Most Devastating Misses in Sports History

Don't you just hate messing up? 

I know I do, and I can bet professional athletes hate it even more.

They are on the big stage, and all of our eyes are on them.

As fans, we hate to see those misses that either embarrass our team or, in some cases, lose one of the most important games for us.

A single miss can ruin one's entire spirit about their team. These misses have been some of the most devastating in sports history.

30. Diana Ross Ruins the World Cup

Oh Diana Ross, why couldn't you have just kept singing?

Check that, why did you even have to show up?

Nonetheless, you ruined the World Cup by completely missing a goal that you were supposed to just casually push in.

Not only that, the goal collapsed.

Shame on you.

29. Diego's Boo-Boo

Alright, so Manchester United was up 4-1 in the closing minutes, but this miss by Diego Floran is inexcusable.

Going against Juventus, Man U has to flex their muscles.

Floran was given a wide, open chance to take this game 5-1, but somehow he misses the goal wide left.

This is Man U. That can't happen.

28. No Way, Noah

For those of you who don't know Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls, well, he has a lot of energy.

On this fast break attempt, he learned that sometimes too much energy will hurt you—and your reputation—in the end.

27. Jake Brown's Big Slam

Alright, this one isn't a funny miss.

Australian professional skateboarder Jake Brown was performing one of the biggest tricks at the Summer X Games Big Air event.

He pulled off the 720 over the gap, but he lost the traction on his board trying to pull off a 540 on the vertical ramp.

He fell straight to the ground from 50 feet in in the air.

Luckily today he is okay. That was one bad miss, though.

26. Cristiano Ronaldo Kills Chance at the Lead

With Read Madrid up 1-0 against Barcelona, they were looking for their big striker in Cristiano Ronaldo to help them increase their lead by two.

With a great opportunity to do just that, Ronaldo takes an easy shot and nails it wayyyyy wide right.

I mean, come on, this is Ronaldo.

He is getting paid about $86 million to just put it in the goal.

They ended up losing the match 3-1.

25. DeSagana Diop Is Taking Miss to a Whole New Level

Listen closely before the free throw.

You will hear someone shouting, "ALL THE WAY, ALL THE WAY!"

Apparently, DeSagna Diop didn't get the message in time.

24. Luis Castillo Drops the Ball, Game and Hope of the Mets

Luis Castillo only had to catch a routine foul ball to end the inning and the game.

The fans were excited, as the New York Mets were about to beat their Subway Series rivals in the New York Yankees.

Unfortunately, Castillo botched the catch and it ended in the men in pinstripes scoring two unearned runs to win the game.

23. Just Give Kemba the Ball

When you play with Kemba Walker, you don't get a whole lot of chances to try and win the game.

Roscoe Smith really wanted that chance, so the second he got the ball, he chucked it to the other end. There was 11 seconds left on the clock.

UConn learned their lesson in overtime.

Walker scored seven of the nine points to win the game in OT.

22. Nate Thompson Misses an Open Opportunity

So the New York Islanders are down 3-0 to the New York Rangers. They were also going against a power play.

The Islanders got the puck clear, and it landed into Nate Thompson's hands (well stick, but you get what I mean).

With the goalie of out of the goal, all he had to do was get past him. He did.

Empty net.

Miss.

Boo.

21. LeBron and Wade Can't Close It out Against the Bulls

The Miami Heat were desperate to finally beat the Chicago Bulls for the first time in three tries.

In the previous two games, the Heat lost by no more than four points. In their third try—their first at home—the Big 3 were looking to put their stamp on the season by defeating the NBA's top team.

Well, they almost did. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade both had a shot at making a two that would have taken the team ahead, but neither was able to convert.

The Bulls swept the regular seasons, but the Heat would have the last laugh in the playoffs.

20. Courtney Lee Ruins His Time to Shine

The Orlando Magic were down 1-0 in the NBA Finals, and they were looking to get a win on the road against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Courtney Lee had a chance to give the team the lead not once but twice. Both times he failed to make a layup.

The second attempt wasn't as easy, but you have to take advantage of those second chances!

19. Brett Favre Misses Sidney Rice

The Minnesota Vikings have never won a Super Bowl, but they looked poised to do so in 2009.

Unfortunately, things were in the hands of the all-time leader in throwing interceptions, Brett Favre.

With just under 20 seconds to go in a tied game, Favre and the Vikings were on the Saints' 40 yard line.

