When athletes board a plane, they expect a smooth ride to the next big game. Yet history shows that some of the most promising squads have met their end soaring above the clouds. Below, the top 10 sporting airline tragedies are recounted with vivid detail, honoring the lives lost and the resilience that followed.

10 Alianza Lima: Peru Football Team

The 1987 Alianza Lima disaster unfolded on December 8 when a Peruvian Navy‑operated Fokker F27‑400M, chartered by the club, plunged into the Pacific just six miles short of its runway. Forty‑four souls—players, managers, staff, cheerleaders, and crew—were aboard; only the pilot survived. After a match, the crew reported a faulty landing‑gear indicator, prompting a fly‑by for visual confirmation. Though the gear was deemed locked, the aircraft attempted another landing, descended too low, and vanished into the ocean.

The Navy kept the investigation under wraps, delaying public knowledge until 2006. Findings blamed the pilot’s limited night‑flying experience, misreading of emergency procedures, and the aircraft’s poor mechanical state. Remarkably, the Peruvian Football Federation kept the season alive, fielding retired volunteers, youth players, and loaned athletes from a Chilean club to finish the campaign.

9 US Amateur Boxing Team

On March 14, 1980, LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 crashed near Warsaw after a botched go‑around caused by a suspected landing‑gear light failure. All 87 aboard perished, including many members of the U.S. amateur boxing squad destined for matches in Poland and Russia. The flight had departed New York at 21:18 and, during its final approach, the crew reported gear‑light issues, elected a go‑around, and within seconds entered a steep dive, striking a tree and a historic moat before disintegrating.

Investigation blamed material defects in the jet engine shaft and turbine design flaws. Notably, future champion Johnny “Bump City” Bumphus was not on the flight and later secured a WBA Light Welterweight title, highlighting the tragic loss of promising talent.

8 University of Evansville Basketball Team

On December 13, 1977, a chartered DC‑3 carrying the entire University of Evansville basketball squad crashed just 90 seconds after take‑off in rain and fog, killing all 29 on board—including fourteen players and the head coach. One player missed the flight, only to die later in a car accident. The NTSB cited improper weight‑and‑balance calculations and failure to remove external safety locks as primary causes.

The tragedy left the university without its basketball program, prompting a somber reflection on travel safety for collegiate teams.

7 Cal Poly: Football Team

October 29, 1960 saw a twin‑engine C‑46 prop plane overloaded by 2,000 lb attempt a take‑off from Toledo Express Airport. With zero visibility and a partial left‑engine power loss, the aircraft broke apart on impact, claiming 22 lives, including sixteen players. The FAA subsequently banned take‑offs in visibility below ¼ mile or runway visual range under 2,000 ft.

The incident also contributed to NFL Hall of Fame coach John Madden’s well‑known aversion to flying, though he later clarified it stemmed from claustrophobia.

6 Wichita State: Football Team

On October 2, 1970, Wichita State’s “Gold” Martin 4‑0‑4 aircraft, carrying 36 passengers and four crew, collided with Mount Trelease after deviating from its planned route for a scenic detour. Overloaded and piloted by an unqualified captain, the plane entered a box canyon, struck trees 1,600 ft below the summit, and burst into flames, killing 31 instantly and two later.

Despite the catastrophe, the university fielded a rebuilt squad, eventually ending varsity football in 1986. A memorial, “Memorial ’70,” honors the victims each October 2.

5 Torino A.C.: Football Team

May 4, 1949, the Fiat G212CP carrying Torino A.C.’s “Grande Torino” squad crashed into the hill of Superga during a thunderstorm‑laden approach to Turin. All 31 aboard perished, including 18 players and club officials. Low cloud, poor radio aids, and navigational error contributed to the tragedy.

The loss devastated Italian football; Torino fielded its youth team for the remaining matches, while opponents also deployed junior squads. Only Sauro Tomà missed the flight due to injury, surviving as the sole team member.

4 Manchester United: Football Team

February 6, 1958, BEA Flight 609 attempted a third take‑off from Munich’s slush‑covered runway, after two aborted attempts caused by a faulty port engine. The aircraft failed to achieve lift due to slush, overran the runway, struck a fence, and the wing clipped a house. Of the 44 aboard, 23 died, including eight of Manchester United’s famed “Busby Babes.”

Initial investigations blamed the captain for not de‑icing, but later analysis confirmed slush as the fatal factor. Goalkeeper Harry Gregg heroically rescued survivors, cementing his legacy.

3 United States Figure Skating Team

February 15, 1961, Sabena Flight 548 crashed near Brussels during approach, killing all 72 aboard and a farmer on the ground. Among the dead were the entire U.S. figure‑skating team en route to the World Championships in Prague. The cause remains uncertain, though a stabilizer failure is suspected.

The disaster prompted President John F. Kennedy to issue a condolence statement. The loss of athletes, coaches, and officials halted U.S. dominance in the sport, leading to the cancellation of the 1961 World Championships.

2 Zambian National Football Team

On April 27, 1993, a military transport carrying Zambia’s national squad crashed off the coast of Gabon after an engine fire and pilot error shut down the wrong engine. All 30 aboard, including 18 players and the coach, perished. The accident stemmed from a faulty left‑engine and a misreading of an indicator light.

Zambia rebuilt the team swiftly, reaching the African Nations Cup final that year, though they fell to Nigeria. The nation mourned for seven days, honoring the fallen with state funerals.

1 Uruguayan Old Christians Club: Rugby Team

October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, a Fairchild FH‑227D, crashed into the Andes while ferrying the Old Christians Club rugby team to Chile. The aircraft clipped multiple peaks, losing both wings and the tail, before sliding into a snowbank. Of the 45 aboard, 12 died instantly, five more later, leaving 27 survivors.

Stranded at 3,600 m, the survivors endured starvation, freezing temperatures, and resorted to cannibalism. After 72 days, two trekkers—Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa—found help, leading to the rescue of the remaining 16. Their story inspired the book and film “Alive,” cementing the episode as the “Miracle in the Andes.”

These ten heartbreaking events underscore the fragile line between triumph and tragedy in sport. While the skies have claimed many promising careers, the indomitable spirit of these teams lives on, reminding us that perseverance can rise from the deepest loss.

When you hear the phrase 15 sporting heroes, you might picture household names like Michael Jordan or Serena Williams. Yet a whole galaxy of world‑class athletes shines brightly on the global stage while remaining virtually invisible to most Americans. From hammer‑throwing prodigies to ultra‑marathon gods, this list celebrates fifteen champions whose trophies glitter abroad but rarely flicker on U.S. television.

Why These 15 Sporting Heroes Matter

Sport, at its core, is a universal language. These athletes have spoken it fluently, setting records, winning gold, and redefining the limits of human potential. Their stories deserve a place in the global sporting conversation, and now, thanks to this roundup, they’ll finally get a shout‑out across the pond.

1 Yuriy Sedykh

The Soviet hammer‑throw titan Yuriy Sedykh ruled the event from the late ’70s through the early ’90s. Unlike most throwers who use four turns, Sedykh favored three, claiming it gave him the same distance with less effort. He captured Olympic gold in Montreal ’76 and Moscow ’80, topped the podium at the 1986 Goodwill Games and the 1991 World Championships, and amassed three European titles. Sedykh missed the 1984 Los Angeles Games because the USSR boycotted, denying him a likely third Olympic gold. He still holds the men’s hammer‑throw world record—a 86‑meter marvel set in 1986—still the longest‑standing record in any men’s athletics discipline. Over his career he shattered the world mark six times, cementing his place as the sport’s all‑time great.

