Bleacher Report - Articles by Kyle Watt

The 1972 Summer Olympics: Remembering the Worst Sports Tragedy of All-Time

Kyle Watt — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:32:53 -0400

Ever since there have been sports, there have been sports tragedies. A tragedy is a rare occurrence in the sports world. For a tragedy to occur something devastating must take place.

On Mar. 1, 2009 the world got a reminder of what a sports tragedy can feel like. Two professional football players, Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, along with two others, were lost at sea.

The men were on a fishing trip that ventured too far off the coast on too small of a boat. The search for the missing boaters was called off after three days of searching.

There have been other sports tragedies that have been much worse than this though. The crash of Southern Airways Flight 932 is another case that can be categorized as a sports tragedy.

On Nov. 14, 1970, 75 members of the University of Marshall football team were on board when it crashed. Football players, coaches, staff, and community members were all on board.

Both incidents will likely go down as two of the more tragic sporting news stories of all time, but both pale in comparison to what happened in the 1972 Summer Olympics.

German President Gustav Heinemann had a vision. He saw a peaceful and smooth-going summer games, but he was sadly mistaken.

The much anticipated event was to be held in Munich, Germany; this was the first chance that Germany had to host the event in 36 years, the last time being 1936.

When the 1936 games were played, Nazism was thriving in Germany with Adolph Hitler at the helm. (www.olympic.org)

Hitler had seen the Olympics as an opportunity to show off how superior his Aryan race was compared to others.

The term “Aryan” was used mostly by white supremacists to describe their race but Hitler used the term to describe “Pure” Germans, those who did not have any Jewish decedents.

While Hitler wanted to use the Olympics as a chance to show off his Aryan race, the games were seen more as a chance for people to try to heal some of the wounds that he had caused so many others.

The 1972 Summer Games offered Germany a chance to showcase their nation as a peaceful representative, unlike the Nazis' hidden agenda over the previous 36 years.

The 1972 games were set to be the largest yet; 121 nations supplied a total of 7,173 athletes, with 152 events to be played.

However, the 1972 Summer Olympics will be remembered for anything but peace, which was unfortunate for those who sought out unity at the '72 games.

In the weeks before the games were set to begin, many of the athletes and trainers became worried about their safety and well-being, mainly because of the host country and Hitler’s connection to the Holocaust.

The Israeli participants were especially concerned about their safety, many of whom had direct connections with the Holocaust. They were either holocaust survivors themselves, or had family members that had survived. (www.Time.com)

On Aug. 26, 1972, the Olympic torch had been lit and the games were ready to begin. For the Israeli people it was a day of relief. All the events went on as scheduled and there were no major setbacks. It wasn’t until early morning on Sept. 5 that the worst thing imaginable happened. (www.cbsnews.com)

At approximately 4:00 in the morning, eight terrorists that were part of a Palestinian terrorist organization hopped a six-foot fence surrounding the Olympic village, as the Israeli athletes slept.

The terrorists were seen by a few people, but no one thought anything of it because they were dressed up in sweatshirts and sweatpants. It wasn’t uncommon to see athletes running around early in the morning to prepare for an event.

Immediately after the group of terrorists jumped the fence, they headed straight towards 31 Connollystrasse, the apartments where a group of Israelis were staying.

It was 4:30 am by the time the terrorists broke into apartments one and three. The men smashed the windows and broke into the room, several Israelis resisted, a handful were able to escape though the window, and two were killed.

Nine total were captured and taken hostage. (www.cbsnews.com)

It was 5:00 am when police were alerted of the news that attacks were underway in the Olympic village. The reports spread quickly and soon became international news.

The first interaction that the terrorists had with police came in the form of a note; it was a list of demands. They wanted hundreds of prisoners released from German and Israeli prisons, and they wanted it to happen by 9:00 that morning.

After hours of back and forth negotiations, the deadline had been pushed back to noon. After the noon-deadline had passed, negotiators were able postpone the time on three different occasions.

