Memorable Moments in Sports and the Olympics

With the Olympics in full swing, Eric and I took some time to reflect on the impact that sports have played in our lives. Here we reminisce about some of our fondest sports memories. Feel free to share yours in the comments!

ERIC: Let’s talk about our favorite sports moments.

First-off, here’s my self-imposed guideline of selecting a moment: I had to have watched it live (in person or on TV) and have a good understanding and memory of it. For instance, I can't pick Joe Montana to John Taylor in Super Bowl XXIII because I was too young and really don't remember watching it. If there are any exceptions to this rule, I will let you know.

Second, a moment can range from a single play to a single game or series. In other words, a moment does not have to be narrowed to a few seconds.

I will begin with my favorite moments. Memorable moments will come at a later time. What's the difference? Memorable moments can also include unhappy ones.

I'll start off easily, using moments tied to my hometown teams as the foundation.

The San Francisco Giants 2010 World Series Championship. I know you're not a baseball fan so you might find this one difficult to relate to, but this was the first World Series championship since the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958. Their last championship victory was in 1954 as the New York Giants so that's about a 56 year drought. Until they won one, I always believed that if anything could go wrong, it would go wrong.

Instead, things fell into place. Giants caught lightning in a bottle and rode it to a championship. I remember right when they won the National League Championship (that's equivalent to the conference finals), I jumped up from the couch to cheer. Next day, my lower back started hurting. My brother still teases me that I hurt my back celebrating that victory.

After the World Series win, I got down on one knee and did a mini fist pump (don't know why) - like 50% of Tebowing, but this was before Tebowing came into existence. I hugged my brother and my mom, and a couple of friends a few days later. My only regret was not attending the parade because I was committed to my job, which I would get laid off from two months later.

(I can't rank Barry Bonds’ home run moments due to the steroids.)

San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XXIX. Any championship victory will always be a favorite moment, but everyone expected the Niners to blow the Chargers out. So this isn't nearly exciting as my other favorite moments. There's not much to say other than the Niners did what they were expected to do. I miss the glory days.  

Owens! Owens! - The Catch II (1999 NFC Wild Card). The funny thing is, if instant replay were enacted back then, the Niners would have lost. Rice fumbled during the final drive, and the Packers recovered. The strange thing about this moment is that I remember it with the radio call, which I heard later because I watched the game on TV instead. You have to know that I also hated the Packers and Brett Favre as they kept beating the Niners near the end of the nineties.

Plus, who can forget Owens crying?

Vernon Post - The Catch III (2012 NFC Divisional Playoff). Oh, how I missed the 49ers in the playoffs. What made it special was that no one (including myself) expected them to get that far. If you predicted they would make the playoffs, you, sir, are a liar.

Great, exciting game. If you look back at it though, the Saints did make a major comeback in the first half. I think I looked so nervous throughout the end of the 4th quarter my mom asked if I was okay.  Afterwards, my family and I went out to dinner. Some cars driving around were honking and some folks here and there were outside their houses waving Niners shirts and flags. Great to see sports bring people together.

Golden State Warriors: We Believe (2007 Playoffs). You have to know the moment starts at the end of the 2007 season. The Warriors were in the running for the final spot, and I remember watching a Warriors home game in which they were on their way to winning. The fans started shouting, “Playoffs! *clap* *clap* Playoffs! *clap* *clap* Playoffs! *clap* *clap* Playoffs!”

I get kind of emotional reminiscing about that moment. Most teams are used to making the playoffs and clinching a berth early. In this situation, the chant for playoffs sounded more like a genuine desire and yearning. We all knew the history of the Warriors already - 13 years without making the playoffs. When they finally made the playoffs, it was the perfect storm for the following reasons:

1. It was the Warriors first appearance in the playoffs since 1994. Fans were definitely going to be pumped.
2. The Warriors' first round opponent was the Dallas Mavericks, whom the Warriors owned that season and in the previous one.
3. Dallas was the #1 seed and the Warriors were #8, which would make a series win a huge upset.

The rest is history. We Believe engulfs the Bay Area. The Oracle was effing rocking (best fans in the world). The Warriors win 4-2!


