Top 20 Most Shocking Mistakes in Sports

Top 20 Most Shocking Mistakes in Sports

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the biggest blunders in sports history. These can be from players, officials, or even fans.

#20: Sven Kramer Changes Lanes

A famous Dutch skater, Kramer holds a number of accolades, including numerous Olympic gold medals. And he would have added to this number if it wasn’t for a major blunder at the 2010 games in Canada. Kramer set a new Olympic record in the 5,000 meter event and looked to continue his dominance in the 10,000 meter. He did indeed finish in first place, and he set another Olympic record in the process. But he was tragically disqualified owing to an illegal lane change that he made late in the race. Instead, runner-up Lee Seung-hoon was awarded gold and credited with a new world record. The blunder was blamed on Kramer’s coach, who had given him incorrect directions during the race.

#19: Steven Gerrard Slips

By 2014, the heyday of Liverpool F.C. had long past. The team dominated the Premier League for much of the ‘70s and ‘80s but hadn’t won since the 1989-90 season. Enter manager Brendan Rodgers, who led the team on an incredible run. Some believed that Liverpool was destined to win their first title in 24 years, and that remained a possibility until the legendary game with Chelsea. Steven Gerrard mishandled a simple pass and slipped on the pitch, allowing Chelsea player Demba Ba to take the ball and score. A win against Chelsea would have knocked them out of the running. Instead, Liverpool lost both the game and the title, crushing all hopes of a comeback that was decades in the making.

#18: Phil Mickelson Uses a Driver

A legendary golfer with three Masters wins, Phil Mickelson knows what he’s doing. But you wouldn’t know it judging by this famous blunder. Mickelson was poised to win the 2006 U.S. Open, and if he did, it would have been his third straight major tournament victory. Needing par, Mickelson made the curious decision to tee off with his driver. Many experts - including the commentators - did not agree with this choice. They were right to be worried, as the shot veered way left and ended up near a hospitality tent. It completely ruined the rest of the hole and Mickelson finished with double-bogey. Owing to the costly mistake, Mickelson finished in second place behind Geoff Ogilvy.

#17: J. R. Smith Runs Out the Clock

Time management is an important aspect of many sports. And J.R. Smith made one of the worst clock-based errors in the history of basketball. Smith’s Cleveland Cavaliers were playing the Golden State Warriors in game one of the NBA Finals. Both teams were tied with just 4.7 seconds left on the clock. Smith handled a rebound and, believing that they were winning, proceeded to run out the clock. He eventually realized his mistake, but it was too late and the Cavs didn’t have time to score a basket. The game would go to overtime, and the Cavs lost 124-114.

#16: Fred Merkle Runs off to Celebrate

How do you earn yourself the nickname “Bonehead”? Well, let us tell you! Rookie Fred Merkle was playing for the New York Giants, who were in a major pennant race with the Chicago Cubs. They were playing the Cubs on September 23, 1908 when Merkle made the biggest mistake of his short career. There were two outs, with Merkle on first base and the winning run on third. Al Bridwell hit a single and the runner advanced home, seemingly winning the game. However, Merkle ran off to celebrate without touching second base and was subsequently thrown out, which invalidated the winning run. The game ended in a tie, and the Giants would go on to lose the pennant by just one game.

#15: Jackie Smith Literally Drops the Ball

Even Hall of Famers have the odd blunder. It was January 21, 1979, the night of Super Bowl XIII. Jackie Smith and his Dallas Cowboys were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers and were down 21-14 in the third quarter. On third down, quarterback Roger Staubach passed to a wide open Smith for what should have been an easy catch. But Smith dropped the ball, prompting announcer Verne Lundquist to call him “the sickest man in America.” The Cowboys settled for a field goal and ended up losing the game 35-31. Smith was largely blamed for the loss, and he entered a period of isolation and depression. For his part, Staubach does not and has never blamed Smith for the drop.

#14: Roberto Baggio Misses a Penalty Kick

Italy’s top scorer played exceptionally well at the 1994 World Cup, scoring five goals and even receiving the Silver Ball. But his performance was marred by one of the most shocking upsets in the tournament’s history. Italy was playing Brazil in the final, and the two teams had gone to a penalty shootout after a 0-0 score. Brazil was up 3-2 on penalties, and Baggio was the last to shoot for Italy. Responsible for the decisive shot and needing a goal, Baggio stepped onto the pitch. He reeled, took the shot - and the ball sailed right over the crossbar, giving Brazil the win. The miss impacted Baggio for years, and he claims that he “never got over it.”