By 5:00 pm, a total of 12 hours had passed, and the eight terrorists were starting to feel that their demands were not going to be met. (www.cbsnews.com)

The eight men quickly changed their strategy; they now wanted two airplanes to fly the hostages and themselves to Egypt, with the hope that a change of location would help their demands to be met.

At first German negotiators agreed, but soon after they realized that they couldn’t let the men leave with the hostages.

German police wanted this standoff to end sooner than later so they quickly created Operation Sunshine, a plan where police would storm the apartments to try and save the hostages.

Unfortunately for the Germans, it was well documented by the media and was aired on international television before they could go forth.

The terrorists saw the plan on live television which squashed any hope that the Germans had of a rescue attempt in the apartment. (www.cbsnews.com)

The Germans quickly regrouped and planned another trap for the terrorists at the Furstenfeldbruck airport. The eight terrorists were transported with the hostages by helicopter to the airport with snipers waiting for them.

When the terrorists arrived at the airport they quickly realized it was a trap. A deadly gunfight broke out, killing two terrorists and one policeman.

German officers ordered armored cars to help end this disaster. Sadly, the armored cars never arrived because they were stuck in traffic. The disaster came to an end when the men realized it was a trap.

As they were boarding the plane they realized something was amiss. Realizing that the end was near for them, the men sprinted back to the helicopter to kill the hostages.

The helicopter was sprayed with rounds of bullets and one grenade. After the ordeal, there were three wounded terrorists and no survivors. (www.cbsnews.com)

The 1972 Summer Olympics will go down as one of the more horrific tragedies in sports history. One of the more disturbing aspects of the ordeal came after the smoke cleared, surprisingly enough.

The Olympics were postponed for no more than one day. People across the world were upset and disappointed that the games resumed so soon.

"Incredibly, they're going on with it,” wrote Jim Murray of the LA Times. (www.cbsnews.com)

The public’s opinion on the matter was split. Some felt that the games shouldn’t resume so soon and that the athletes should go off to a safer place.

Others thought that it would be best if the Olympics continued as quickly as possible, with the thought that resuming the event so soon would distract the world from what just happened, the worst tragedy in sports history.

A Brief History of How Steroids Destroyed America's Pastime

Kyle Watt — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:58:17 -0500

If you were to flashback 48 years and turn on a radio station or an analog television set, you might hear talk of a man named Roger Maris.

At the time it was 1961 and he was chasing one of baseball’s most hallowed records, the single season home run record. This record was once held by the legendary Babe Ruth. With every home run he hit there was nothing but cheers and applause.

There was no doubt that he hit every pitch with nothing but god given talent. Roger Maris’s pursuit of the single season home run title eventually became legendary; he ended up passing Ruth’s record by just one.

Things are much different in baseball today than they were 48 years ago though. The emergence of performance enhancing drugs, such as HGH (human growth hormone) and anabolic steroids are to blame.

If you were to go back as recent as eleven years there was still no thought in people’s minds that athletes could be cheating. 37 years after Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s home run record; there were two young ball players on the verge of breaking Maris’s record.

Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa were two young players that were hitting home runs at an alarming rate. For the course of the entire 1998 season they were hitting with extremely consistency.

It seemed as though that a newer, younger, and stronger generation of baseball players had arrived. McGuire ended up finishing the season with 70 home runs, and to the general public he was a beloved hero.

It was not until years after that Mark broke the record that something started to feel wrong. It was 2001 and yet another ball player was making a run at the record, the only problem was that he was in the latter stages of his career. This run seemed very unlikely for the 37-year-old, Barry Bonds.

This was about the time that people were questioning if the legitimacy of each home run. In fact, because Barry was able to go on to break the record for the final time; his record was put into question.

How was this aging and fading star able to make an impact like this? At the time people were not sure what to believe, was he was really getting better with age, or was he able to find a way to maintain his powerful swing?

Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, and dozens of other players each are under investigation for taking a banned substance to help increase their speed, size and strength.