DRU: There's just something about sports that gets in your blood, isn't there? We identify with our teams. At this point in my life (29 years old, single, and living in my mom's basement), it's not an exaggeration that a couple dozen of the greatest moments of my entire life are related to sports in some way.

I'm with you on those football and basketball moments.

Vernon Post/The Catch III (and don't forget about Alex's epic TD run) really probably is the best thing I've experienced this whole year. It was so indescribably satisfying to see Alex Smith and Vernon Davis completely play out of their minds in the playoffs. After all these years of seeing them struggle (especially Alex), I was genuinely happy to see him succeed.

Honestly, I think Alex is just a normal quarterback. I never thought he was anything special, but I always had respect for him as a MAN. The way he's handled himself in public the past seven or eight years have just been classy. I don't recall him ever lashing out at the fans despite being constantly booed in his own stadium (and worse, hearing “We want Carr” chants - David Carr!!) and having to deal with the Bay Area fans and media constantly criticizing and crucifying him. Despite all that, he did re-up with the Niners and he said all the right things in public. I rooted for his success, even though I never expected him to actually succeed.

That whole game was so good. Justin Smith dominated down the stretch. I remember back in October, I was talking to a buddy about how Justin Smith was a top ten player in the NFL. He looked at me in disbelief and then we had a conversation about who's on the list of top ten current NFL players. He didn't think Smith belonged. But he watched that Saints game with me that day, and when we witnessed that play in the fourth quarter when Smith just bullrushed Jermon Bushrod and took down Brees with a one-handed grab, my friend stood up and said (completely unprompted), "I believe you. He's top ten player."

I watched the game with a bunch of people from church, and after Vernon made the catch, I cried right along with him, but I don't think anyone else in the room noticed.

The We Believe team was also one of the best moments of my life, definitely in the top five. It was certainly the greatest spring of my life. You already described the context accurately, and I definitely agree that the buildup to get to the playoffs was an unforgettable experience. One of my favorite memories is listening to a late season game when the Dubs went to Sacramento. We were winning and I could hear the crowd chanting, "Let's go, Warriors!" After so many years of having to deal with uppity Kings fans making the drive to Oakland and practically drowning out our home crowd, it was just poetic justice to have the tables turned. That moment almost moved me to tears, just to see and hear the Warriors fans taking over Arco Arena for one night during a meaningful (for us) game. I relished that so much.

When we finally clinched that playoff spot at the end of the season with an easy win over a vulnerable Blazers team, I was so proud. I don't think there's ever been a period in my life when I prayed so consistently and so hard just for one sports team.

The Mavs series was great, too. We had a lot of great times watching those games, didn't we? Barbecues at Justin Travis' old bachelor pad... Remember how we would all lock our arms together during the fourth quarter, as though we were bench players on a college team during the NCAA tournament? Sounds ridiculous to talk about now, but at the time it felt so normal.

Like I said, it was the greatest spring of my life. I pretty much knew we would win, too. We owned the Mavs for like a three year period. The matchups were all in our favor, Baron was playing the best ball of his life, and there was that whole subplot with Nellie exacting vengeance on Mark Cuban.

When we finally won Game 6, I cried tears of joy for like two straight days. I was happy just to make the playoffs, but to win round one? I was overjoyed. In my mind, that's one of the top five greatest upsets in sports, right up there with the 18-1 Patriots, Miracle on Ice, and probably a couple others I'm forgetting.

I was a little pissed the way we lost those close games in Utah, but we'll always have The Dunk. The Dunk pretty much sums up the entire We Believe era. The Dunk is emblematic of one of the greatest moments of my life. I doubt I could be happier on my own wedding day.

Other greatest moments of my life? My eighth grade basketball championship, any time I watched Nnamdi in a Raiders jersey, the day we got Baron, watching Sky High with some of my Davis friends WHILE the Lakers were beating the Magic for the championship (what made it great was that one of the guys is a Lakers fan, so he completely missed the clinching game), rejoicing in the schadenfreude of Kings fans when KG's T'Wolves beat them in a Round 2 Game 7 (Webber missed a game-tying three at the buzzer. The next day, Jon Ma and I printed out copies of the box score and highlighted Webber's 3PT stat: 0-1 and showed it to all the Kings fans we knew.)...