The team just needed a little more to get into field goal range, but that wouldn't happen.

Favre missed wide receiver Sidney Rice and instead the ball landed in the hands of Tracy Porter.

18. Fahad Khalfan Needs a Real Challenge

Fahad Khalfan was given a golden opportunity to help his team win at the 2010 Asian Games.

He got past Uzbekistan's goalie, but that wasn't enough of a challenge, apparently.

With a wide-open goal, he wound up and kicked it right in the pole, causing the ball to go back into the field.

To Khalfan's credit, he has only made two goals over his entire career. Not a reliable guy to say the least.

17. Stevie Johnson Had His Guns Going Too Early

The Buffalo Bills were going for a third consecutive win, but they were dealing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime.

It didn't look good for the Bills, but quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Stevie Johnson had been one dirty tandem all season long.

With a chance for the win, Fitzpatrick went for his main man. 

His reliable target looked pretty unreliable, as he let the game-winner slip right through his hands.

16. David Villa Is Just Too Strong

David Villa had a chance to send his team into the second half with the lead, but apparently he is just too strong for short goals.

With Lithuiania's goal keeper on the ground from deflecting the previous attempt, Villa had a wide open shot to take the lead.

Instead, he completely missed the goal.

15. It's Okay, Andre, at Least You Tried

So your team is down by five with about three seconds left in the game.

The game is over, right?

Wrong.

Especially when Devin Harris is jacking up a three to make it a two-point game with one second left against the Denver Nuggets.

Andre Kirlienko was all over forward Kenyon Martin as he was passing it in, and he got what he wanted—the ball.

With a chance to tie the game, Kirlienko botches an easy layup.

14. A Kick Ruins Boise State's Season Yet Again

What is with Boise State and missing important field goals? While this isn't the big one—which we will be getting to—this miss by Dan Goodell against the TCU Horned Frogs this past season was pretty bad.

The Broncos were on their way to going 9-0 with a real chance at a BCS bid, but once again a field goal kept them out of their aspirations.

Goodell, who was just a freshman, was actually kicking just his third field goal of the year. 

This game, which was important, ruined the Broncos' chances at making yet another BCS bowl game.

13. Gonzaga Loses, Adam Morrison Cries

The Gonzaga Bulldogs had high hopes during the 2006 NCAA tournament.

They had Adam Morrison, who was one of the best scorers in the game.

With the team up by 17 at one point in the game, the Bulldogs saw themselves fighting for a last-second shot to tie the game.

They missed it, and we all had to watch Morrison cry in the middle of the floor.

12. Gary Anderson's Foot Got Tired

Sorry Vikings' fans, we are back to yet another incident in your team's history.

During the 1998 season, kicker Gary Anderson had not missed a field goal all season. He was golden. Perfect.

The team was already up seven, but they were looking to make it a 10 point lead with a field goal. 

Surprising, Anderson missed it. The Atlanta Falcons scored, and took the game to overtime.

The Vikings lost the game in overtime, and now this great kicker has been thrown to the curb for messing up the greatest opportunity in team history.

11. Derrick Rose and CDR Lose the NCAA Title

In 2008, the Memphis Tigers looked like the clear winners for the NCAA tournament.

They had Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts, who were two of the best players in the country.

The team was up by four points with just over a minute left in the game.The Jayhawks kept putting the Tigers on the line, but their two star players just couldn't convert.

Roberts missed his free throw, and then missed another two as the Jayhawks still failed to score.

With the scored still 62-60, Rose made just one of two free throws, which gave the team a three point lead.

With nine seconds left in the game, Chalmers sent it to over time with a three-pointer. When it was all said and done, the Jayhawks came away with the victory.

10. Stanford's Jordan Williamson Isn't Having a Fiesta

The Stanford Cardinals were looking to send quarterback Andrew Luck out with a BCS win at the Fiesta Bowl over the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but things didn't exactly go that way.

With barely any time left in the game, the Cardinals offense marched down the field and got their team into field goal range.

With just three seconds left on the clock, kicker Jordan Williamson had a chance to lock it up with a 35-yard field goal.

He kicked it left, and the game went into overtime. They eventually fell to the Cowboys, after pretty much having the game locked up.

9. Romo Misses the Snap

Oh Tony Romo, how do you do the things you do?

The Dallas Cowboys were looking to make a deep playoff run with a potential win over the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card game, but leave it to Romo to mess things up.