The era of which these players allegedly took steroids and other performance enhancing drugs quickly became known as the steroid era. For baseball, a sport very proud of its history and records, this was a nightmare. Baseball’s records are looked at as extremely well respected and looked up to.

The dilemma Major League Baseball had was deciphering if the records that the steroid users broke were legitimate.

The first official acknowledgement of a player admitting to using steroids was Jose Canseco. Canseco was the self proclaimed “Godfather of Steroids”. After his retirement in 2001 Canseco was able to finally reflect on his 17 year career.

He later released the book “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, & How Baseball Got Big”. The tell-all book detailed his own use of performance enhancing drugs, and names hundreds of other players in Major League Baseball.

Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield were among the elite ball players listed in his book, but it was Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds who got most of the attention.

Each man had his own day in federal court where they were told to tell the truth and nothing but the truth about their alleged use of steroids. Both Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire took different approaches to what they were going to say in court.

Sosa claimed that he did not understand the questions that were being asked to him, and suddenly he lost the ability to speak basic English. March 17, 2005, Mark McGuire appeared before a house committee in federal court. Unlike Sosa, Mark decided to talk, but not about anything people wanted to hear, he repeated a number of times that

“I'm not going to go into the past or talk about my past. I'm here to make a positive influence on this.” (CNN.com) He went on to say that “My lawyers have advised me that I cannot answer these questions without jeopardizing my friends, my family and myself” (CNN.com). McGuire has admitted to using one form of a precursor to steroids, androstenedione, but nothing else.

Barry Bonds is on an entirely different level than Sosa and McGuire are though. Bonds is considered by many to be the face of the steroid era. He was not only mentioned in Jose Conseco’s book, but he was one of the dozens of players listed in the Mitchell Report, a private investigation by George Mitchell into performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.

Barry Bonds is the last player to break the single season home run record and the current holder of the greatest record in sports, the all-time home run record. The suspicion of Bonds possibly taking steroids began in 2001, the year he broke McGuire’s record. Toward the end of his career, Barry’s abilities did not seem to diminish. He seemed to be becoming bigger and stronger every year, and his home run swing was still intact.

Two years after Bonds broke the single season home run record, he found himself, like Sosa, and McGuire, testifying in front of a Federal jury. December 4, 2003, Barry Bonds testified before a federal grand jury.

He made the claim that he never knowingly used performance enhancing drugs, he told the grand jury that he received a “cream” that was “clear” from his personal trainer, Greg Anderson. Bonds continues to praise his innocence saying over and over again to the national media that “They can test me every day if they choose to” ( ESPN.com).

August 8, 2007, was one of the most historic and controversial days in Major League Baseball history. That day Barry Bonds hit his 756thcareer home run, he had passed Hank Aaron's all-time home run record and he had become the new home run king.

For some that day brought joy to see change in baseballs history, but for others it brought anger and disappointment. One thing people could look forward to that day was that Alex Rodriguez, one day would surely break Bonds all-time record. Four or five years from that day baseball would have a clean home run champion.

Not everything happens the way people think it will. In the same year that Bonds testified in front of congress, there was a league wide anonymous steroid test. The results conducted in this test were supposed to remain anonymous.

This was supposed to be a test to check how many baseball players were using and if Major League Baseball should implement a punishment for using performance enhancers.

One name from the anonymous test was leaked though. Alex Rodriguez was one of 104 other players that tested positive for steroids. The man that was poised to be the shining light though the steroids era, is just another all-star player wrapped up in the controversy.

The public’s opinion on steroid users have been extremely critical because the alleged either do not address their situation or deny the allegations altogether. On February 9, 2009, just three days after the report surfaced that he tested positive for steroids, Alex Rodriguez held a tell all interview in his Miami home.

In the interview he did admit to takings a form of performance enhancing drugs "I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful." ( ESPN.com)

Perhaps because Alex admitted to his mistakes the public will forgive him, or maybe his legacy will forever be tarnished and he will be seen as just another cheater. Rodriguez made the claim that he only used steroids from 2001-2003 while with the Texas Rangers; he is in a unique situation because of his age.