ERIC: Bill Simmons, in his latest article captures how I feel about sports: "You get older and older, and older, and suddenly, the Summer Olympics become a series of four-year checkpoints for your life. This only happens to people who remember just about everything through the lens of sports. We shouldn't care about sports this much … but we do, and that's just the way it is."

Okay, so maybe I don't care as much as some people do. I've learned to control my emotions a little better. In 2002, when the Giants choked away the World Series, I was sad for a few days. When the Niners lost the NFC Championship game this year, I was probably disappointed just for the night. Actually, every time the Kyle Williams fumbles are shown on TV, I change the channel with disgust.

Sports can mean something different to different people around the world. For some, sports can be hope, joy, or something to feel good about. I remember the 2006 World Cup even temporarily stopped a civil war. Taken from Wikipedia (The One True Source of All Knowledge): "The qualification of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team even brought about a temporary peace agreement during the First Ivorian Civil War. The team helped to secure a truce in 2006 when they qualified, bringing warring parties together, and convinced President Laurent Gbagbo to restart peace talks."

One of the more interesting parts for me to watch during the Olympics Opening Ceremony is the Parade of Nations. It can be boring, but there are a lot of small, poor nations that send maybe just a handful of athletes. I could be wrong, but I always think these athletes of these countries are just happy to be there - that having the opportunity to compete is very significant, and that they are truly representing their countries. We know how sports can lift communities, cities, and nations (like the Miracle on Ice - though I wasn't alive, so I'm just making an assumption).  

We also know the love of sports can be dangerous, too. I love the passion fans around the world have for soccer (or “football” in their terms), but it goes way overboard too many times - riots, hooliganism.  Shoot, we see uncontrolled emotion here in America too - fans getting beat up, death threats. But what happens when sports become too big? Well, things like the Penn St. scandal happen. This is another topic in itself.

DRU: I probably do care about sports way too much. I mean, you started this conversation discussing your favorite sports moments, and I was the one who equated that with "greatest moments of my life."

Maybe I just need a better life.

It's weird how we're so invested in the teams we identify with, though. I know all about that feeling of deflation when your team loses a big one. There's a part of me that knows that it's just a game, that the players don't care if I cry or not, but... I just can't help it. I get devastated.

I think my first moment of devastation was right after Chris Webber's rookie year. Once he forced his way out, everything went downhill for 13 years, but I distinctly remember how when I was a kid, I just didn't understand why he would want to leave in the first place. It blew my young mind away. That was the first time I felt pain from sports. I actually idolized Webber during that one season. Who can forget that behind the back dunk over Barkley? They made a commercial of it! But after he left, I really didn't like Webber anymore. That was a big reason I could never root for the Kings during their glory era.

Then a couple years after getting rid of Webber and gutting most of the team, we hit rock bottom when Spree choked Carlesimo. Spree was the first player I genuinely hated and rooted against with all my heart. (My mind was blown the year the Kings faced off against KG's and Spree's T'Wolves in the playoffs - didn’t know whom to root against.)

As for as the 2012 NFC Championship, I've just decided that whenever I hear the name "Kyle Williams," I am gonna think of the defensive tackle on the Buffalo Bills.

I don't think I'll ever be fanatical about sports to the point where I'll join a mob of hooligans or start a fight at a stadium, though. You mention Penn State as something that's a result of our culture's idolization of sports - I feel like we could devote a whole lot of time to that topic. It's a whole 'nother can of worms.

ERIC: Yeah. We can leave that alone for now. However, with the Olympics upon us, here are my favorite memories of the Olympics:

1992 Barcelona. I don't remember anything about this Olympics. The only two memories I have are: 1) A diver messing up and falling sideways into the pool, and 2) Michael Jordan doing a behind the back pass in the air as the ball was about to go out of bounds. This might have happened either in the Olympics or a pre-Olympics exhibition game. After I saw that, I tried to be like Mike.Tried to emulate what he did. Failed.


DRU: The main thing I remember from the Barcelona Olympics was the Dream Team, obviously. I loved basketball at a young age and just having all these legends assembled on one team blew my mind away. I was buying all these basketball cards and then I got confused at one point - I was like, "Huh? Who the heck is Christian Laettner?"

