Greatest Moments in Sports History

Great Moments in Sports

          

            Sports are the backbone of Boston. We have been spoiled with great athletes teams, and of course many championships. We have always had at least one major sports team compete for a playoff spot.

            One of the greatest moments in sports history is when the 2004 Red Sox came back down by 3 games to win the series and later on win the World Series. I remember this moment even though I was very young. I remember my dad waking me up moments before they won so I could experience history in the making.  This was a very significant moment in Boston sports because it broke the Curse of the Bambino.

            The curse occurred when the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees, after that they hadn’t won a World Series. They came close multiple times, most infamously in 1986 when Bill Buckner let the series “roll under his legs”. He blew the World Series, fans have forgiven him and appreciated the many other great seasons he played as a Red Sox played. Many fans have still stuck with them even through all the tough seasons they have had. We have the best fans in all of sports and our sports titles continue to make fans out of new people.

 The 2004 Red Sox is one of New England’s favorite teams ever. For their determination and perseverance they helped break the curse and bring a baseball World Series back to Boston for the first time in 86 years. They continued playing good winning another World Series in 2007 and again most recently in 2013.

You could also make a case that the New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl in 2001 was the greatest moments in sports history. That was their first super bowl and the first of three Tom Brady would later go on to win.

The Patriots have been one of the most dominating teams in the NFL. They have had multiple 13+ win seasons. The win in the 2001 Super Bowl sparked a decade of dominance in the sport. Red Sox have also won 3 titles in the past decade. The Celtics won a league title in 2008, and even the Bruins won in 2011. The new century (2000’s) have brought great skill and a lot of heart to Boston sports athletes.

The Skeleton

In the Olympics many people only enjoy watching hockey or skiing snowboarding events. Others watch speed skating and bobsledding. One event that is overlooked usually is the skeleton.

The skeleton is like the luge. The athlete gets a running start and takes off on a small board face first. They reach unbelievable speeds flying through the course. Any small mistake they make can cost them precious time. Hundredths of a second can separate you from a medal to placing last in the competition.

It was first introduced in the 1928 Olympics and again in the 1948 games. Although, the sport can be traced back as far as 1882 in Switzerland.  It was finally introduced as an official event in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The United States is the most dominant country in this event. They have 6 medals and Great Britain is in second with 5. The first official gold medalist in this event is Jimmy Shae, who won the event in 2002. The US is predicted to win the Skeleton in the 2014 Winter Olypmics.