2 Iron Mike Zambidis

If Mike Zambidis were American, his name would be splashed across every fighting magazine, rivaling the fame of “Iron” Mike Tyson. The Greek kick‑boxer, nicknamed “Iron Mike,” boasts an astounding 148‑fight career, 85 of those victories by knockout. A fifteen‑time world champion, Zambidis has hoisted every major title on offer—W.O.K.A., W.I.P.U., W.K.B.F., and K‑1 World Max among them. Analysts often rank him as one of the finest pound‑for‑pound kick‑boxers ever, a true living legend of combat sport whose knockout power and technical brilliance left fans worldwide in awe.

3 Regla Torres Herrera

Regla Torres Herrera stands as the volleyball world’s answer to Soviet great Aleksandr Savin or American legend Karch Kiraly. Towering at 1.91 m, the Cuban middle‑blocker dominated the sport, steering her national team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1992, 1996, 2000) and World Championship crowns in 1994 and 1998. At just 17, she became the youngest volleyball Olympic champion ever, helping Cuba defeat the Unified Team 3‑1 in Barcelona. The International Volleyball Federation crowned her the best female player of the 20th century—a fitting tribute to a true giant of the game.

4 Jan Železný

Jan Železný, the Czech javelin maestro, seemed born to fling a spear at record‑breaking distances. After a bronze at the 1987 World Championships and a silver at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he entered a period of unrivaled dominance. Železný seized Olympic gold in Barcelona ’92, Atlanta ’96, and Sydney 2000, while also capturing World titles in 1993, 1995, and 2001. He set five world records and was named IAAF Athlete of the Year in 2000. Notably, he is the only thrower ever to surpass the 94‑meter mark with the modern javelin, achieving the feat five times—a testament to his extraordinary talent.

5 David Douillet

David Douillet, the French heavyweight judoka, rewrote the record books with a career that eclipsed even Japan’s storied tradition. By the 2000 Sydney Games, he had amassed six major titles: two Olympic golds, four World Championships, and a string of European crowns. Douillet’s 11‑medal haul—three Olympic, four World, and four European—places him atop the all‑time judo leaderboard, surpassing legends like Yasuhiro Yamashita. Persistent injuries forced his retirement at 31, but his legacy as the sport’s most decorated heavyweight endures.

6 Larisa Latynina

Larisa Latynina remains the gold‑standard of Olympic gymnastics. Over three Olympiads she amassed an unprecedented 18 medals—nine gold, five silver, and four bronze—more than any other athlete in any sport. Her 14 individual medals stand as the record for most solo Olympic podium finishes. Latynina’s dominance propelled the Soviet Union to gymnastics supremacy, and her name still shines as the most decorated female Olympian, a record that may stand for generations.

7 Peter Snell

New Zealand’s Peter Snell rewrote middle‑distance history in the early 1960s. At the 1960 Rome Olympics he claimed gold in the 800 m, then repeated the feat in the 1500 m at the 1964 Tokyo Games—becoming the first man since 1920 to win both distances at a single Olympics. By the time he retired at 26, Snell held world records at 800 m and 1000 m, secured a double gold haul at the Commonwealth Games, and had become a national icon. His career, though brief, left an indelible mark on athletics.

8 Sawao Kato

Sawao Kato stands among the most successful male gymnasts ever, with eight Olympic golds and twelve total medals—more golds than any other male gymnast and more than any Asian athlete in any sport. A member of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Kato ranks alongside legends like Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis, and Paavo Nurmi as one of only nine athletes to claim at least eight Olympic golds. His brilliance helped cement Japan’s reputation as a gymnastics powerhouse.

9 Joe Calzaghe

Joe Calzaghe, the Welsh dragon of boxing, is often hailed as the greatest super‑middleweight of all time. Over a career spanning more than a decade, Calzaghe amassed the WBO, WBC, WBA, IBF, The Ring, and British super‑middleweight belts, later adding The Ring light‑heavyweight title. He reigned as world champion for over eleven years, retiring undefeated at 46‑0 with 32 knockouts. Victories over Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins, and Mikkel Kessler cemented his legacy, earning him a place among boxing’s all‑time elite.

10 Sébastien Loeb

Sébastien Loeb, France’s rally‑driving virtuoso, rewrote the World Rally Championship record books by clinching eight consecutive titles—a feat no other driver has matched. With 67 rally victories, 808 stage wins, and 103 podium finishes (the first ever to top 100), Loeb’s dominance is unparalleled. He shattered previous records set by Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen, and Tommi Mäkinen, and remains active, still hungry for more triumphs.

11 Pyrros Dimas

Pyrros Dimas, the Greek weight‑lifting titan, earned the International Federation of Weightlifting’s highest honor in 2005 as the sport’s greatest ever. He captured four Olympic medals—three consecutive golds (Barcelona ’92, Atlanta ’96, Sydney 2000) and a silver in Athens 2004—alongside six World titles and twelve major‑event golds. Known for breaking world records with uncanny frequency, Dimas became a national hero, embodying the spirit of the ancient Greek champion.

12 Sergey Bubka

Sergey Bubka, the Ukrainian pole‑vault legend, dominated the event like no other. Representing the Soviet Union until its 1991 dissolution, he secured six consecutive World Championship golds, an Olympic gold in 1988, and a total of 35 world‑record improvements—17 outdoors, 18 indoors. He was the first to clear 6.00 m and remains the sole athlete to clear 6.10 m. Bubka still holds the outdoor record of 6.14 m (set 1994) and the indoor mark of 6.15 m (1993). His accolades include the Prince of Asturias Award, L’Équipe’s Sportsman of the Year, and UNESCO Champion for Sport.

13 Laszlo Papp

László Papp, the Hungarian pugilist, made history by winning three successive Olympic gold medals (1948, 1952, 1956)—a feat later matched only by Felix Savón and Teófilo Stevenson. He added two European titles and amassed a staggering 306 official wins, suffering just three defeats. After an illustrious amateur career, Papp turned professional, capturing the European title in 1965 and defending it five times. Despite political constraints that barred him from a U.S. world‑title bout, he retired undefeated in the professional ranks (27‑0‑2) and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001.

14 Yannis Kouros

Yannis Kouros, the Greek ultra‑marathon phenomenon, holds an unmatched 134 world records—more than any athlete in any sport, according to Guinness. He has conquered distances ranging from 100 mi to 1,000 km, setting records on road, track, and in multi‑day events. The New York Times highlighted his 16 world records at the 1984 six‑day race. Kouros’ titles include 71 ultra‑marathon victories across every continent, making him the undisputed king of extreme endurance running.

15 Alexander Karelin

Alexander Karelin, known as the “Russian Bear” and “The Experiment,” reigned supreme in Greco‑Roman wrestling for 13 years (1987‑2000). Standing 1.96 m tall and weighing 130 kg, he amassed four Olympic medals—gold in 1988, 1992, 1996, and silver in 2000—plus nine World titles and twelve European crowns. His signature “Karelin Lift” (a reverse body‑lift worth five points) stunned opponents and audiences alike. Despite an upset loss to Rulon Gardner at Sydney 2000, Karelin remains the sport’s most dominant figure, hailed by FILA as the greatest wrestler ever.

