nicknames inspired by Catholic dogma, kind of an interesting pattern.

Anyway, the Immaculate Conception was first called that by a young Pittsburgh couple, Sharon Levosky and Michael Ord, who then called the Pittsburgh broadcasting team to fill him in on their genius turn of phrase. Myron Cope, one of the broadcasters, subsequently used that phrase on air the next day, and it stuck.

And so, the Immaculate Reception goes down as one of the greatest and most iconic plays in sports history.

Sports are great because they produce moments. We watch sports because they produce wonderful, joyful, memorable moments. The iconic moments we looked at today are just a few of the many that go down in history.

I am sure I missed so many named and iconic sports moments in this video. I can think of the Butt Fumble, the Helmet Catch, the Kick Six, and many more.

If you guys want to see me cover more of these moments, you can feel free to comment with ideas or recommendations below, I could for sure do a Part 2 if there are enough examples.

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