Biggest Sports Upset Ever?

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:48 am

Is the Dominican Republic losing two games in the WBC to the Netherlands (Aruba and Curacao) the biggest sports upset ever? What was a bigger upset?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:53 am

Zlax45 wrote:Is the Dominican Republic losing two games in the WBC to the Netherlands (Aruba and Curacao) the biggest sports upset ever? What was a bigger upset?

That's easy. USA over Russia.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:46 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:
Zlax45 wrote:Is the Dominican Republic losing two games in the WBC to the Netherlands (Aruba and Curacao) the biggest sports upset ever? What was a bigger upset?
That's easy. USA over Russia.

Yeah that's a good one. I'll add the Jets over the Colts in the SB. The Mets over the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 5:12 am

From the world of soccer

USA 1 England 0 (WC 1950)

Italy 0 N Korea 1 (WC 1966)

E Germany 1 W Germany 0 (WC 1974...though there are those who suspect it was thrown)

Cameroon 1 Argentina 0 (WC 1990)

Colchester 3 Leeds 2 (FA Cup, 1970)
Hereford 2 Newcastle 1 (FA CUp 1972)
Sunderland 1 Leeds 0 (FA Cup Final 1973)
...and a whole load others

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:11 am

Hard to find one bigger than this.

1982 Chaminade defeats #1 Virginia, who had a guy named Ralph Sampson. Chaminade was not even a D1-AA or D1-AAA school, they were NAIA at the time.

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D_YdxrPD04g&hl ... 2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed>

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:53 am

bdoughty wrote:Hard to find one bigger than this.

1982 Chaminade defeats #1 Virginia, who had a guy named Ralph Sampson. Chaminade was not even a D1-AA or D1-AAA school, they were NAIA at the time.

That was really cool, thanks for the vid!

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:23 am

Would love to hear your definition of a D1-AAA school

EZSnappin · Post by **EZSnappin** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:52 am

fsquid wrote:Would love to hear your definition of a D1-AAA school

They're smaller and thinner and seem prevalent in remote locales.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:54 am

EZSnappin wrote:
fsquid wrote:Would love to hear your definition of a D1-AAA school
They're smaller and thinner and seem prevalent in remote locales.

Also, in addition to competing in athletics at a non-scholarship level, they are qualified to provide roadside assistance.

TheGamer · Post by **TheGamer** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:13 am

Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:20 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:
Zlax45 wrote:Is the Dominican Republic losing two games in the WBC to the Netherlands (Aruba and Curacao) the biggest sports upset ever? What was a bigger upset?
That's easy. USA over Russia.

80 USA over CCCP is the one I woulld choose over all the rest.

That one team from Greece winning the 04 Euro was pretty big.

Buster Douglas knocking out Tyson might not seem like a big deal in hindsight but at the moment it happened it was huge.

Rams losing to the Patriots in SB 36...Again in hindsight not so big but they were 14 point faves and at the time it nearly cost my tv its life.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:20 am

Zlax45 wrote:Is the Dominican Republic losing two games in the WBC to the Netherlands (Aruba and Curacao) the biggest sports upset ever? What was a bigger upset?

You're kidding, right? For it to be a major upset, it must be in a competition of significance. The WBC is not. It's a made-for-TV event, an exhibition.

Nothing tops the U.S. over the USSR in the 1980 Winter Olympics. But Buster Douglas beating the unbeaten and seemingly invincible Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990 is DAMN close.

Others for consideration:

1. Chaminade over Ralph Sampson's Virginia in NCAA hoops
2. Appalachian State over Michigan in football, 2007
3. Namath's Jets over Colts, Super Bowl
4. Derrike Cope wins 1990 Daytona 500 over Dale Earnhardt
5. John Daly rises from obscurity to win 1991 PGA Championship

Take care,
PK

Murph · Post by **Murph** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:35 am

Paul, you beat me to it, but I did one to mention Appalachian State (1-AA) beating Michigan in the Big House.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:56 am

The Chaminade win is probably the biggest in terms of pure talent differential.

USA v. Russia in the Olympics is the biggest if you look at the importance of the game, the talent involved, and the expectations. No other game has had such a stunning impact that spilled well beyond the sport itself.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:00 am

USA over Russia....everything else pales in comparison.

"You were born to be hockey players....each and everyone of you were meant to be here tonight"

Smurfy · Post by **Smurfy** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:42 am

David beating Goliath was an upset of Biblical proportions.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:46 am

Next week's Cleveland State win against whatever 1 or 2 seed they get paired up with.

