Top 10 Most Embarrassing Sports FAILS Ever

Top 10 Most Embarrassing Sports FAILS Ever

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Sometimes sports bring us incredible moments we’ll remember forever; other times we see things we wish we could forget. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Sports Fails. For this list, we’re looking at the biggest fails or collapses in both individual and team sports.

The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors entered the 2015-16 season as the defending champions and went on to have the best season in NBA history, finishing with a record of 73-9 and breaking the 1995-96 Bulls record for most wins in the regular season. They returned to the Finals to face the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second straight year, and appeared set to complete one of the greatest seasons in the history of sports when they jumped out to a 3-1 series lead. The Cavaliers recovered, however, and forced a Game 7, where LeBron James made a huge block in the final two minutes to help Cleveland complete the comeback and thoroughly embarrass Golden State.

#9: John McEnroe at the 1984 French Open

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Things couldn’t have been better for John McEnroe when he entered the French Open final in 1984. He hadn’t lost a match all year and looked nearly unbeatable as he jumped out to a quick 2 sets to 0 lead over Ivan Lendl. However, an ill-advised outburst directed at a cameraman marked the beginning of the end for McEnroe, as Lendl came storming back and won the next three sets to take home the trophy. While Lendl’s resolve played a large role in the comeback, most people credit McEnroe’s ridiculous outburst as the catalyst for his collapse.

Leafs fans flooded the streets of Toronto as their team jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third period of Game 7 against the Bruins in the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Leafs had been down in the series 3-1 but rallied and only needed to survive 10 minutes to clinch the victory. The Bruins scored three straight goals, however, including two in the final two minutes of the game to send it into overtime. Boston then scored 6 minutes into overtime to win the game and the series. As a result, Toronto became the first team to lose a Game Seven after leading by three goals in the third period.

In what remains the largest comeback in league history, the Oilers somehow managed to blow a 32-point lead over the Buffalo Bills in the wildcard round of the 1993 NFL playoffs. The Bills entered the second half down by 25, and the game appeared to be over when Bubba McDowell returned an interception 58 yards to increase Houston’s lead to 32 early in the 3rd. The Bills managed to score another 35 points, and would eventually win the game in overtime 41-38, all without star quarterback Jim Kelly who missed the game due to injury. In Houston, this infamous game is known as “The Choke;” everywhere else, it’s called “The Comeback.”

As surprising as it may seem to fans of the team today, the Red Sox went a very, very long time without winning a World Series. Back in 1986, they were looking to break a 68-year drought, and appeared set to do so as they led the New York Mets 5-3 and needed only one out to clinch the victory. The Mets remarkably were able to tie the game at 5 when Mookie Wilson hit a slow grounder up the first base line. Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner somehow let the ball roll through his legs, allowing the Mets to score the winning run. The Mets would win Game 7 and take home the series, and Buckner’s name became synonymous with sports fails.

Roberto Baggio had a pretty remarkable World Cup tournament in 1994, scoring 5 goals, 4 of which came during Italy’s quarterfinal and semi-final matches. However, he’s remembered most for his worst moment of the tournament. Italy and Brazil remained scoreless after regular and extra time, sending the match to a penalty shoot-out. With Brazil leading 3-2, Italy sent Baggio up to keep his team alive. Unlike the earlier games, however, Baggio failed to deliver, sending the ball flying over the net and sealing Brazil’s 4th World Cup victory.

The sport of golf has seen its fair share of epic collapses over the years, like that time Greg Norman blew a 6-shot lead in the final round of the 1996 Masters. But that was nothing compared to Jean Van de Velde at the British Open in 1999. Van de Velde held a three-stroke lead going into the final hole of the tournament. He made a series of bad shots and decisions, however, and wound up taking a triple-bogey on the hole. He eventually lost in a playoff, completing perhaps the worst choke in golf history. In fact, some have even coined the term “pulling a Van de Velde” when a golfer chokes away a lead.

A first-round pick by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry draft, Patrik Stefan never quite lived up the hype and is regarded by many as one of the biggest draft busts in NHL history. And this moment may in fact sum up his career. With just seconds remaining in the game, Stefan skated toward the empty net with the puck but somehow mishandled it, failing to score. Even worse, while falling, he knocked the puck back to the Edmonton player, who was able to move down the ice and ultimately set up a tying goal. Following this iconic fail, Stefan played in just 13 more games, scoring only two points.

Sometimes it’s a good thing to be the first team to ever do something. In this case, it’s the exact opposite, as the Yankees became the first team in MLB history to lose a series after leading 3 games to 0. The Bronx Bombers certainly lived up to their name in the first 3 games of the series, pounding their rivals, the Boston Red Sox, with a total of 32 runs scored. The Red Sox remarkably escaped elimination in game four after trailing in the bottom of the 9th, and reeled off three more wins to complete their epic comeback – and the Yankees’ epic fail. Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - 2017 Atlanta Falcons - Tony Romo Botches Snap - Patrick Roy Statue of Liberty

The Cubs appeared poised to return to the World Series for the first time since 1945, as they led the Florida Marlins 3-2 in the series and 3-0 in the game heading into the 8th inning. Then, in an instant, everything changed. A fan named Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball and prevented the Cubs left fielder from making a play on it. The Cubs then suffered a meltdown of epic proportions. The Marlins proceeded to score 8 runs in the inning, and would come from behind again in Game 7 to win 9-6, knocking Chicago out of the playoffs.