The Biggest Conspiracy Theories and Strangest Rumors in Sports History

We want to believe that the outcomes of sporting events aren't fixed, that referees call a clean game and that league owners respect the purity of the sports we love as much as we do.

But as 1919 and the Black Sox Scandal can attest, sometimes fans don't get their wishes. Since that time, fans and sportswriters alike have been trying to determine the legitimacy of those moments when something seems a bit fishy.

On this slideshow, I've compiled those moments that have caused raised eyebrows, along with some of the stranger and more interesting sports rumors that have made the rounds.

To be clear, this is not a slideshow claiming that these conspiracies and rumors are true—I personally believe most of them are probably false—but rather is simply compiling some of the most popular conspiracies and rumors to have made the rounds over the years.

Let the speculation begin.

Favre Flops for Strahan's Sack

In the final game of the 2001 season, Michael Strahan was within one sack of breaking Mark Gastineau's single-season record of 22 sacks. But with Strahan still without a sack late into the game, Favre rolled out of the pocket, saw Strahan approaching and hit the turf.

Just like that, Strahan had his record, and the rest of us were left wondering whether or not Favre handed Strahan a record.

Here's one thing to consider:

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While Favre was busy afterward insisting that he had switched his call from run to bootleg at the line of scrimmage, not a single member of his offensive line was supporting the notion. That included tight end Bubba Franks, the person nominally responsible for blocking Strahan on the play.

"That was called as a running play," said Franks, who dutifully went into run-block mode, only to see Strahan blast past him in pursuit of the soon-to-be-fallen Favre. "I don't know if it was a bad snap or what. I was run-blocking. I didn't know it was a pass."

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One way or another, Strahan finished the season with 22.5 sacks. Whether they were all earned or not is still being debated.

LeBron Threw in the Towel Against the Celtics in the 2010 Playoffs

LeBron James already knew he was bolting Cleveland for Miami. He knew he wasn't going to win a title with Cleveland.

So in the 2010 NBA Playoffs—namely against the Celtics—he basically gave up.

Detractors of this theory might point out that in this year's NBA Finals, James disappeared for long stretches as well.

Other detractors might point out a different rumor floating around about LeBron at the time...

Delonte West Slept with LeBron's Mother

Well, this one pertains more to LeBron's mom, namely that she had slept with his teammate, Delonte West.

This rumor began making the rounds around the same time the Cavs were eliminated by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals and was used to explain the Cavs' poor play, namely the poor play of James.

It's very likely that this one was totally fabricated and gained momentum via the Internet. But it certainly made the "rumor mill" rounds at the time, thereby making it a necessary inclusion on this list.

Super Bowl III Was Fixed

This theory makes Joe Namath's "guarantee" a whole lot more convenient.

Here's what Bubba Smith, former NFL player, told Jeff Miller, author of the AFL book Going Long:

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"This might sound crazy, but I don't think the game was kosher. In order for the merger to go through [the Jets] had to win. If you read the terms of the merger, if [the AFL] didn't establish credibility by the end of three years, the terms of the merger were null and void. You're talking the difference between millions and billions of dollars. The line opened at 18 and went down to 15 or something like that because a big bet had been placed on the game. And I know where that bet came from. It came from Baltimore, from someone on the team, from what I understand."

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Conspiracy theorists everywhere giggled like schoolgirls when they read that quote.

The Greatest Game Ever Played Was Fixed

It is an iconic moment in the history of professional football—Alan Ameche fights into the end zone from the 1-yard line on third down, and the Colts defeat the Giants 23-17 in overtime to win the 1958 NFL championship.

So why, conspiracy theorists wonder, didn't the Colts simply kick a field goal, given that it was sudden-death overtime?

The conspiracy theorists suggest it was because Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom had a huge wager on the game and needed more than a three-point win to cover the spread.

Others have suggested they went for the touchdown rather than the field goal because kicker Steve Myhra only made four field goals in 10 attempts on the season.

The Shot Predicted Around the World

It has since been proven that the 1951 Giants had a bit of assistance in their remarkable run to the NL pennant that year.

They were stealing signs, using a binoculars-wielding assistant in center field who would then relay the signals in to the batter, letting him know if a fastball was coming.

Bobby Thomson has claimed he didn't receive a signal before his famous home run, but conspiracy theorists rightly suggest his claim—given the sign-stealing evidence against the Giants—might not be so believable.

Cal Ripken Beats Up Kevin Costner

Yes, you read that right.

Here's the gist of this rumor, circa 1997:

Ripken was allowing actor Kevin Costner to stay at his house, Ripken returned to his house to find Costner and his wife in bed together, Ripken kicked Costner's butt, Ripken called the Orioles and told them he would be unable to play (thereby ending his streak) and Orioles management claimed they were having an "electrical failure" that night and canceled the game (thereby preserving the streak).

The only problem? The O's were actually having an electrical problem that evening, and Ripken was at the ballpark that night as well.

Cal Ripken's All-Star Game Home Run

Let's stay on the Cal Ripken theme and add some All-Star flair.

This theory suggests that in the 2001 All-Star Game—the final one Ripken would ever play in—Chan Ho Park purposefully grooved him a fastball, leading to the home run Ripken hit and his second All-Star MVP.