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:33 pm

Netherlands beating the DR has to be up there...Netherlands has a bunch of Single A players beating a MLB team TWICE in the same tournament.

I would put it up there with that Russia-USA game as the talent jump between the two teams was similar.

I guess we know that PK doesn't care for the WBC and that is sad since he is missing some great baseball. Watching the other squads besides the USA has been great theater. We don't get to see international baseball anymore in the Olympics so this is the best we can do.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:40 pm

The WBC has been good. The Olympics are a made for TV event now too. Probably have been since Barcelona.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:45 pm

Zlax45 wrote:I guess we know that PK doesn't care for the WBC and that is sad since he is missing some great baseball. Watching the other squads besides the USA has been great theater. We don't get to see international baseball anymore in the Olympics so this is the best we can do.

Let's put this "massive upset" into perspective.

Nearly all of the upsets that people have mentioned in this thread occurred at least 15 years ago. Yet we remember them like they happened last week; they're hanging right in the frontal lobes of our brain.

Is anyone other than the most hardcore baseball fan going to remember this Netherlands upset as one of sport's true David and Goliath stories in 2024 or 2030?

Highly, highly unlikely.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:50 pm

Another defining quality of the pantheon of American sports upsets is that they involve American teams or American athletes.

Again, other than hardcore baseball fans, the vast majority of American sports fans will forget this "massive upset" within two weeks, especially because it was Dutch vs. Dominicans.

Americans are among the most parochial sports fans in the world. If it's not a Yank, we tend not to give a sh*t.

Just look at Roger Federer. The guy is intergalatic, yet he hasn't captivated Americans like Mac or Jimbo. If Padraig Harrington dominated golf like Tiger does now, do you think American interest would be as strong? Of course it wouldn't. If Juan Montoya won the Sprint Cup Championship in a Toyota, grandstands would be ablaze across NASCAR Nation. Usain Bolt was just as dominant and awe-inspiring as Michael Phelps in Beijing, but he received nowhere near the accolades or attention in the American media ... because he's Jamaican.

And so on ...

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:54 pm

Finally, if this was such an upset of historic proportion, monopolizing water-cooler talk around the sports world, then why are the leads at the three major American sports Web sites at 12:53 p.m. (ET) today:

ESPN.com: College hoop conference tournaments

SI.com: The aging of NBA players

CBSSporstline.com: A feature about players under pressure to replace top stars lost in NFL free agency

This is a BIG story in the baseball world. That's it.

Take care,
PK

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:55 pm

pk500 wrote:Another defining quality of the pantheon of American sports upsets is that they involve American teams or American athletes.

Again, other than hardcore baseball fans, the vast majority of American sports fans will forget this "massive upset" within two weeks, especially because it was Dutch vs. Dominicans.

Americans are among the most parochial sports fans in the world. If it's not a Yank, we tend not to give a sh*t.

Just look at Roger Federer. The guy is intergalatic, yet he hasn't captivated Americans like Mac or Jimbo. If Padraig Harrington dominated golf like Tiger does now, do you think American interest would be as strong? Of course it wouldn't. If Juan Montoya won the Sprint Cup Championship in a Toyota, grandstands would be ablaze across NASCAR Nation. Usain Bolt was just as dominant and awe-inspiring as Michael Phelps in Beijing, but he received nowhere near the accolades or attention in the American media ... because he's Jamaican.

And so on ...

Take care,
PK

Did I ever say Biggest USA upset? That is the problem with the sporting culture in this country. We only look inside our borders.

You look at the Dominican team and see a bunch of MLB players while the Netherlands throw out a 19 year old kid who was pitching in high school baseball last year in Miami. Yes, he was born on Curacao.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:05 pm

Also, how could we forget one of the most unlikely upsets in sports history?

Jan. 5, 1971
Washington Generals 100, Harlem Globetrotters 99.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:12 pm

What about the Soviet basketball team beating the US team in the '70s.

Had the US team ever lost in Olympic competition before then?

Of course there are allegations of questionable officiating.

But IIRC, the games involving US basketball team had not been close so it was suppose to be a shocker that the game was even close.

A sport like hockey, one or two scores is all it takes to upset. In basketball, they have to repeatedly score so the underdog really can't surprise the heavy favorite.

Then again, Villanova shot 72% against Georgetown.

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