#13: Colorado Is Given a Fifth Down

Just say the words “Fifth Down Game” to any Missouri Tigers fan and watch the steam come out of their ears. The infamous game occurred on October 6, 1990, with the Tigers playing the Colorado Buffaloes. Colorado trailed 31-27 with just a few seconds to go and the ball close to Missouri’s endzone. Owing to multiple factors, the crew lost track of the downs, and Colorado was accidentally given a fifth chance to score. In American football, teams are given four downs to move the ball ten yards. Fifth downs are simply not a thing, but an exception was made in this game! With their special fifth down, Colorado scored a touchdown and won the game 33-31.

#12: Lindsey Jacobellis Eats It

Look, we’ve seen enough fail videos to know - never, ever, ever celebrate early. Especially in a race. One of the most dominant snowboarders ever, Jacobellis made her first Olympics appearance in 2006. She was competing in the snowboard cross final and was three full seconds ahead of runner-up Tanja Frieden. To celebrate her win and “share [her] enthusiasm with the crowd,” Jacobellis performed a method grab on one of the final jumps. However, this little trick cost her dearly. Jacobellis landed awkwardly and fell to the snow, allowing Frieden to pass her and win the gold. Winning it all at your first ever Olympics would be quite the boast. Instead, Jacobellis ate a little humble pie. Or snow pie, really.

#11: Chris Webber Calls Timeout

Here we come to another time-based basketball blunder. While playing for Michigan in the NCAA Men’s Division I Championship, Chris Webber called a costly timeout that didn’t actually exist. His team was down two points with eleven seconds left. Stuck in the corner with the ball, Webber called for a timeout. Unfortunately, Michigan had no timeouts remaining, so Webber was given a technical foul and possession was given to North Carolina. They ended up winning both the game and the championship - a win that came largely on the back of Webber’s unfortunate error.

#10: DeSean Jackson Lets Go of the Football

Sometimes all it takes is one ego to ruin an absolutely brilliant play. In this game against the Dallas Cowboys, Eagles’ quarterback Donovon McNabb threw a stellar pass to DeSean Jackson, who made an incredible over-the-shoulder catch. An easy touchdown seemed certain, until Jackson celebrated too early and let go of the ball before breaking the plane of the end zone. Not only was dropping the ball foolish, but it ruined what would have otherwise been a sensational throw from his quarterback. Hopefully after this premature celebration, Jackson learned a lesson or two about hubris.

#9: Jean van de Velde’s Triple Bogey

It’s easy to collapse when you’ve got so much riding on your shoulders. Jean van de Velde was posed to be the upset victor of the 1999 Open Championship, and if he’d won, he would have been the first French player to win a major championship in nearly one hundred years. He had a three-shot lead going into the final hole, but it seems the pressure got to him, as he ended up making a series of rookie mistakes: hitting the ball into the grandstands, a stone wall, knee-high rough, a water hazard, and finally, the sand bunker. He ended up scoring a triple bogey and cost himself the historic victory.

#8: Jim Marshall Runs the Wrong Way

We all have brain farts sometimes. Luckily for us, these embarrassing mistakes aren’t broadcast to millions of people. Jim Marshall played with the Vikings for nearly twenty years and had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but he will forever be known for one thing – the infamous wrong-way run. During a game against the 49ers, Marshall picked up a fumble and proceeded to run 66 yards in the wrong direction, resulting in a safety for the 49ers. While the Vikings would proceed to win the game, Marshall’s place in history was officially set, and many people now consider his infamous run to be one of the worst plays in NFL history. Another famous running blunder occurred at the 1929 Rose Bowl, when UC Berkeley’s Roy Riegels ran in the wrong direction and earned himself the nickname “Wrong Way” Riegels.