These fifteen athletes illustrate that true greatness knows no borders. Their achievements echo across stadiums, tracks, and rings worldwide, even if they haven’t yet captured the American spotlight. Next time you discuss world sport, remember these hidden legends—they’re the real champions of the globe.

In this roundup of 10 sporting events, we uncover the grim human‑rights shadows that have haunted some of the world’s biggest spectacles.

10 The Rumble In The Jungle

The Rumble in the Jungle is one of the greatest sporting events of all time, featuring an unstoppable Muhammad Ali in a triumphant knockout victory over his rival, George Foreman. In fact, the fight is so legendary that people tend to forget that the whole thing took place under the auspices of one of the 20th century’s most notorious dictators: Mobutu Sese Seko. Zaire’s kleptomaniac ruler was so eager to stage the fight that he even put up a $10 million purse. The money was all stolen from the people of Zaire, but Mobutu was a close US ally and reporters covering the fight “did not ask many questions.”

To make sure the event went swimmingly, the story goes, Mobutu even had all the known pickpockets and criminals of Kinshasa executed. Meanwhile, conflict raged elsewhere in the country and the fight took place with armed soldiers looking on. Even the stadium where the fight took place had been used as a makeshift prison camp/torture chamber, and it was rumored that they had to scrub it clean of blood before the fight.

In the end, Mobutu’s attempt to use the fight to drum up good publicity for Zaire didn’t go quite as he’d hoped. Reportedly, his officials were infuriated by Ali’s televised boast that: “All you boys who don’t take me seriously, who think Foreman is going to whup me; when you get to Africa Mobutu’s people are going to put you in a pot, cook you, and eat you.”

9 The 1968 Summer Olympics

In 1968, Mexico City was abuzz with preparations for the 1968 Summer Olympic Games. But beneath the surface, all was not well. Young Mexicans were fed up with poverty, corruption, and a repressive government. The decision to spend $150 million on the Olympics brought things to a head and protests soon broke out, mostly calling for the repeal of laws allowing the arrest of anyone who attended a meeting of more than two people. On October 2, just 10 days before the Olympics were due to start, 10,000 students gathered in Tlatelolco Square, chanting “We Don’t Want Olympics, We Want A Revolution!”

The government response was immediate and brutal. The military surrounded the square and opened fire, while armored cars rumbled into the mass of students. A subsequent cover‑up means the exact death toll remains uncertain, but it’s clear that it was a slaughter, with as many as 300 deaths. Hundreds more were rounded up, imprisoned, and tortured in the aftermath. At the time, the military insisted they had only fired after being shot at from the crowd, but this is now considered unlikely.

Despite the bloodbath occurring just across town, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declined to move or postpone the games, noting that the violence wasn’t aimed at the Olympics themselves. As IOC head Avery Brundage had earlier explained: “If our Games are to be stopped every time the politicians violate the laws of humanity, there will never be any international contests.” Brundage, nicknamed “Slavery Avery” for his known racist views, wasn’t quite so sanguine when Tommy Smith and John Carlos famously gave the Black Power salute on the podium later on in the games, threatening to ban the entire US team if they weren’t sent home immediately.

8 Equatorial Guinea’s African Cups Of Nations

Under the brutal rule of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea has one of the worst human‑rights records on the planet, with opponents of the regime regularly tortured and murdered. An oil boom has theoretically made the country rich—GDP per capita is around $25,900—yet the vast majority of the population lives on less than $2 a day. The rest of the money is stolen by the ruling family and their cronies. Obiang’s son is estimated to have bought at least $3.2 million worth of Michael Jackson memorabilia alone. He also recently considered buying a yacht for $380 million, almost three times Equatorial Guinea’s yearly health and education budgets.

Some of the money also went to co‑hosting the 2012 African Cup of Nations, one of the most prestigious tournaments in world football. To prepare for the tournament, the regime spent millions of dollars building and refurbishing stadiums (the exact cost was not released). It also cracked down even further on civil liberties and openly harassed foreign reporters who tried to cover anything other than the tournament itself.

Amazingly, Equatorial Guinea was chosen to host the tournament again in 2015, after Morocco pulled out at the last minute due to Ebola concerns. (Although the Equatoguinean team was technically banned from football for cheating at the time, this was politely overlooked.) This required spending tens of millions building two further stadiums. It also apparently required arresting opposition activists. Despite the growing condemnation of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there has been little international outrage about holding the Cup of Nations in a country with an even worse record on human rights.

7 The 1982 African Cup Of Nations

Of course, the Cup of Nations does have something of a track record when it comes to letting monstrous dictatorships host. Take the 1982 tournament, which was held in Muammar Gadhafi’s Libya, already a something of a regional pariah for its military intervention in Chad. Ironically, Gadhafi hated football and had even closed the Libyan league down from 1979–1982. (In one version of the story, the dictator became insanely jealous after seeing the names of popular footballers written on a wall in Tripoli.) He agreed to host the 1982 Cup to further his diplomatic goals but still insisted on opening the tournament with the stirring words: “All you stupid spectators, have your stupid game.”

Sadly, not everyone in Gadhafi’s family felt the same way. His son Al‑Saadi actually loved football so much he decided to become a professional player. He wasn’t talented enough, but you don’t need talent when you’re a rich maniac with your dad’s army to back you up. Soon Al‑Saadi was the star striker in a Libyan league so heavily rigged in his favor that announcers were forbidden from saying the names of any other players. If a team tried to protest the obvious cheating, they would be forced to keep playing at gunpoint. Al‑Saadi’s glittering career only took a nose‑dive when he leveraged Libya’s oil money to engineer a hilariously corrupt move to the Italian top division, where he played for less than half an hour over three years, failed a drug test, and was voted the league’s worst player ever. He is currently on trial in Libya for murdering a rival footballer.

6 The 33rd Chess Olympiad

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of the Russian Republic of Kalmykia, loved chess. He loved it so much he built a gleaming multimillion‑dollar facility known as Chess City and inaugurated it with the 33rd Chess Olympiad in 1998. (Shown above is the official mascot of the event.) How impoverished Kalmykia could afford this isn’t clear, and a local journalist named Larisa Yudina was stabbed to death shortly after opening an investigation into the matter. Local activists were beaten for protesting the expense, with one leader briefly thrown into a mental hospital and then forced to flee Kalmykia.

None of this was allowed to put a dampener on the tournament, with over 1,000 top international chess players ignoring calls for a boycott to enjoy the luxurious hospitality and the offer of a thoroughbred Kalmyk horse for every winner. The luxury came at a price, with Ilyumzhinov reportedly diverting child‑welfare money to finish Chess City in time. Kalmykia’s crumbling highways were ignored in order to pave the roads leading to the venue, which ordinary Kalmyks were banned from driving on.

Meanwhile, every Kalmyk organization had to sponsor a team, which effectively meant emptying government buildings to furnish the players’ quarters. Experiences varied: “The Statistics Committee got Peru. The apartment had been used by the construction workers, and it was a huge job fixing it up. As for the local publishing house, they got Tajikistan, and they were happy. The Tajiks weren’t used to much comfort, and it was easy to take care of them.” Ilyumzhinov is still president of the World Chess Federation and is best known for his belief in aliens and his bizarre attempts to bring peace to conflict zones through the medium of chess.

