I'm a little upset right now. I just made a cruise of the grandaddy of all sports web sites, ESPN.com, and saw NO reference (NONE) to one of the seminal events in American sports history, and quite possibly the greatest upset in the history of sports.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, today is the 25th anniversary of the United States Hockey Team, a bunch of college kids who were ranked 7th out of 12 when the olympis began, beating the best in the world Russian national team to go on to the gold medal game. Now, I know, I'm a hockey nut, and many of you will write off my disappointment in the lack of covergae on the web today, but we have to look back and remember, historically, what this event did for the people of our country.
The equivalent here to remember, folks, is like having the Division III SUNY Oswego Great Laker baseball team play and beat the Yankees. Like having your High School basketball team beat Duke at Cameron Indoor. Like taking your kid's pee wee football team and having them beat the NY Giants.
We were a country that was down. A country in a deep recession, lines at the gas pumps, hostages in Iran, and a national spirit on the decline. People rallied around this victory - total strangers pulled over on the highway to celebrate together and dance in the rain!
So, today, for just a moment, try and catch the news, and maybe catch a clip of Al Michaels doing the call and watch the miracle unfold.
P.S. For those of you with ESPN Classic, check out the game, drop of the puck to buzzer, at 8 and 11.30 PM.
1 comment:
it's hockey!!! a dying sport!!! Yeah, 25 yrs ago that might have been a great event in American history, but outside of a few cities in the NE, no one cares about hockey anymore. There were far greater events this weekend in sports. Namely, the Daytona 500, which presented with another fantastic finish! There was also a few basketball upsets, and I think maybe something about a NBA all star game.
Look, if the NHL wants to survive, they need to call up the Bill France, and Mike Helton and take some notes from NASCAR. They have to find a way to market the sport for a TV audience, and outside of the NE. Otherwise, you can just kiss it goodbye (which is fine by me anyway)
Nah, I ain't biased!
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