10 Shocking Unsolved Mysteries in Sports

#10: The 1966 Phantom Goal
Long before the addition of VAR or any advanced replay technology, England were gifted with a bizarre miracle in the 1966 World Cup final. West Germany had fought them tooth and nail to leave the score even at the 90-minute mark. And so, extra-time was required. However, eleven minutes in, a shot from Geoff Hurst hit the crossbar and bounced off the goal-line. All of a sudden, the ref consulted with his linesman - and despite a disagreement on whether it was a goal, he awarded one. Replays would show that the ball did not, in fact, cross the line - but the decision stood. With momentum firmly on their side, Hurst capped off the tournament win by scoring another goal - but the damage was already done.
#9: Darren Bent & the Beach Ball
In 2009, during Sunderlands clash with Liverpool at the Stadium of Light, some kid who was there in support of Liverpool made the mistake of swatting the inflatable Liverpool-branded ball onto the pitch. Then, in one of the most freakish occurrences imaginable, it happened to land directly in the path of Darren Bents goalward shot. The balls course was diverted past Pepe Reina and somehow, the goal stood. The teenager in question was, unfortunately, shamed publicly for his actions and received death-threats. But our question is why the rules didnt have any measures in place for outside interference. The ref obviously didnt see the beach ball in real-time, but this error cost Liverpool the game. It remains an all-timer in terms of bizarre football-moments.
#8: The Mysterious Death of Steve Prefontaine
At just 24 years old, Steve Prefontaine had truly set the world of athletics alight. However, just when he was sitting on top of the world, disaster struck. While driving back from a party on May 30, 1975, Prefontaine crashed his car and died from his injuries. The official report called it a single car collision that was likely helped along by the fact that he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.16%. But in the years that followed, questions began to surface - most notably about rumors of a second car that was also involved. Skid marks on the scene suggested that Pre was braking to avoid another car and yet, the official story stands - albeit with many doubters.
#7: Carl Lewiss Alleged Use Of PEDs
Theres a reason why the 1988 100m sprint is referred to as the dirtiest race in history. Carl Lewis officially came away with the gold medal, but on the night itself - he lost to Canadas Ben Johnson. However, when Johnson tested positive for a banned substance, Lewis was promoted to first-place. But heres the weird thing: Lewis had already found himself in trouble with anti-doping agents during the Olympic trials. In fact, he had failed a total of three tests in the past, but was still allowed to compete. So while Johnson had his medal stripped in shame, Lewis was able to bask in the glory of the top spot.
#6: The Immaculate Reception
You know a play must be good when it gets a name like the Immaculate Reception. Terry Bradshaw fired a rocket of a pass into the arms of John Fuqua, but as he tried to catch he got blasted by Jack Tatum. However, the ball ricocheted directly into the path of Franco Harris, who caught it and scored the touchdown. Heres the problem. According to the rules in 1972, if the ball only touched Fuqua before the ricochet, he is the only player who can legally catch it. If it bounced off him and then touched Tatum, then Harris was legally allowed to receive it. In other words, theres a chance the touchdown was illegal and it is still fiercely debated to this day.
#5: The Disappearance of Bison Dele
Upon spending nine years in the NBA, Bison Dele won a championship ring with the Chicago Bulls in 1997 and earned enough money to retire on his own terms at the age of 30. However, in 2002, an infamous boat journey alongside his brother Miles, his girlfriend, and the boats captain, would change the course of his familys life forever. Dele never made it back from that trip. Neither did his girlfriend or the captain. And while nothing was fully proven, it is assumed that his brother murdered the three of them and sunk the remains to the bottom of the ocean using weights he had recently bought. Before the truth could be revealed, his brother took his own life while awaiting further questioning.
#4: 1973 Battle of the Sexes
1973s Battle of the Sexes is seen as a huge moment for gender equality in sports. At the age of 29, Billie Jean King took on the former Grand Slam champion Bobby Riggs, who was 55. On the day itself, King managed to get the win - providing a huge boost for female tennis. But heres the problem. There was quite a lot of speculation over Riggs and the effort he gave when the match began. Rumors began to circulate that he owed over $100,000 to the mob and fixed the matchs outcome to pay it back. Is this just people who would rather believe a conspiracy theory than accept the matchs result? Or is there something to it? Perhaps well never know!
#3: The Heidi Game
When an AFL showdown between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets came down to the wire in the fourth quarter of their November 1968 clash, something else was happening behind the scenes. NBC was supposed to broadcast the movie Heidi at 7PM that day, but the football game was looking set to run over. After some arguments and a total breakdown in communication, the movie was somehow forced onto the air right in the middle of the games dying seconds. Unfortunately, Oakland were about to pull off an all-time great final-minute comeback that the entire East Coast of the U.S. completely missed. There are many accounts of how this mess unfolded, and to this day, weve never seen anything quite like it.
#2: The Curse of the Bambino
Trading Babe Ruth to one of your greatest rivals is an unforgivable baseball sin. But the existence of the Bambino Curse was a pretty excessive punishment, if you believe in that sort of thing. Call it bad energy, pressure, or just terrible luck, but it took 86 years for the Boston Red Sox to overcome that championship drought. Out of all of the infamous sporting hexes, this one is undoubtedly the most famous and widely discussed. Despite having a series of great teams that seemed destined to break the curse, it didnt happen until 2004. What causes an entire franchise to experience that many close-calls? One of the strangest sagas in sporting history.
#1: Spygate
At what point does winning by any means necessary become a problem? Well, in 2007, the first instance of members of the New England Patriots illegally videoing an opposing coachs signals during a game came to light. Recording during a game itself isnt illegal, but there are areas designated by the NFL that you are allowed to tape from and the Patriots were not sticking to it. Coach Bill Belichick was given a half-million-dollar fine. Unfortunately, all tapes in the teams possession were destroyed before the true scope of their spying operation was uncovered.
Are there any memorable sporting mysteries that stick in your memory? Let us know in the comments!