He still has time to show the public that he does not need to use steroids to succeed, unlike Bonds, McGuire, and Sosa who did. One thing is certain though in an era of confusion, liars, and cheaters for baseball, steroids left a black eye on America’s great pastime.

The Next Generation: Five Young Athletes to Watch for in the New Year

Kyle Watt — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:45:44 -0500

2008 was a wild year for sports, now that 2009 is finally upon us we can reflect at what happened and also look forward to another exciting year. In this past year we've had breakout athletes, shocking wins, and record setting performances. Eli Manning and the New York Giants upset the Perfect Patriots in Superbowl 42, Micheal Phelps set a record by winning 8 gold medals in the Olympics, and Stephen Curry made his presence know in the NCAA tournament. And you think you've seen it all? In 2009 there's a chance that we might be introduced to even more household names.

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Plaxico Burress: A Giant Possibility

Kyle Watt — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:14:20 -0500

Now, obviously, the Giants haven't exactly been the same team since Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself, but it is surprising to see just how much worse they have played, specifically the quarterback.

Eli Manning has dearly missed his No. 1 receiver. He has managed to throw only two touchdown passes in his last five games, neither of which was to a wide receiver.

Burress stands at 6'5" and was New York's No. 1 threat inside the red zone. If nothing else, Plaxico attracted double coverage on every snap, which would allow other Giant receivers (Toomer, Smith, Hixon) to get separation.

The Giants were 12-1 with Burress and 4-3 without him.

Last Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles obviously was hard to swallow for Giants fans. The loss gives a bittersweet taste to an otherwise successful year in which New York showed absolutely no Super Bowl hangover.

But there might be reason to smile if you're a Giants fan. Well, maybe.

New York might be getting back its heavily scrutinized wideout, assuming he is able to avoid jail. Giants GM Jerry Reese must have finally seen the difference that Plaxico makes.

After Sunday's loss to the Eagles, he was asked about the possibility of Burress rejoining the team next season.

"If everything goes all right, yeah."

"Absolutely."

Giants-Eagles: Five Ways the Giants Can Clip the Eagle's Wings on Sunday

Kyle Watt — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:20:50 -0500

Last Sunday, NFL fans had a chance to watch one of the more intriguing matchups in the wild-card weekend, when the Philadelphia Eagles played the Minnesota Vikings.

Although the (10-6) Vikings entered the game with a better record, it was the (9-6-1) Eagles who were favored heavily. The Eagles came out on top and won a game that they were supposed to win.

Now, Philadelphia travels to East Rutherford, NJ, to play the defending Champions, the New York Giants.

There's no doubt that Philly enters this Sunday's game as arguably the hottest team in the NFL. They're have even been some comparisons to last years New York Giants Super Bowl team, who also entered the postseason on a roll. Perhaps people are over looking the No. 1 seed Giants too quickly, and maybe that's just how they like it.

Each team has won in Each others fields, but I wouldn't give that too much thought. This game won't be a blow-out either, get ready for another hard hitting NFC East game. The Giants can come out on top if they are able to do these five steps.

5. Win the Field-Position Battle

DeSean Jackson vs. The Giants' Special Teams. Jackson is the kind of return man that can change the outlook of a game very quickly. If New York can wrap him up on kickoff returns, than that's huge. I'm not nearly as concerned with punt returns; Jeff Feagles, a Pro Bowl kicker, has made a career at downing balls under the 20-yard line.

4. Force Turnovers

This is one of the few things the Giants have struggled with this year. The secondary hasn't been able to get a grip on any of the balls that have hit them in the numbers. Again, if the D-line can hurry McNabb into some bad throws, than maybe this trend can go away.

3. Pressure McNabb

What the Giants can't do is give Donovan time in the pocket, especially with the way that he's is throwing the ball now. He would tear apart the Giant's secondary. With the extra week of rest though, I expect Justin Tuck and the rest of the D-line to be able to apply pressure early and often.

