Top 10 Sports Examples of the Mandela Effect
#10: Metta World Peace
This athlete might be one of if not the most colorful personalities to ever play in the NBA (next to Dennis Rodman of course). The fact of the matter is, the player formerly known as Ron Artest left his mark in the NBA both through his defensive prowess and several controversies. One bizarre instance came when he decided to change his name to Metta World Peace in 2011. However, today this is actually no longer his name. Despite keeping his first name, he actually changed it a second time in 2020 and his full name is now Metta Sandiford-Artest. However, many people and outlets still refer to him as Metta World Peace even though that’s not his name. Here’s to hoping there are no more name changes that would only add to the confusion.
#9: The Calvin Johnson Catch
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Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson has been labeled one of the greatest to ever play the position in the NFL. Arguably his greatest performance was during a game against the Dallas Cowboys in 2013, which saw him go for 329 yards and a touchdown. Because of how spectacularly “Megatron” played, many frequently believe this highlight reel catch took place during that game. Only that, although that catch happened when the Lions were playing the Cowboys, it actually took place during another game back in 2011. We can understand why one would think this catch happened during the game in 2013, but it is simply not true.
#8: The Tune Squad Jersey
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Alright, so this might fall more under the lines of a Mandela Effect in movies, but for the sake of this list (and the fact that NBA superstars are involved), we’re including it. In the film, Michael Jordan and several Looney Tunes characters form their basketball team, the Tune Squad, to face the Monstars in a game of basketball. Some assume or mistakenly remember thinking that the “Tune” in “Tune Squad” is spelled T-O-O-N. But it’s actually spelled T-U-N-E. Years later, even prior to the release of the second Space Jam movie, many over social media wondered why the name was spelt that way, believing it to be a mistake, yet no error was ever actually made. Then again, perhaps the only mistake was the decision to make a second movie….
#7: Miracle on Ice
This victory by the U.S. men’s hockey team against the Soviet Union during the 1980 Winter Olympics is not only viewed as one of the country’s greatest triumphs in its sports history, but one of the most significant moments in the country’s history period. But to some everyday people, due to the widespread attention that the victory has received, they often make the mistake of assuming that the U.S. captured the gold medal during this game. Only…they didn’t. In fact, the win allowed them to advance to the final against Finland, who they went on to beat to win gold. More emphasis is often placed on the victory against the Soviet Union due to the fact that they were favorites to win it all and the U.S. pulled off an upset that no one could have ever anticipated.
#6: Ray Bourque
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He is among the greatest defensemen to play in the NHL, but, at one point in time, he had yet to win a Stanley Cup. Having played the majority of his career with the Boston Bruins, he was shipped to the Colorado Avalanche in 2000. Soonafter joining the team, he was able to finally hoist the Stanley Cup before announcing his retirement. So while there is no debate concerning this scenario, some do not remember it the exact same way. Some remember Bourque winning the Stanley Cup the season he was traded to the team. However, that season saw the Avalanche actually lose to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals. Bourque and the team would only actually win the cup the following season against the New Jersey Devils. Regardless of when it happened, Bourque came out a winner in the end.
#5: Patrik Štefan and the Missed Empty Net
In a 2007 game between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers which the latter seemed set to lose, in the final seconds after intercepting the puck, Patrik Stefan missed an empty net. Shortly afterwards, the Oilers would reclaim possession of the puck and Ales Hemsky made the most of the opportunity. Many thought this was a great way for the Oilers to finish the season…except it didn’t take place during the end of the season. Contrary to popular belief, the game actually took place in January. Not only that, but many also assumed the Oilers wound up eventually winning the game, but they in fact tied the game and went on to lose in a shootout. The unreal sequence loses luster with those facts now does it?
#4: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen
The Chicago Bulls dominance and championship victories during the 90s is most often credited to the team’s two biggest stars, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The duo is considered one of the greatest in NBA history, with some going so far as to compare them to Batman and Robin. Their history, their success and being so frequently associated with one another has often led many to believe that the two must be friends and are naturally very close. However, this isn’t the case. In his memoir, “Unguarded”, Pippen went into detail stating that while both players respected one another, they were never really close and only hung out together on a few occasions. And after having made several critical comments of Jordan both in his memoir and during interviews, we don’t expect a friendship between the two to blossom anytime soon.
#3: The Chicago White Sox and The World Series
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Not only is Chicago a bona fide sports town, but it is home to several championship teams: the aforementioned Bulls, the Blackhawks, the Cubs and the Bears. …and…the White Sox. For whatever reason, several outlets have had a tendency to think or forget that the Chicago White Sox won the World Series in 2005. In two separate instances of reporting on championship statistics, ESPN forgot to include the Chicago White Sox. In 2016, the twitter account of CBS’ morning show even shared a false fact about the city not having seen the event in 71 years; yet in truth, when the tweet was sent, the last time the city saw a World Series was 11 years ago when the aforementioned White Sox played the Houston Astros and won the series. Perhaps we’d understand if they’d never won in 2005, but they did and it wasn’t so long ago, so where’s the logic?
#2: Jackie Robinson
This baseball legend is most often recognized as being the player who broke the color barrier in baseball, a sport that was predominantly segragated. And while this is indeed true, this groundbreaking achievement has often led people to believe that Jackie Robinson was the first African American to ever play professional baseball period. But the first player to actually do this was actually Moses Fleetwood Walker. On May 1, 1884, Walker made history when he suited up for the Toledo Blue Stockings in a game against the Washington Nationals. Both teams were a part of the American Association of Base Ball Clubs, a professional baseball league. Although he didn’t play in the MLB, his contribution shouldn’t be overlooked.
#1: The Air Jordan Logo
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The logo for this sneaker line is one of the most iconic in history. Some believe or assume the logo’s silhouette is inspired and based on a slam dunk Michael Jordan pulled off from the free throw line during the NBA dunk contest in 1988. However, the truth of the matter is far less exciting. We hate to break it to you, but the inspiration behind the logo isn’t from that iconic Jordan dunk. In fact, the silhouette is actually from a Nike photoshoot where one the shots captured Jordan jumping in a position we can see on the logo. At least it’s still a cool shot though.