5 The 1978 World Cup

After a military coup in 1976, Argentina was ruled by a brutal right‑wing junta which murdered thousands of opponents during the so‑called “Dirty War” that followed. Argentineans suspected of left‑wing leanings were regularly kidnapped, tortured, and thrown out of planes into the ocean. But that didn’t stop FIFA from allowing Argentina to host the 1978 World Cup, giving the junta a valuable shot at some good publicity.

They seized it with both hands, hiring a pricey PR agency and even building special walls so that visitors wouldn’t be able to see the impoverished slums of Buenos Aires. In the buildup to the tournament, any remaining dissidents and potential troublemakers were kidnapped or murdered. Even the tournament’s head organizer, General Omar Actis, was assassinated, allegedly for opposing the government’s wild spending.

The tournament itself was not a classic, with the junta widely alleged to have rigged games—35,000 tons of grain and $50 million in credit supposedly got them a 6–0 win over Peru. Despite the junta’s crimes, only one player, West German hero Paul Breitner, declined to play on moral grounds. As Argentina’s star striker, Leopoldo Luque, put it years later: “With what I know now, I can’t say I’m proud of my victory.”

4 Dennis Rodman’s All‑Stars

At this stage, there’s almost no point in listing the monstrous crimes of the North Korean government. The state has become a such a byword for drab cruelty and oppression that it’s easy to forget just how genuinely nauseating life there can be. At least, that’s the charitable interpretation of former NBA star Dennis Rodman’s actions. Rodman, who is on the record with his belief that North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un is “an awesome guy,” has made several trips to North Korea and actually organized a team of retired NBA stars to play a game there as a “birthday present” for Kim.

Needless to say, the game attracted a fair amount of controversy. The NBA distanced itself, arguing that while “sports in many instances can be helpful in bridging cultural divides, this is not one of them.” Meanwhile, Congressman Eliot Engel pleaded for the “bizarre and grotesque” tour to be called off. For his part, Rodman apparently had no worries about organizing a PR stunt for the dictatorship, explaining: “I’m not a president, I’m not a politician, I’m not an ambassador. I’m just an athlete and the reason for me to go is to bring peace to the world, that’s it.” The North Koreans apparently won the game. Peace has yet to break out.

3 The Rebel Tour Of South Africa

By the early 1980s, South African cricket was in a crisis of its own making. Under apartheid, the country’s cricket team had long refused to play against non‑white teams. In 1969, England’s attempt to field a non‑white player, Basil d’Oliveira, caused such a dispute that the whole tour had to be abandoned. Meanwhile, opponents of apartheid called for a sporting boycott of the brutal regime. In 1970, South Africa was officially banned from international cricket. As their beloved team stagnated without quality opponents, the South Africans changed their tune, desperately trying to lure anyone who was willing to play them. An unlicensed English team toured in 1982, followed by a “rebel” Sri Lankan squad a year later.

Over in the Caribbean, things couldn’t have been more different. The West Indies were unquestionably the best team in the world, pairing devastating fast bowlers like Joel Garner and Michael Holding with formidable batsmen such as Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, and the sublime Viv Richards. The world had never seen such a combination of pace, power, and talent. In fact, the West Indies team was so good that many world‑class players never even made it onto the team. To make matters worse, there was little money in cricket in those days, and many players struggled to make a living in the off‑season. When the South Africans began offering players $120,000 for a single tour, many found it hard to resist.

In 1983, 18 West Indian cricketers agreed to a tour of South Africa. Many were players frustrated by their inability to break into the West Indian first team, but the squad included big‑name players such as fast‑bowler Colin Croft, wicket‑keeper Alvin Kallicharran, and 1979 World Cup hero Collis King. All were given “honorary white” status for the duration of the tour. Although the rebel cricketers insisted that their tour had helped break down racial barriers, all 18 immediately became pariahs in the Caribbean. West Indians were outraged that their cricketing heroes would collaborate with apartheid South Africa for money. The entire team was banned for life (the ban was eventually lifted in 1989) and most never played cricket at a high level again. Shunned wherever they went, many rebels had to leave the region and at least three suffered major mental breakdowns. Richard Austin, one of the most versatile players of his generation, currently begs on the streets of Kingston. The West Indies team continued to dominate world cricket until the 1990s, by which time apartheid had ended and South Africa had rejoined the cricketing world.

2 The 2015 European Games

This week, the inaugural European Games will be hosted in Azerbaijan. The multi‑sport event, including swimming, gymnastics, and athletics, will essentially be a mini‑Olympics, along the line of the older Asian Games. It should be a wonderful event, with just one hitch—Azerbaijan is a deeply repressive crypto‑dictatorship, ranked 126 in the world for corruption and 162 for press freedoms. Another report estimates that Azerbaijan is the fifth‑worst country in the world when it comes to censorship.

As you’d expect, the buildup to the games, which will cost Azerbaijan over $1 billion (the full cost hasn’t been revealed, but the stadium alone is at least $600 million), has been marred by widespread repression. More than 40 people have been arrested for investigating corruption surrounding the games, while an activist who called for a boycott is now facing up to 12 years in prison on obviously faked charges. The day before the tournament started, critical media outlets like The Guardian and Radio France International were told they would not be allowed to enter Azerbaijan. As Amnesty International put it: “Azerbaijan wants to have these games in a criticism‑free zone. It has already wiped out everybody who is critical of the government inside the country, and now it’s a closed‑down state for international human rights groups as well.”

1 The 2022 Qatar World Cup

The recent arrests and scandal surrounding FIFA, while no surprise to anyone familiar with the organization, have helped focus global attention on the growing scandal of the 2022 World Cup, which, for reasons that remain unclear, was awarded to the tiny and immensely wealthy nation of Qatar.

While this raised some obvious logistical problems (the tournament will likely have to be played during the winter to avoid blistering heat) the real issue surrounds the treatment of the migrant workers building the World Cup’s infrastructure. In 2013, Qatar had a population of two million, of which just 10 percent were actually citizens of Qatar. Most of the rest were migrant workers from the Indian subcontinent. Lured by the promise of higher wages, the unfortunate workers find themselves effectively bound to one employer, forbidden to change jobs or even leave the country without their boss’s permission. They also can’t unionize. It should already be clear why this system of indentured servitude might be open to abuse.

Not only are many workers forced to live in cramped, unsanitary conditions, but an investigation by The Guardian recently turned up a suspiciously high rate of death by “cardiac arrest” among Nepalese construction workers—likely the result of heatstroke caused by working long hours in the desert. Meanwhile, Qatar has actually detained human‑rights researchers investigating the situation. The additional publicity means some progress has been made, but there’s still a long way to go before conditions for Qatar’s migrant workers are anywhere near acceptable.

Sports across the globe have gifted us a treasure trove of unforgettable scenes – from World Cup showdowns and Super Bowl thrillers to Jesse Owens dazzling Berlin and the Miracle on Ice. Yet, alongside those classics, there exists a stash of truly oddball athletic episodes. These 10 bizarre memorable events are quirky enough to deserve our full attention.

10 Fireworks Boxing

10 Bizarre Memorable Boxing Spectacle

Boxing, a discipline stretching back to antiquity, has long inspired inventive twists to amp up the drama. In 1937, promoters believed they’d struck gold with fireworks. Yet these weren’t a post‑fight pyrotechnic display; the explosives were rigged to the combatants, lighting up the arena for the entire round.