#7: Leon Lett’s Premature Celebration

Leon Lett has certainly had an…interesting career. He has made a few mistakes, like the time he famously fumbled a blocked field goal during the 1993 Thanksgiving Classic. But possibly his most famous mistake came in Super Bowl XXVII, which saw Lett’s Cowboys against the Buffalo Bills. After the Bills’ quarterback fumbled the ball, Lett picked it up and ran it all the way to the end zone. However, like DeSean Jackson, he celebrated too early by slowing down and lowering his hand, resulting in the ball being smacked away before Lett could breach the end zone. This is the Super Bowl! You simply can’t make those kinds of mistakes.

#6: Loris Karius’ Terrible Goalkeeping

Bad goalkeeping is obviously embarrassing, like the time Peter Enckelman accidentally allowed Olof Mellberg’s throw-in. Enter Loris Karius. Karius found himself on the receiving end of some truly hateful comments and death threats after the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid. The first mistake occurred when he tossed the ball directly into Karim Benzema’s foot, allowing for an avoidable goal. Later, he mishandled a shot from Gareth Bale, leading to Madrid’s 3-1 victory and leaving his fans in utter shock. Sports psychiatrist Steve Peters declared that it would take Karius three months to mentally recover, while former goalkeeper Ray Clemence said that Karius would never truly get over his costly mistakes.

#5: Jim Joyce Ruins Armando Galarraga’s Perfect Game

A perfect game is a very rare thing in baseball. To achieve one, a pitcher cannot allow a single runner on base through all nine innings, and only 20 pitchers had accomplished the feat prior to Galarraga’s game. On the very last out of the game, the Tigers successfully threw out the Indians’ baserunner, but umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly called him safe and ruined Galarraga’s perfect game. Both Galarraga and Joyce were praised for their responses, as Galarraga showed no animosity towards Joyce and Joyce later admitted to his incorrect call. That’s what we call sportsmanship!

#4: Steve Smith’s Own Goal

Own-net goals in the playoffs are probably the most embarrassing thing in hockey. Just ask Martin Brodeur. Luckily for Brodeur, his team went on to win the Stanley Cup. Steve Smith wasn’t so lucky. During Game 7 of the 1986 Smythe Division Final, Smith tried to clear the puck with fourteen minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, the puck hit the goalie’s stick and ricocheted into his own net, costing the Oilers the game and the series. And the worst part? It was Smith’s 23rd birthday. While fans were upset, the Oilers won the Stanley Cup the next year and Wayne Gretzky let Steve Smith have the first skate with the trophy.

#3: Steve Bartman Intercepts a Foul Ball

Steve Bartman is still a sore subject for many a Cubs fan. The Bartman Incident occurred during Game 6 of the National League Championship. The Cubs were five outs away from winning their first pennant since 1945 when Bartman accidentally intercepted a foul ball that may have been caught by Moisés Alou. The Cubs collapsed after this event and ended up losing the series. Bartman was subsequently pelted with food and escorted out by security, and six police cars were posted at Bartman’s house to prevent further acts of violence. The remains of the ball are now in the Chicago Sports Museum and the Bartman Seat has become a tourist attraction at Wrigley Field.

#2: Andrés Escobar’s Own Goal

Most of these mistakes are minor when compared to Andrés Escobar’s. Everyone else on this list was able to walk away from their mistake. Escobar wasn’t as fortunate. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Escobar accidentally deflected the ball into his own net, contributing to Colombia’s eventual loss and elimination from the tournament. After returning to Colombia, Escobar was murdered by the bodyguard of a drug cartel in retaliation for his mistake. The murderer served eleven years in prison. While the murder tarnished Colombia’s reputation, Escobar himself was and continues to be hailed as a national hero.

#1: Bill Buckner’s Missed Ground Ball

Just the name Bill Buckner is enough to send a Red Sox fan into fits, and his infamous passed ground ball is easily one of baseball’s most legendary plays. In the 1986 World Series, the Red Sox were leading the Mets three games to two, and Game 6 was tied in extra innings. Mookie Wilson hit a slow ground ball to Buckner who let it pass through his legs, allowing the Mets to score and win both the game and eventually the series. While Buckner received death threats after the game, he also received a two-minute long standing ovation at the Red Sox’s 2008 home opener, signifying that the past was in the past.

What’s the biggest sports blunder you’ve ever witnessed? Let us know in the comments below!