2. Contain Brian Westbrook

Brian Westbrook is an extremely dangerous player; he is very hard to contain on the field, and for as dangerous a running back he is, he's that much better behind a group of blockers in screen. Expect the Giants to possibly add another safety and drop a linebacker to help Antonio Peirce bottle up Westbrook.

1. "Get Pissed off"

Antonio Peirce said himself that the Giants need to get pissed off; they need that chip on their shoulder again. And you know what? They're going to get it back with all this talk of the Eagles being this year's version of the 2008 New York Giants.

They Wanted It More: Giants Top Panthers in OT

Kyle Watt — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:42:51 -0500

Unbelievable.

If you were paying attention all week to the national Media and what they were saying about Sunday Night's game, then you would be left wondering how they could get it so wrong.

Two teams heading in different directions met Sunday night in the frigid Meadow lands. The New York Giants were reeling, they had lost two strait, and were seemingly headed in a downward spiral after the loss of Plaxico Burress. The Panthers arrived in the Meadow Lands absolutely on fire. They had won seven out of eight, with their run game looking unstoppable at times.

The focus of Sunday Night's game was clearly the well-anticipated return of Brandon Jacobs. The bruising back, when healthy, runs through defenders and he helps soften up the defense for Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward as well. That couldn't have rang any more true on Sunday.

Sunday Night played host to more than the biggest game of the year.

It was Derrick Ward's coming out party.

Ward ran for a career high 215 yards and set up Brandon Jacobs' game winning two yard touchdown run in overtime. Snowballs flew as Jacobs broke the plain of the endzone with 9:57 left in overtime. With the score, New York reclaimed their position atop the NFC.

It took a two point conversion, a career best 215 rushing yards from Derrick Ward, a resilient comeback, and over time, but the Giants left New Jersey as the best team in the NFC. What they should be, what they've been all year.

Derrick Ward averaged a staggering 14.3 yards per carry, with a long of 51.

Ward said of his performance: "We've had our doubters, that we hit our peak in the past. We knew that we could run the ball. That's what the New York Giants are. We run the ball."

With the win, New York locks up the number one seed in the NFC, a first round bye, and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Number One Seed Sunday: Panthers-Giants, Steelers-Titans Both Pivotal Games

Kyle Watt — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:37:15 -0500

This Sunday, four of the best teams in the NFL will play. The winners will be rewarded with home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The (11-3) Pittsburgh Steelers roll into Tennessee to play a (12-2) Titans team who are coming off an ugly Week 15 loss to the Texans. Kerry Collins went 15-33 with no touchdowns and one interception.

Tennessee lost more than the game in last Sunday's visit to Reliant Stadium—they lost their best defensive player, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

The Steelers are coming off an impressive 13-9 win against the Ravens and look to lock up the number one seed in the AFC this Sunday at Tennessee. Expect a lot of hard hits—this is going to be a low-scoring defensive struggle for both teams.

The Sunday night game will feature the (11-3) defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants hosting the (11-3) surging Carolina Panthers in the Meadowlands. The Panthers bring MVP candidate Steve Smith to Giants Stadium, along with an offense that is absolutely on fire.

The Giants are coming off an ugly loss to the Cowboys in Dallas but look to get back on track quickly. They can secure the number one seed and a first round bye with a win this weekend. The return of Brandon Jacobs will be huge for New York—he helps soften up the defense for Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw (otherwise known as Wind and Fire).

Steelers def. Titans 17-13

Giants def. Panthers 24-21

Manny Ramirez: The Next Big Possibility for The Yankees

Kyle Watt — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:15:54 -0500

People in and around baseball are upset about how the Yankees have spent nearly a quarter billion dollars in the off season thus far, and they might not be done yet.

George A. King III of the New York Post reports that if the Yankees are unable to get Mark Teixeira, than they're "Right there" to sign Manny Ramirez.

If the Yankees aren't able to get Mark Teixeira, than they're likely to heavily pursue free agent Manny Ramirez to help and improve an already powerful lineup.