Each pugilist wore a skeletal metal harness shaped like a human, to which the fireworks were bolted. To heighten the spectacle, the bout took place in total darkness, allowing spectators to soak in the dazzling blasts. Worried about the athletes’ safety? They were clad in heavy asbestos‑lined fire‑proof garments, shielding them from the sparks.

Astonishingly, the concept never caught on as a regular boxing gimmick. The sole exhibition of this kind was staged in London in 1937, and the idea faded thereafter.

9 Limbed Cricket

Mid‑19th‑century cricket basked in its inaugural golden era. Having secured its status as England’s beloved national sport, it spread across the British Empire. Yet in 1848, the Priory Ground at Lewisham hosted a truly singular match—an eleven of one‑armed cricketers versus a side composed entirely of one‑legged men.

Every participant was a Greenwich pensioner—a naval veteran wounded in action and living at the Royal Hospital. To gear up for the showdown, they feasted on a hearty dinner the evening prior and a substantial luncheon on match day, followed by revelry at the Bull Inn.

The event was intended purely for amusement, yet it drew more than 2,400 spectators who also placed wagers on the result. The one‑armed squad entered as the odds‑on favorite and indeed triumphed, though the exact tally mattered little to the crowd.

Contrary to the claim of absolute uniqueness, a similar contest had been staged back in 1796, also pitting wounded sailors against each other. That earlier bout carried a hefty purse of 1,000 guineas. When the match concluded ahead of schedule, the one‑legged side improvised an on‑the‑spot sprint among its players to round off the entertainment.

8 The Player Who Snubbed Hitler

Matthias Sindelar ranks among Austria’s football legends. Nicknamed the “Paper Man” due to his delicate frame, he reached the pinnacle of his career as captain of the Austrian squad at the 1934 World Cup.

The Austrians secured another berth for the 1938 World Cup, yet a geopolitical snag loomed. Nazi Germany had already seized and annexed Austria. On April 3, 1938, Austria faced Germany in what would be their final fixture before the Austrian side was disbanded and its athletes absorbed into the German national team—a match staged as a festive salute to the Anschluss.

Sindelar, however, seized the occasion to make a statement. He demanded that his teammates don Austria’s iconic red‑and‑white jerseys rather than the customary white‑and‑black attire.

Speculation persisted that the Austrians were instructed to throw the game or settle for a draw. Witnesses noted deliberate missed attempts by the Austrian side. Yet, in the closing stages, they reversed course, defeating Germany 2‑0. Sindelar netted the opening goal and then jubilantly celebrated before a VIP enclosure brimming with senior Nazi dignitaries.

Following the match, Sindelar declined an invitation to join the German national squad, citing age and injury as reasons for retirement. Within a year, he perished in what was reported as accidental carbon‑monoxide poisoning, a death that has sparked ongoing debate over its true nature.

7 Wichita Monrovians vs. Klan Lodge #6

June 21, 1925 saw Island Park in Wichita become the stage for an unusual exhibition: the Wichita Monrovians—a semi‑professional Black baseball squad active in several Negro leagues—took on the Ku Klux Klan’s Lodge #6 baseball team.

Because the Monrovians weren’t a fully professional outfit, they frequently squared off against amateur white clubs across the United States. Public reaction fluctuated regionally, yet Wichita appeared to offer a relatively welcoming atmosphere.

By 1925, Klan power in the city was already diminishing, perhaps prompting the organization to challenge an African‑American team to assert dominance. Conversely, the Monrovians sought to demonstrate their prowess, making the contest a mutual publicity stunt.

Each side rallied its supporters, resulting in a sizable mixed‑race audience on the day. Though concerns of potential unrest lingered, both clubs assured spectators that “all they would see is baseball.” Remarkably, the promise held true: the match unfolded peacefully, with the Monrovians emerging victorious, 10‑8.

6 The Kirkwall Ba

Scattered off Scotland’s northern coast lies the Orkney archipelago. Its capital, Kirkwall, annually stages a contest known as the Kirkwall Ba. This Ba is a localized variant of mob football, a tradition echoed in several Scottish towns, yet Kirkwall’s version stands as the most expansive and historic. While its precise origins remain hazy, the game boasts a lineage of at least three centuries.

Folklore claims the Ba originated as a memorial to Tusker, a fearsome Viking chieftain famed for his protruding fangs. A nameless youth slew Tusker and beheaded him, yet a stray tooth grazed the youngster’s leg, later leading to a deadly infection.

As he gasped his final breaths, the hero arrived in Kirkwall, hurling Tusker’s severed head into the gathering. The crowd, torn between mourning the youth and celebrating Tusker’s fall, began to kick the skull along Kirkwall’s streets—an act that, legend says, birthed the Ba.

The modern incarnation of the Ba has persisted since the mid‑1800s, drawing hundreds of participants. Competitors split into ‘Uppies’ and ‘Doonies’ depending on whether their forebears resided above or below the Mercat Cross. The Doonies aim for a goal set in Kirkwall Bay’s waters, whereas the Uppies target the historic town‑gate location.

5 Blondin Crossing Niagara Gorge

Spectacular acrobatic stunts consistently draw massive audiences eager for the thrill of potential disaster. Among such daring acts, the tightrope walk stands out for its peril. In the mid‑1800s, Charles Blondin emerged as arguably the era’s supreme rope‑walker. After landing in the United States in 1855, he conceived a venture that would cement his fame: spanning the Niagara Gorge on a taut wire.

This predated Annie Edson Taylor’s historic barrel descent over the falls. Indeed, of the roughly 25,000 spectators gathered for Blondin’s show, many anticipated witnessing a reckless soul plummet to his demise.

Yet Blondin recognized humanity’s morbid curiosity and even invited wagers on his potential fatality. On June 30, 1859, defying skeptics, he became the inaugural individual to traverse the Niagara Gorge on a rope. To heighten drama, he paused at the midpoint, seated himself, and sipped a bottle of wine.

Upon landing on the Canadian shore, Blondin took a 20‑minute breather before retracing his steps to the opposite bank. On this return, he lugged a daguerreotype camera, pausing to capture a photograph.

Blondin replicated the crossing on multiple occasions, each time inventing fresh spectacles to astonish onlookers. He traversed the rope backwards, once performed blindfolded, once carried his manager on his back, and even once brought cooking implements and ingredients, pausing mid‑span to whip up an omelet.

4 The Chalmers Award

In 1910, two beloved American pastimes collided—baseball and the automobile industry. Hugh Chalmers, proprietor of the Chalmers Motor Company, pledged a Model 30 automobile to the season’s batting champion. As the campaign wound down, a tight duel emerged between Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers and Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Naps.

Entering the final two contests, Cobb led with a .385 batting average and elected to sit out, preserving his lead. Conversely, Lajoie delivered an almost flawless performance in Cleveland’s concluding matchup versus the St. Louis Browns, going 8‑for‑9 and scoring in a doubleheader.

Yet Lajoie benefited from the opposition’s assistance. While Cobb was the league’s most reviled figure, Lajoie enjoyed universal affection, even prompting his club to adopt his name. St. Louis Browns manager Jack O’Connor positioned his third baseman deep throughout the game, effectively granting Lajoie straightforward bunting opportunities.

Lajoie concluded with a .384 average, yet the episode ignited controversy. Critics lambasted Cobb for abstaining, while the Browns faced censure for aiding an adversary. Officially, Cobb retained the batting title, but Chalmers proclaimed a tie, awarding both athletes automobiles to capitalize on Lajoie’s fan base.