This might be the mildest conspiracy theory that has ever gotten legs. Think about it—a pitcher grooves a pitch in an exhibition game to a player about to retire, and said player hits a home run. In an exhibition game.

I mean, even if this did happen as conspiracy theorists suggest, who cares?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gets the Win

Junior came into question after winning the first race after his father's tragic death. Jimmy Spencer said the following after the race:

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"I knew going in the No. 8 car was going to win this race. Something was fictitious. ... I mean, you know, it's not ironic the No. 8 car would win at all."

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He later apologized publicly and privately, but the conspiracy was on. Claims have been made that certain drivers let him win, others questioned whether or not his car was legal, etc.

Of course, those claims aren't sourced, so proceed with caution.

The Spygate Cover-Up

Why did Roger Goodell destroy all of the tapes and notes that the Patriots were forced to turn in by the NFL after they were caught illegally taping the Jets? Was there evidence in those tapes that would have tarnished one—or all—of the three Patriots Super Bowl wins?

Fearing a larger scandal that would cause high levels of distrust among NFL fans, did Goodell destroy the evidence so as to keep Spygate an isolated incident?

Questions, so many questions.

UNLV Loses to Duke

In 1991, UNLV was trying to defend its title from the year before. A repeat seemed inevitable—the Runnin' Rebels were undefeated that year, after all—when they faced off against Duke in the title game, a team they had easily handled the year before.

But they lost, sparking rumors that the fix was in.

It didn't help that three of UNLV's players were photographed in a hot tub with Richie "The Fixer" Perry, whose nickname should give you a pretty good idea of his reputation.

Wayne Was the Real Gambling Gretzky

When ex-NHL player Rick Tocchet was found to be at the center of a sports gambling ring, one of the notable names associated in the ring was that of Wayne Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones.

The conspiracy theory goes that Jones took the fall for Gretzky (or was placing the bets for him), based upon two factors: Tocchet was an assistant coach to Gretzky on the Coyotes at the time, thus giving the pair access to one another, and it would also look bad for Gretzky to be caught up in a gambling ring.

No charges for fixing games or betting on hockey were ever levied, thereby making this conspiracy theory pretty mild to begin with.

Babe Ruth's Venereal Disease

In 1925, Ruth played only 98 games, missing the early portion of the season.

The rumor?

That the womanizing Ruth had a venereal disease, thus causing him to miss the early part of the season. While it's never been proven, Ruth's well-documented lifestyle would suggest it was in the least a possibility.

The NBA Wanted the Lakers to Beat the Kings

The Western Conference finals between these two teams caused many people to cry foul—in the case of the referees, literally—when the Lakers were given the majority of the calls, namely in Game 6.

This game also came under scrutiny when ex-ref Tim Donaghy—guilty himself of taking money from gamblers and betting on games—claimed that the NBA instructed its referees to call the game in favor of the Lakers.

Conspiracy detractors have claimed that the disparity in the two teams' style of play, namely between the physicality of Shaquille O'Neal down low and the finesse, jump-shooting Kings (who could forget Shaq calling them the Queens?), was the reason the Lakers saw more calls go their way.

Jimmy Hoffa Buried Under Giants Stadium

Was former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa buried under an end zone at the old Giants Stadium?

Here are some of the details surrounding his death:

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As [Donald] Frankos described it, mob leaders tried to dissuade Hoffa from retaking control of the Teamsters after his release from prison on a jury tampering rap. But Hoffa refused, and allegedly threatened to tell authorities about mob infiltration of the unions.

Hoffa was last seen in a restaurant parking lot outside Detroit on July 30, 1975. Frankos claimed Hoffa was killed in Michigan by members of the Westies, a New York Irish gang, on the orders of Genovese crime family boss Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno.

His body was cut up in Michigan, then driven to New Jersey several months later and buried in the concrete foundation of the sprouting Giants Stadium, Frankos said. He even claimed to know what area of the stadium: Section 107, in the corner of the west end zone.

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The FBI denied the viability of Frankos' story, but the tale lives on.

Liston Falls to a Phantom Punch

The story goes that in the 1965 rematch between Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali, Liston fell in the first round to a phantom punch.

The motive?

There are two theories—that Liston was on the take, or he was pressured by the Black Muslims to throw the fight and feared for his life if he didn't.

It's also possible the best boxer of his time, Ali, simply beat Liston each time. But the conspiracy theories live on.

Michael Jordan Retired Due to His Gambling Problems

The theory goes that Jordan—who was being investigated by the NBA in 1993 due to his gambling habits—retired from basketball for a year and played baseball in order to avoid a suspension from the NBA.

So did Jordan disappear for a year in exchange for the NBA making the investigation into his gambling habits disappear? Did he go and play baseball so that the gambling stories could fade away from public interest?

And would the NBA really banish the most marketable player in league history for an entire year?

You be the judge.

The 1985 NBA Draft Lottery Was Fixed

The conspiracy theory goes that in 1985 the NBA wanted the Knicks and the profitable New York market to land the top prospect on the board, Georgetown's Patrick Ewing, in the first-ever NBA draft lottery.

For this to have been accomplished, the corner of the Knicks envelope must have been folded to ensure that David Stern knew which one to pick so that the Knicks could get the first pick. You can watch the "conclusive" evidence here if you are so inclined.

Be sure to hit me up on Twitter (@TRappaRT) along with the entire B/R Swagger team (@BR_Swagger).