Down by one, the Cowboys were going to kick a field goal with just over a minute left in the game. Romo, although the starting quarterback, had been place holding all season.

With the snap, Romo failed to catch it clean and he fumbled it. That led to the famous run that he almost had to score a touchdown.

In the end, the miscue lost the game.

8. Yakubu Kicks It Just a Tad Left

Yakubu Aiyegbeni apparently doesn't like gifts, or at least that is the impression he gave in this World Cup match.

At the 2010 tournament, his team, Nigeria, was down 2-1 to South Korea. With a wide open goal, Aiyegbeni was given clear shot to tie the game.

Instead, he missed wide left.

The team went onto tie the game 2-2, but they didn't qualify for the next stage.

7. Billy Cundiff Needs a Second Chance

You may remember this one, as it stands to be the most recent to memory.

The Baltimore Ravens were looking to tie the game against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

They were down just three points, and they called upon their kicker Billy Cundiff to make the tie happen.

With the team in it the entire game, it looked as if this thing was going to overtime.

The kick went wide left, and it sent the Ravens home packing.

6. Bill Buckner Goes Down in History

Poor Bill Buckner.

A great player will go down in infamy for one miscue. Unfortunately, that miscue was the game-losing play for the Boston Red Sox in the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets.

But hey, Boston, you have won two since then!

5. Almost Buffalo, Just a Tad Right

I have a feeling whoever made this video was a New York Giants fan due to the music as the ball misses.

Basically, you have to feel bad for the Buffalo Bills.

They have never won a Super Bowl, even though they made the big game four consecutive times from 1990-93.

In their first attempt, which was against the New York Giants, the team had a chance to take the game with a last-second field goal.

Kicker Scott Norwood was given the call, but he will forever go down in history as the "Wide Right Game" guy.

Soon, Buffalo, soon.

4. USA Can't Catch a Break

Losing a World Cup final match in a penalty shootout just isn't right.

Teams just need to keep grinding it out until someone wins.

At the 2011 FIFA World Cup, the United States and Japan had to deal with a shootout to settle who won.

Any miss in one of these situations is devastating, but nothing was worse for the Americans than the first kick for each team.

First was the lucky block by Japan's goalie, which she just got with her foot.

The next was the casual goal by Japan, which was just a horrible miss by American goalie Hope Solo.

3B. Ronny Rosenthal Doesn't Pass the Bar

Ronny Rosenthal's missed goal against Aston Villa is regarded as one of the worst missed shots of all time.

He had a wide open opportunity at the goal, but somehow he got a little too under it, as the ball collided with the crossbar.

I don't think Liverpool was too excited about their loan from Standard Liege.

3A. Fernando Torres Can't Handle the Pressure

Fernando Torres is regarded as one of the best strikers in the professional game, but he sure didn't look like it in this match against Manchester United this season.

This game had Torres' first goal of the season for Chelsea, but it was a second thought considering his huge miss on an open goal.

Perhaps it is due to the team losing the game as well, but a guy like Torres isn't expected to make mistakes like this.

2. Boise State's Kyle Brotzman Misses Not One, but Two Game-Winning Field Goals

The Boise State Broncos were sitting at 10-0 and were ranked No. 4 in the BCS standings. They were ready to make some serious noise, feeling like they were going to be heading to the BCS title game.

All they had to do was beat the Nevada Wolfpack.

The game was tied at 31, but there was still time left and the Broncos had the ball.

With quarterback Kellen Moore taking the team down field, they were in position to win the game.

All looked well, as reliable kicker Kyle Brotzman set to kick the game winning field goal with less then a second on the clock.

Someway, somehow he missed the kick.

He got another chance though in overtime to redeem himself. But he would miss that one as well.

The Wolfpack would take advantage of the opportunity, winning the game with a field goal in overtime.

And just like that, their title hopes went right down the drain.

1. To Be Fair, Carney Thought the Game Was over

You know how people get mad at kickers, saying they are not athletes?

Yeah, this is why.

In 2003, the New Orleans Saints were down by seven against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With the team fighting for a chance in the playoffs, they needed to do whatever they could to put themselves in that position.

And that is exactly what they did.

The team lateraled the ball three times with no time left on the clock, which eventually resulted in a 75-yard touchdown.

With a chance to tie the game and send the team into overtime, John Carney was brought in to kick the extra point.

Most kickers should do this in their sleep, but Carney ruined the whole play by kicking it wide right.

And that is why people don't consider kickers athletes.