The dispute resurfaced in 1989 when researchers uncovered that Cobb had erroneously been credited with two additional hits that year, adjusting his true average to .383.

3 1904 Olympics

The marathon at the 1904 Olympics ranks among history’s most bizarre contests, resembling a farcical sketch. Initially, a dispute erupted over the venue: the Games were slated for Chicago, yet St. Louis, hosting the World’s Fair simultaneously, threatened to mount rival events unless the Olympics shifted to their city. Their ultimatum succeeded.

The majority of participants hailed from the United States. Notably, gymnast George Eyser secured six medals despite competing with a wooden prosthetic leg.

During the Games, officials programmed “Anthropology Days,” where indigenous peoples showcased their customs. At times, they were coaxed into athletic contests to ostensibly demonstrate their supposed inferiority to the “white man,” a practice barely more civilized than the human zoos of earlier fairs.

Regarding the marathon, Fred Lorz crossed the finish line first but was later stripped of victory when it emerged he had covered 18 km (≈11 mi) of the course by automobile. The eventual champion, Thomas Hicks, secured his win despite ingesting performance‑boosting substances—specifically, a modest dose of strychnine, used then as a stimulant.

The oddities continued. Cuban postal worker Andarin Carvajal entered the marathon in everyday attire, pausing at an orchard where he unwittingly consumed spoiled apples, forcing a brief nap before resuming—yet he still placed fourth. Meanwhile, Len Tau became the first black African Olympian, finishing ninth, though he claimed to have been diverted two kilometers (≈1 mi) off course while fleeing a pack of wild dogs.

2 Tour Of Shame

Today, the Tour de France is synonymous with doping scandals, yet cheating has shadowed the race almost from its inception. The inaugural edition in 1903 was orchestrated by the French newspaper L’Auto to boost circulation.

Maurice Garin claimed victory, prompting a follow‑up in 1904—a race riddled with overt cheating so extreme it renders contemporary scandals relatively mild. Founder Henri Desgrange grew “disgusted, frustrated, and discouraged,” even contemplating canceling future Tours before ultimately relenting.

The 1904 edition saw 88 cyclists start, yet only 27 reached the finish, and a mere 15 did so legitimately. Nearly half faced disqualification for infractions, encompassing the first four finishers and every stage winner. Though Maurice Garin initially repeated his triumph, prolonged inquiries ultimately crowned fifth‑place finisher Henri Cornet as the official winner.

Riders were permitted to consume virtually anything, precluding modern doping concerns; indeed, alcohol, cocaine, and even chloroform featured in the customary rider regimen for years. The predominant cheating tactics involved shortcuts—riding in cars or trains—and even scattering nails on the course to sabotage rivals.

Competitors also enlisted hostile crowds to assault rivals as they passed through local towns. The most violent episode unfolded in Saint‑Étienne, where a hundred locals wielding stones and clubs assaulted cyclists to enable Antoine Faure to seize the lead; Giovanni Gerbi suffered a knockout and broken fingers. Consequently, many riders began carrying revolvers for self‑defense.

1 Monkey Testicle Doping Scandal

Wolverhampton Wanderers, an English football institution dating back to 1877, boasts a storied legacy. Over the decades, the club has wielded considerable influence, co‑founding the UK Football League and later contributing to the creation of the European Cup, the forerunner of today’s UEFA Champions League.

Under the stewardship of Major Frank Buckley, the Wanderers found themselves at the center of the most eccentric doping controversy ever recorded, in 1939. Buckley had learned of a groundbreaking procedure introduced by surgeon Serge Voronoff, which transplanted monkey testicular tissue onto human testes as a rejuvenation strategy—a method that enjoyed considerable popularity throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

Buckley arranged for his squad to receive the operation, publicly declaring the practice to the press and rival clubs, insisting it did not constitute doping and that no regulations prohibited it. Post‑surgery, observers noted apparent gains in the players’ endurance and power, promptly crediting the enhancements to the rejuvenation treatment.

Nevertheless, the observed improvements were probably due to the placebo effect. Still, the method quickly attracted interest from other football teams. Opposition grew fierce enough that the British House of Commons convened in 1939 to deliberate whether players could legally employ monkey testicular grafts. Ultimately, the craze faded, and Voronoff endured widespread mockery for his theories.

Radu, an enthusiast of history and science with a penchant for the odd and obscure, invites readers to spread the word on Twitter and explore his website for further curiosities.

If you watched the Tokyo Summer Olympics, you were reminded of how jaw-dropping these Olympians’ feats of skill, strength, and endurance can be. But sometimes, it’s good to be reminded that athletes often risk not just failure but their life. Here are 10 instances when athletes lost far more than a trophy.

Related: Top 10 Forgotten Murders Of Once-Famous Athletes

10 An Entire Soccer Team Killed on the Field

It’s quite common for participants in sporting events to pray or appeal to a deity for help in a game. Apparently, in the central African nation of Congo, they may also utilize witchcraft. In late October 1998, the village of Bena Tshadi was hosting a soccer (football) match against the nearby village of Basangana in the south-central Congolese province of Eastern Kasai. The game was tied 1-1 when lightning struck the field (pitch), killing all 11 members of the Bena Tshadi team and injuring more than 30 spectators standing on the sidelines. It is the only known instance of an entire team dying on a playing field.

Investigators determined that the freak lightning bolt was the result of witchcraft, no doubt conjured by someone rooting for the Basangana team. That team, after all, walked off the field without a single injury. According to the Congolese Press Agency, sorcery is commonly used to influence games. Not to trample on their beliefs, but lightning strikes to open soccer fields are not at all rare. That same weekend, six soccer players were injured when lightning interrupted their game in South Africa.^[1]

9 The 90-Mile-An-Hour Death of Nodar Kumaritashvili

In the years before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the International Olympic Committee had drawn criticism for its efforts to elevate interest in the games by adding more dramatic, more dangerous events such as snowboarding and ski cross. It also used technology and track designs to push existing events such as the luge to faster and faster speeds. Josef Fendt, president of the International Luge Foundation, was one of those concerned about Vancouver’s Whistler Sliding Center track where luge, skeleton, and bobsled teams would compete. After record speeds and some accidents by seasoned luge athletes during an international training week at Whistler, Fendt felt the track was just too fast.

Worse, many Olympic athletes complained that they did not have adequate time to practice—not just on Whistler, but also on the ski courses and the speed skating oval. In the week before the Vancouver Olympics, athletes trained on Whistler, and many of them crashed, among them the two-time defending gold medal luger Armin Zoeggeler of Italy.

One luger who hoped to dethrone Zoeggeler was Nodar Kumaritashvili from the Republic of Georgia. Nodar had been competing on the luge since he was 14, seven years before, and according to his father, had never sustained an injury. But Nodar was worried about Whistler, and his father, an experienced luger himself from the Soviet era, told him to start his run farther down the course to slow his speed. Nodar was shocked at the suggestion, replying that he came to the Olympics “to win,” adding, “I will either win or die.”

On February 10—two days before the opening ceremonies—Nodar rolled down Whistler on his back, feet-first, for his second practice run. He crashed. Undeterred, he continued practicing, and on the Friday morning of the ceremonies, he launched his fifth practice run. The run went well, and by the time Nodar reached curve 16, the final turn on the track, he was traveling just under 90 mph. Nicknamed Thunderbird, turn 16 was a sweeping right curve.