The thought of Manny Ramirez in pinstripes I'm sure was unimaginable to Yankee fans years ago when Manny was with Boston, but this has become a surprisingly large possibility. Ramirez had a well documented departure from Boston, which left both sides pointing fingers.

If the Yankees were to sign the 36-year-old outfielder, than yes, they would sign a man who makes you wonder at times why he acts the way he does.

But the Bomber would also get a career .314 hitter and a force in the lineup when they play Boston.

Manny would also be a welcome presence if the Yankees were able to get back into the playoffs, over his career he has been able to get clutch hit after clutch hit, that's something that New Yorkers would welcome with open arms. the combination of Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez could possibly be one of the most powerful one-two punches in baseball history, even surpassing that of the Ortiz-Manny combo years ago (Sorry Red Sox fans).

We all saw what Manny can do when he puts his mind to it (he hit .396 with 17 home runs in 53 games with the Dodgers). Imagine what he'd be able to do against the Red Sox all season for New York.

Jay Cutler: NFL Legend in the Works

Kyle Watt — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:01:18 -0500

Jay Cutler has said openly that he thinks his arm is stronger than that of John Elway, and maybe his future can be brighter than Elway's as well.

Jay Cutler has thrown for more yards this year than he did all of last. He has thrown for 3,679 yards with three games left to play in the season, 182 more yards than all of last season.

Jay Cutler may one day be one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play professional football.

He has been in the league for only three years, and is on track to break nearly every major Broncos' passing record. Cutler entered the league in 2006 and played a total of five games for Denver. He was able to set new Broncos' rookie records for passer rating (88.5) and completion percentage (59.1) that year.

There are only two quarterbacks in the game today that we expect to see throw for over 300 yards multiple times in a season: Jay Cutler and Drew Brees.

Jay Cutler obviously has one of the more gifted arms we have seen in awhile. As everyone knows, the quarterback is the most important position on the football field. He's the only man that touches the ball every play (excluding the Center).

Jay Cutler could possibly be better than Elway one day, but he needs the right team around him. Eddie Royal, a rookie wide receiver, is his new favorite target, but the offense isn't the issue. If the Broncos want to win a championship then they need to improve on their 23rd ranked defense.

Amani Toomer: Mr. Consistency

Kyle Watt — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:36:25 -0500

If someone were to ask you who the most durable receiver in the National Football League is, I bet that Amani Toomer wouldn't cross you're mind.

But he is.

A 13-year pro and a two-time Super Bowl Champion, Amani Toomer can still get it done at age 34. He has already surpassed the amount of touchdowns that he had a year ago, and had a season high 85 receiving yards with five receptions against the Redskins in Week 13.

He leads the best team in football, New York Giants, with 505 receiving yards. Toomer is the last remaining active member of the New York Giants Super Bowl XXXV team. Amani Toomer gets no love for being so great for so long.

He is the best that I have ever seen at catching the ball out of play and dragging his feet for a reception. He is the Giants' franchise leader in career receptions with 637 (and counting).

Amani Toomer is Mr. Consistency.

If you expect the Giants to all of a sudden fall off because of the sudden and stupid loss of Plaxico Burress, than think again. Amani Toomer is not only underrated from a receivers stand point but as a leader as well. Expect Toomer to lead a young and inexperienced Giants receiving team (Hixon, Smith, Manningham, Moss) through this loss.

Toomer seems to have found a way to fly under the radar his entire career. Toomer is like the Bernie Williams of football—an icon, a hometown hero, and an underrated, underappreciated talent.

Toomer is versatile as well, in his earlier playing days he wasn't just a receiver. His first year in the league he was a spectacular return man as well. He holds the record for the longest punt return in Giants history, an 87-yard touchdown return vs. Buffalo on Sept. 1, 1996.

That year, he was also able to establish another record that hasn't yet been broken. He has the highest average return yards per game for a single season, the record being 16.6 yards per attempt.

Toomer faces a tough this challenge this week though, as he and the Giants, take on a desperate and fading Dallas Cowboy team. Expect another solid game from Amani.