I remember watching some games but I can't really remember any specific moments, because we know it was all USA domination. I do remember the medal ceremony being interesting because MJ (and some other players, I think) covered up the Reebok logo on his jumpsuit because he was a Nike dude.

Also, I don't remember this from the time, but years later I discovered the Derek Redmond story. To me, that's one of the most powerful and moving stories of a father's love for his son.

ERIC: I almost forgot about the Derek Redmond story. Like you, I learned about it years later. A very moving and emotional moment.  I thought he and his dad should have been the final torch bearers, running together and lighting the Olympic Cauldron at the London Opening Ceremony. Instead, the honor went to a bunch of random teenagers.

1996 Atlanta. It helps that this Olympics was in the US. My favorite memory from this Olympics was Michael Johnson winning the 200m in world-record breaking fashion. The distance between him and the second place runner in the last 100 meters was incredible. He smoked the field. No one could catch him.

I also remember Kerri Strug performing the vault and making the landing with an injured ankle, but I don't think I understood the significance of the moment at the time. There's, of course, Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron in the Opening Ceremony. I was too young to understand though how great this moment was, as I didn't know how big of sports figure Ali was.

DRU: Yeah, Michael Johnson was definitely an inspiration. Right around that time was when I thought I could be a sprinter, too. That Olympics was right after my seventh grade track meet, where I set a record for my age group in the 100m. (Probably one of the top twenty moments of my life, and I was what, 12? I think I peaked early in life.)

And like you said, Ali lighting the cauldron was a big deal, but I didn't really comprehend the magnitude of it at the time, either.

The Magnificent Seven was great, too. That was a fantastic age for me to follow women's gymnastics. I felt like I could have a crush on anyone and it wouldn't have been creepy. Dominique Dawes, Dominique  Moceanu, Shannon Miller... Ooooh wee. Mmm mmm mmm. Oh, and Kerri Strug for toughing it out. I would have wanted to meet any or all of those girls at the time.

The other thing I remember was the bombing. That was pretty harrowing to see on the news. I didn't enjoy that. At all.

ERIC: I sort of  forgot about the 1996 bombing. It doesn't seem to get much press nowadays. I remember they went after the wrong guy. If there was a bombing in London, would NBC tape delay the coverage of that too? (Too inappropriate?)

It's funny you mention women's gymnastics. I had a crush on the Magnificent Seven - actually maybe two or three of them. From the 2008 team, I only remember Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, and Alicia Sacramone. They were quite the lookers. Nastia and Alicia were legally adults by the Olympics, but Shawn Johnson was only 16, I think. Okay, I feel like a creep. I think the women's gymnastics team tends to get marketed as America's sweethearts or darlings.

But moving on...really...next subject...

2000 Sydney. I don't remember anything from these Olympics.  Let's move on.

DRU: I don't remember anything besides Vince Carter's dunk. That was probably his finest moment ever. We can move on.

ERIC: 2004 Athens. The only thing I remember is USA Basketball losing to Puerto Rico in the first game and ending up with a bronze medal in the end. Larry Brown threw the team under the bus! Allen Iverson, though, carried himself with more class, saying how it was an honor for him to represent his country and how much it meant to him given his roots (if my memory serves me right).

DRU: I don't really remember too much of this Olympics, either, other than being stunned at our basketball team losing. (I'm pretty selfish with my sports. Even though we're basically saturated with basketball all the time, I still can't get enough of it during the Olympics.) I think I was taking summer school classes at UC Davis at this time. I can't really remember why I didn't watch more of the Olympics; it would have been a good time in my life to spend all my free time plopped in front of a TV. There wasn't a whole lot going on in my life back then that I can remember.

ERIC: Wait, I just remembered another big moment that happened in 2004: Liu Xiang of China winning the gold medal in the 110m hurdles. An Asian guy won a track & field event. How rare is that? I think that was the first time ever. Of course Liu Xiang pretty much didn't race in the 2008 or 2012 Olympics. (I just remembered the moment after reading about him crashing out of competition today.)

DRU: Come on, son! Asian people can be fast! Even I beat some black guys when I ran track  in high school.