As Nodar approached the banked end of Thunderbird, his luge slid downward, his left hand and feet attempting to slow his progress. He hit a wall, upending his luge and sending Nodar over the track’s lip and into two vertical supports, sustaining massive head and torso injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Olympic organizers blamed the accident on Nodar’s inexperience and claimed it had nothing to do with “deficiencies in the track.” They said the subsequent changes to the track—they altered the Thunderbird turn, moved the starting line further down the track, and wrapped padding around the supports—were simply to soothe the athlete’s fears.^[2]

8 Sweet Kiss of Death

Among the more shocking horse races in the last century was the June 4, 1923, race at New York’s Belmont Park when a longshot named Sweet Kiss and its jockey, Frank Hayes, won. Part of the surprise was that Sweet Kiss was not a winning horse. Records are sketchy, but it appears the horse had won for its owner, a Ms. A.M. Frayling, a paltry sum of $1,775 ($28,000 in 2021 money) in its career and was given 20-1 odds to win the Belmont race. Hayes, too, was a longshot as he worked the stables, was not a jockey, and had never raced a horse before. The reason Hayes was tapped to jockey Sweet Kiss is unknown, but it was reported that he had to drop from 142 pounds to 130 pounds in just one day to take the saddle. On the morning of the race, Hayes spent hours jogging while denying himself food and water just to reach his target weight.

There is a surviving photo of Sweet Kiss and Hayes during the race, and sometime after the photo was taken, but before crossing the finish line, Hayes died of a massive heart attack. As Frayling and officials rushed up to the winners, Hayes tumbled out of the saddle, already dead. Hayes has the dubious distinction of never losing a race and being the only known jockey to win a race as a corpse. Sweet Kiss never raced again as jockeys refused to ride it. Legend has it the horse was given the nickname of Sweet Kiss of Death.^[3]

7 A First No One Would Want

It shouldn’t be surprising that boxing ranks among the top 10 most dangerous sports. Some 90% of all boxers receive some brain damage during their careers, and about 10 fighters a year die of injuries sustained in the ring.

Between 1884, when the Queensberry Rules were adopted, and 1995, an estimated 500 boxers died from their injuries. Twenty-two died in 1953 alone. Perhaps the most famous incident was when Jimmy Doyle died of brain injuries after a punch from Sugar Ray Robinson in a 1947 world welterweight title fight. Just last April, 18-year-old Rashed Al-Swaisat of Jordan died after a knockout blow during the world youth championships.

In 1993, USA Boxing lifted the ban on women in the ring, opening the door for, among others, Laila Amaria Ali (Muhammed Ali’s daughter), Mia St. John, and disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding to compete. Among the 2,200 women registered by USA Boxing in 2005 was Becky Zerlentes, who had a Ph.D. in geography, a black belt in Goshin Jitsu, a brown belt in taekwondo, and competed in triathlons, synchronized swimming, and kickboxing while teaching economics and swimming at a community college. Oh, and she became the Colorado Golden Gloves champ in 2002.

On April 2, 2005, Zerlentes stepped into the ring against Heather Schmitz for a Golden Gloves championship bout. Zerlentes vowed it was her last bout since USA Boxing barred anyone over 34—her age at the time—to fight. Both women passed pre-fight physicals and donned regulation headgear. In the 2nd round, Schmitz socked Zerlentes in the face, causing her nose to bleed. After her nose bleed was staunched, the bout continued, and in the 3rd round, Schmitz delivered a blow to Zerlentes’ left temple, sending her to the mat. She never regained consciousness, dying the next afternoon.

The autopsy determined that the blow to Zerlentes head jarred her brain, causing it to bleed uncontrollably. The coroner found no vascular malformation or aneurysm that might have ruptured with the blow. Nor did Zerlentes have any drugs in her system. It was just an unfortunate blow—one Zerlentes had shrugged off numerous times—that opened up a blood vessel. She was the first woman to die from an injury at a sanctioned amateur boxing event.^[4]

6 Death by Celebration

A perusal of the risks of death in sporting events reveals few surprises. For instance, boxing has about 46 deaths for every 100,000 participants. BASE jumping has about 43 deaths, while skydiving has one fatality in 100,000 jumpers. Around 1,000 drivers die for every 100,000 who race behind a steering wheel, while 100 racers die astride a motorbike. Swimming—which includes open water and endurance swimming—has two fatalities per 100,000 participants, while scuba diving has three.

One surprise, however, is the number of deaths during or immediately after soccer games. One study found that there may be as many as seven deaths out of every 100,000 footballers due to cardiac arrest alone. And this does not count fatalities due to collisions with other players, the ground, and the ball, resulting in head injuries, ruptured bowels, ruptured kidneys, ruptured blood vessels, and even infections due to broken bones. Nor does it count the unusual deaths due to lightning strikes (see #10), due to disappointed fans, or being shot by police (stay tuned).

The October 2014 death of Peter Biaksangzuala definitely falls in the latter category. Peter, a 23-year-old midfielder for Bethlehem Vengthlang FC, India, was in the 62nd minute of a match against Chanmari West when he scored the game-tying point. He then celebrated with a somersault, one he misjudged. He landed awkwardly on his neck and collapsed on the field. He was rushed to the hospital, where a CT scan determined he had extensive damage to his spinal cord. He lingered for five days before succumbing.^[5]

5 Death by Snow Groomer

The year 1992 marked the last time the winter and summer Olympics were held in the same year, and the Albertville (France) Winter Olympics were the first after the fall of the Soviet Union. Six former Soviet-bloc countries formed a Unified Team while the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia and a newly reunified Germany participated in the Olympics as independent nations for the first time since 1936.

On the next-to-last day of the Olympics, Swiss speed skier Nicolas Bochatay, 27, was warming up for the finals on a public slope at La Lechere, France. Bochatay used slalom skis instead of his wider speed skis as he and teammate Pierre Yves-Jorand roared down the slope at top speed. As Bochatay approached a hill, people downslope started shouting and waving off the skiers. Too late, Bochatay flew over the hill only to find a snow groomer—a vehicle that works the snowpack for optimal skiing—on the other side. He slammed into the groomer, sustaining massive internal injuries and dying immediately. The Swiss team claimed the snow groomer was idle, hidden behind the hill without its siren or flashing lights activated. Other witnesses disagreed.^[6]

4 Bloody Sunday (1920)

The citizens of Dublin, Ireland, awoke on the morning of November 21, 1920, to gunfire. The Irish War of Independence had been raging for nearly two years between British forces and the Irish Republican Army (IRA). That Sunday morning, the IRA touched off coordinated assassinations of undercover British intelligence agents, killing 15 and wounding five. In pursuit of the assailants, the police arrived at Croke Park, where a soccer match between the Tipperary and Dublin soccer teams was being held. The police suspected some of the assassins had slipped in among the soccer fans. At 3:25 that afternoon—10 minutes into the game—the police blocked the Croke Park exits, and a contingent was sent in to search the crowds—estimated to be 5,000 strong—for IRA gunman.

Who fired the first shot is still, a century later, under dispute, but the police began firing indiscriminately into the crowds. The first shot was 11-year-old William Robinson, who had climbed a nearby tree to better view the game. Shot in the chest, William died later at the hospital. Two other schoolboys—Jerome O’Leary, 10, and John William Scott, 14—were also killed, along with Jane Boyle, a shopkeeper who was to be married in only five days. A military inquiry later concluded the police shootings were excessive and unauthorized.

