11/21/24
December 28, 2004
What should be the top sports story of 2004?: Is it the Malice at the Palace, the Sox winning the World Series, the great Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction ...
I think Ron Artest is the story. His behavior in the weeks leading up to the fight was simply bizarre, and therefore fascinating. I can't really think of anything I was more interested in sportswise the whole year.
posted by insomnyuk at 10:04 PM on December 28, 2004
Lance.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 06:20 AM on December 29, 2004
It's really cold up here.
posted by yerfatma at 07:04 AM on December 29, 2004
Well, if you're just referring to USian sports events then it has to be the Red Sox.
posted by squealy at 07:34 AM on December 29, 2004
I'm not really into soccer, but what team Greece did seemed kind of amazing.
posted by NoMich at 08:01 AM on December 29, 2004
Michael Phelps. Six gold medals.
posted by afx237vi at 08:49 AM on December 29, 2004
the invincibles weren't too shabby neither.
posted by garfield at 08:49 AM on December 29, 2004
The use of steroids negating this era of baseball's stats is the #1 story.
posted by rapidroy at 10:53 AM on December 29, 2004
LOCKOUT.
posted by mkn at 10:54 AM on December 29, 2004
BALCO is part of it, sports doping in general is all of it. I find it odd that this has somehow become a big story because of baseball-- the use of performancing enhancing drugs pervades all sports, pro and amateur, at every level. The story that is being missed is the scale: this is big business, and nobody seems to realize it, or be prepared to admit it. How many major sporting events were not touched by the question of doping this year? Golf and tennis are all that I can think of, and hockey, because there is no hockey.
posted by outside counsel at 12:28 PM on December 29, 2004
On the field/pitch/course/court/rink: Lance. Six tours in a row is an awesome feat, made even more amazing by his recovery of cancer and the fact he comes from a country where cycling rates somewhere below bowling in national consciousness. Off the field/pitch/course/court/rink: The BALCO scandal. I think the true scope of the scandal is just becoming known but will eventually destrory the integrity of baseball stats for the last decade.
posted by docgonzo at 02:32 PM on December 29, 2004
Hikaru Nakamura winning the U.S. Chess Championship.
posted by gyc at 02:53 PM on December 29, 2004
Tennis had a doping story... Greg Rusedski. Although he was cleared in the end, it did raise the issue of doctors and coaches giving certain dodgy supplements to tennis players.
posted by afx237vi at 03:28 PM on December 29, 2004
gyc, you crack me up! Sox for USA, Greeks' Euro2004 win for RoW
posted by billsaysthis at 04:40 PM on December 29, 2004
The use of steroids negating this era of baseball's stats is the #1 story. This happened? Everyone's agreed that all the stats of this era have been negated? Crap. You go away for a week and you miss everything!
posted by grum@work at 05:37 PM on December 29, 2004
The AP's picks: First Red Sox, then Lance, Pacers brawl, Patriots, and steroids.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:20 PM on December 29, 2004
lbb: how Americentric of them!
posted by billsaysthis at 08:47 PM on December 29, 2004
Lance won in France, which I guess is a passing nod of acknowledgement to the existence of rest of the world. Thanks for the crumbs, AP!
posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:42 AM on December 30, 2004
is the brawl really the top story? a couple guys get punched, they don't spit their chicklets out, no big deal. I vote for the BALCO saga. It looks to have the most staying power.
posted by Epp at 06:51 AM on December 30, 2004
Red Sox definitely. I'm a parochial New Englander, so it's hard for me to see past it. Greece, close second. Other possibilities: Lance Armstrong, both for the record and the doping. Michael Phelps. Roger Federer. The Janet Jackson thing isn't a story, it's bullshit media hype about nothing... which describes about 80% of everything else on that list. A-Rod on the Yanks? Yawn... and what a difference it made!
posted by psmealey at 08:56 AM on December 30, 2004
Lance Armstrong, both for the record and the doping. Uh, did I miss something?
posted by docgonzo at 01:08 PM on December 30, 2004
Takeru Kobayashi eating 69 Krystal Hamburgers in 8 minutes? hey, its international, sort of...
posted by chris2sy at 01:26 PM on December 30, 2004
I meant the doping story (not that there was actually any doping), and the record for most Tour de France champtionships. Sorry, didn't mean to cast aspersions.
posted by psmealey at 01:46 PM on December 30, 2004
No one has mentioned the performances by the American women at the Olympics. From the dominating performance by the softball team to the unselfish play by the women's basketball team to the first fencing medal in ages, these ladies made me proud to be American.
posted by Nyssia at 04:41 PM on December 30, 2004
the top story of the year should be the super bowl malfunction, simply because everybody loves football.
posted by pack_man at 12:39 AM on January 01, 2005
the Sox, those god damned lovable losers finally won the series again, and shut the mouths of Yankees fans such as myself, and gave the people in new england nothing to bitch about except for the weather.