ERIC: 2008 Beijing. This Olympics will always stand out the most for me since I was there in person. After going, I'm more into the Olympics... and USA Basketball. Here are a few of my favorite moments from those Olympics.

First, there was the opening ceremony. It probably set the standard for all opening ceremonies to follow.

USA vs. China Basketball. The crowd was electric, as all Asian peoples love basketball. The game ended up being a blowout, but it felt like a momentous occasion. I even saw George W. Bush there. In other words, the only time I ever saw the President of the United States in person was at a basketball game in China.

Additionally, there's nothing like hearing our National Anthem in another country. We might be desensitized to it here at our sports games, but it's another feeling when it's played in a foreign country with many foreigners among the crowd.

USA Basketball Gold Medal Game. Stayed up late watching this game. A close game for the U.S., but one of the greatest games I've ever watched. Redeem Team for sure.

There's Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, but I didn't get a chance to really see them as I was still over in China while they were making history. So they don’t rank up there for me as a memory.

DRU: The thing I remember most about the 2008 Olympics is that picture of you with Tyson Gay. And that souvenir pen you brought back for me. I still have it. I try not to use it that much, so as to preserve the ink.

ERIC: Yup, being able to take a picture with Tyson Gay was a highlight. Too bad he doesn't have a medal. I read how he wept after this year's 100m. He gave it his all, but three other guys were just better. In Usain Bolt's case, he's just a legend in his own right. I went over to my brother's place just to watch the 100m race live over the internet. It's pretty amazing how a lot of us are captivated by just 10 seconds (or less).

DRU: I was unemployed that summer, so this is the Olympics that I watched religiously. My whole life for three weeks centered around the TV. I watched every event that was on normal NBC. Watched all of Phelps' races and Usain Bolt's. Those were obviously two of the most major happenings.

I watched a lot of track and field events. I will always remember Shanahan Sanitoa of American Samoa, who came in dead last in his qualifying heat in the 100m. He ran like a 12.60. HOWEVER, that was one of the greatest moments of my life because when I was in high school, I ran the 100m at about 11.67. So that was the day I learned I had Olympic-caliber speed.

This Olympics was also the first time I started feeling slightly creepy for ogling the women's gymnastics team. (Especially since most of them probably, legally, should have been considered "girls.") (I haven't really watched a whole lot of gymnastics this year, even though the Olympics is basically a showcase for that sport as well as swimming and track and field, which hardly ever get any love in between Olympics.) (By the way, did you know Alicia Sacramone is dating Brady Quinn? I found that information on The One True Source of All Knowledge, so you know it’s legit.)

And, of course, USA Basketball. The Redeem Team. I stayed up late to watch that gold medal game against Spain. My dad stayed up to watch it, too, and he always goes to sleep early. But I think that's how committed we were in watching that game. We just HAD to watch it live. There was no waiting for tape delay or news replays. Out of everything in the 2008 Olympics, I think this game left the deepest impact on me. I was getting nervous near the end when it seemed like Spain might pull off a miracle comeback, but when Kobe took over it looked pretty obvious we were gonna win.

Honestly, that game was the one time in my whole life I ever rooted for Kobe Bean Bryant. I remember after he hit a clutch three, both my dad and I jumped up and started cheering in the living room. There was this shot of Kobe turning to the stands and puffing the "USA" on the front of his jersey and my dad and I started giving each other high fives. My dad usually doesn't get excited while watching sports. Usually he just complains about the refs and comments on conspiracy theories when his teams don't win. (Or he complains about how the stupid owners/upper management undermine coaches and players from the get-go.)

It was definitely memorable to have that moment with my dad... Quality father-son bonding time while watching international basketball at like 2 a.m. I know you’ve been consistent about keeping this discussion limited to greatest sports moments (and greatest Olympic moments) but that night probably was one of the greatest moments of my life thanks to my dad. It's the only time I can remember we ever rooted for the same team during the same game, to such a high degree of emotional investment.

Funny thing is, we've never mentioned that night ever since. I believe there's a part of us that is a little ashamed to have rooted so hard for Kobe Bean Bryant.

ERIC: Great of you to share a great moment with your dad. It's not about the names on the back of the jerseys, but the three letters in the front: USA.

Then again, it's Kobe Bean Bryant.