At least three members of the IRA were also killed at Croke Park, one of them a footballer on the Tipperary team. Michael Hogan was team captain as well as captain of the Grangemockler company of the IRA. In the melee, Hogan was shot in the back at the corner of the pitch, now known as Hill 16. Tom Ryan, a gas fitter, was one of the IRA volunteers sent to kill a British agent that morning (the target was not at home). He decided to attend the Tipperary vs. Dublin game that afternoon. He was reportedly whispering the rites of contrition in Michael Hogan’s ear when he himself was shot in the stomach and died later.^[7]

3 “The Honor of My Race, Family and Self Are at Stake”

The October 6, 1923, game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the University of Minnesota Gophers meant a lot to 21-year-old Jack Trice. He was the only African-American on the football field, and this was his first game for the Cyclone’s varsity team. While most African Americans were only allowed to attend black colleges in the South, they had been attending Iowa for 32 years by then. But none had ever played on a Cyclone varsity team, and Jack, a sophomore, was on two varsity teams: football and track.

Jack felt the weight of his responsibility the night before the game. Using a piece of hotel stationery, Jack wrote down his feelings and intentions for the next day: “My thoughts just before the first real college game of my life. The honor of my race, family, and self is at stake.” As the Cyclone’s defensive lineman, Jack said he would “break thru the opponents’ line and stop the play in their territory.” Last, he told himself to “watch for crossbucks and reverse end runs” and “roll block” any runners.

American football in the early decades of the 20th century was brutal. Helmets were leather and had no padding or facemask. Padding under the uniform was minimal, mostly along the shoulders. Many plays that are illegal now—such as the roll block—were perfectly legal back in 1923.

In the first half of the game, Jack broke his collarbone but refused to leave the field. At halftime, the game was tied 7-7, but by the middle of the third quarter, Minnesota had pulled ahead 14-7 and had the ball. At the snap, the Gophers sent a gaggle of blockers to clear the way for their fullback. Jack ran right at them, throwing himself in front of the blockers and rolling forward to trip them. It was a roll block, but instead of rolling on his belly, Jack rolled onto his back. “The fullback, going through the hole, stepped on Jack’s stomach and maybe his groin,” recalled a teammate. “He was badly hurt but tried to get up and wanted to stay in. We saw he couldn’t stand and helped him off the field.” He was taken to a local hospital where doctors determined Jack could travel back to Iowa with his dejected team. They had lost the game 20-17. Jack died two days later of internal bleeding.

Questions still persist about whether Jack was purposely or accidentally stepped on. We’ll probably never know. Iowa, however, refused to play Minnesota for the next 66 years. In the 1980s, a statue was erected of Jack that stands outside Jack Trice Stadium, the only major college stadium named after an African American.^[8]

2 The Final Ride of Lane Frost

Bull riding is another extremely dangerous sport, with 20 catastrophic injuries for every 100,000 riders. Between 1989 and 2016, at least 21 professional bull riders died, along with an unknown number of amateurs. For instance, in 2016, a 15-year-old amateur was trampled to death by a bull after being thrown at a New Mexico rodeo. It happened again in 2019 at the Denver Western Stock Show when a pro bull rider was thrown, and the bull brought its 2,000 pounds down on the rider’s chest, killing him.

Lane Frost was born into a rodeo family, his father a bronco buster and calf roper. And while his parents tried to steer Lane away from the dangerous bull riding sport, Lane’s attention seemed riveted to it. According to his Mom, Elsie, his first spoken word was “bull,” and he’d go around the house riding a toy horse on rollers, claiming he was riding one.

At five, Lane often sat astride the arm of a couch, pretending it was a bucking bull. He graduated to riding calves on the family’s Utah dairy farm, and when the family moved to Oklahoma, he came under the tutelage of legendary bull rider Freckles Brown. At 19, Lane was a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and became a favorite on the circuit. He was crowned the world champion at 23 and went to the Calgary Olympics in 1988 to compete in a rodeo exhibition.

The Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days was the largest and oldest rodeo in the world, and on the last day (July 30) of the 1989 event, Lane was set to ride a tough but not particularly mean bull that some sources called Takin’ Care of Business (TCB). Lane’s ride of TCB was perfect, lasting the proscribed 8 seconds, and as TCB turned right, Lane dismounted to the left, landing safely on his hands and knees. Then TCB did something unexpected: he turned and drove his right horn into Lane’s back. “A lot of bulls do that. It’s kinda their nature,” said another bull rider Cody Lambert. “It’s something that happens to every one who rides bulls, and sometimes you get a nick or a bruise. But usually you just get up, and later everyone pats you on the back and laughs about it. That’s what it looked like. I’ve seen a lot worse wrecks [gores] than Lane had there.” But TCB’s horn had broken some of Lane’s ribs and punctured a major artery. Lane got up, took a few steps, then signaled for help before falling into the mud. Within minutes he was dead. Lane was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame the next year. Five years after his death, Lane was immortalized in the movie 8 Seconds.^[9]

1 Death by Fans

Every sport has fans who lose their minds and toss anything and everything at the athletes. Basketball had the 2004 infamous “Malice in the Palace” when a fan threw a cup of beer at Indiana Pacer Ron Artest. Baseball has the lemons thrown by Chicago Cubs fans at New York Yankee Babe Ruth during the third game of the 1932 World Series. Legend has it, the lemons prompted the Babe to “call his shot,” pointing at center field before swatting a home run in that direction. For golf, there’s the fan who threw a hot dog at Tiger Woods in 2011 (how much anger management therapy should you receive if you’ve lost it at a golf game?). But these incidents reach a whole new level when the projectiles become deadly.

On August 23, 2014, Albert Ebosse Bodjongo, 24, was playing for the Algerian soccer club JS Kabylie at home against another Algerian team—USM Alger. Albert scored the only point for his team in their loss, 2-1. As the home team ran off the field, they were pelted by objects from the fans that allegedly included roof tiles from a nearby construction site. A short time later, Albert was dead from a blow to the head that was sufficient to crack his skull and push pieces of it into his brain. Initially, it was determined that Albert had been hit by a heavy, sharp object thrown by the fans. The truth was far more sinister.

His family was not satisfied with the official cause of death and hired a pathologist to conduct another autopsy which found the head injury was delivered at close range, not from the fans in the stands. Worse, Albert had a stab wound near a collarbone as well as wounds consistent with an assault. Had fans attacked and murdered Albert in the locker room? His murderer has still not been identified.

If this seems far-fetched, soccer fans have a history of violence. Peruvian fans were incensed during a May 24, 1964, game between Peru and Argentina when a referee disallowed a game-tying point to count with just two minutes remaining. One fan ran onto the pitch to smack the referee, and dozens followed, creating a riot. The police launched tear gas into the crowds, creating panic and starting a stampede toward the locked steel gates. As many as 328 were crushed to death. About 127 fans died in a similar riot during a 2001 game in Ghana.

Seventy-three died at Port Said, Egypt, during a soccer brawl in 2012. Then there’s Andres Escobar, who contributed to Columbia’s loss to the U.S. when he accidentally deflected the ball into his own goal in the 1994 World Cup. A little more than a week later, Escobar was confronted at a hometown restaurant and shot multiple times, the killer reportedly shouting “Goal” as he fired.^[10]