Sports Stories We Overreacted to in 2014
Overreactions are as much a part of sports as balls and strikes. Thanks to the hot-take machine known as Twitter, every story seems to get overblown.
In the world of sports media, we're quick to press the panic button. Sometimes these concerns are warranted, but more often than not, order is restored quickly, leaving us to wonder what we got bent out of shape for in the first place.
2014 was a banner year for sports overreactions. The New England Patriots dynasty was declared over after one bad game, a pop singer "cursed" the Pittsburgh Steelers and a shoplifting Heisman Trophy winner practically broke the Internet.
Today, we look back at a host of attention-grabbing headlines from 2014. All of these stories got us talking, but none of them did much to change the sports landscape.
The ranking criteria is simple: The bigger the story, the higher it ranks. If Tom Brady is involved, you better believe it's high on our list.
Now let's see some overreactions.
No. 15: David Ortiz vs. David Price/Chris Archer
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There was plenty of beef to go around May 30 at Fenway Park. Things got heated when Tampa Bay Rays starter David Price hit David Ortiz with the first pitch of his first at-bat. The beanball was payback for the two home runs Ortiz hit against Price in the previous year's playoffs.
The benches cleared in the fourth inning when Price plunked another Boston Red Sox hitter, first baseman Mike Carp. After the game, Ortiz said he lost all respect for Price.
That could have ended it, but Ortiz got under the Rays' skin again with this wicked bat flip. Chris Archer didn't take kindly to Papi's theatrics.
Sure, the feud had its moments, but look where the Red Sox and Rays finished in the standings. When two losing ball clubs are jawing at each other, it's more sad than interesting.
Still, that didn't stop Chris Russo from getting fired up.
No. 14: Joel Embiid on NBA Draft Night
2 of 15While Andrew Wiggins was ecstatic after getting picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers (ironic, isn't it?), Joel Embiid did not look like a happy camper when the Philadelphia 76ers took him with the third overall pick.
Would Embiid ask for a trade or just sulk around like Dwight Howard?
Well, neither actually. As it turns out, Embiid was on tape delay. The camera panned to Embiid before he even knew the Sixers had drafted him.
We haven't seen Embiid on the court in a while (he's out with a foot injury), but his Twitter game remains strong.
No. 13: NFL's Ban on "Dunking"
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The No Fun League strikes again.
After seeing games delayed by bent goal posts, the NFL decided to ban Jimmy Graham's favorite touchdown celebration. Graham refused to stop dunking, but quickly changed his tune after getting slapped with a $30,000 fine.
Graham has tried to find other ways to celebrate, but most of these attempts have backfired.
At least the Gronk spike is still legal.
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No. 12: Justin Bieber "Curses" the Pittsburgh Steelers
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Pay close attention to this series of events:
- The Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore in Week 9, improve to 6-3.
- Justin Bieber shows up at the team's Bible study the night before their game against the New York Jets the following week.
- The Steelers lose 20-13.
Clearly, Bieber was behind this. Let's also blame him for Bill Buckner's botched grounder, Steve Bartman's sideline interference and Chris Webber's timeout.
Come on, guys. Bieber may be an annoyance, but he's not why the Steelers lost.
Want proof? The New England Patriots chilled with Bieber days before beating the San Diego Chargers in Week 14.
Bieber has better things to do than curse pro football teams—like making ridiculously fake videos on Instagram.
No. 11: Jon Lester's Free Agency
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Jon Lester held the baseball world hostage for almost two weeks before finally agreeing to a six-year, $155 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.
Now he's on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the Cubs are at 12-1 odds to win the World Series.
Hold your horses, people. Lester's no savior. He's been to just three All-Star Games and has never come close to winning a Cy Young. The Red Sox were tanking when they traded Lester, and the Oakland A's weren't much better after they got him.
This is the man who is going to turn the Cubs around? I don't think so.
Lester still deserves credit for handling his detractors with grace. He's like the Andrew Luck of Twitter.
No. 10: Marshawn Lynch's Bizarre Interview
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If there's one thing we know about Marshawn Lynch, it's that he loves Applebee's, especially the ambiance (or is it the decor?).
But that doesn't mean he likes everything. As we've learned over the years, "Beast Mode" is not a fan of the press. That's why he gave this highly insightful interview after Week 12's win over Arizona.
It's not the first time Lynch has been distant with the media. His hesitance to speak publicly became one of the main storylines at last year's Super Bowl.
Let's all give Lynch a break. As long as he keeps scoring touchdowns, why should the Seahawks care what he says to the media?
Besides, this interview from 2007 deserves a lifetime achievement award.
No. 9: Serena Williams at Wimbledon
7 of 15We all have bad days—but not this bad.
Simply put, Serena Williams did not look like a professional tennis player at Wimbledon. At one point in the second round of the doubles tournament, she double-faulted four times in a row, with most of her serves barely reaching the net. She and her sister, Venus, retired before the end of the match.
Rumors swirled that Serena may have been drunk, pregnant or even on drugs.
Obviously, that wasn't the case. Serena rebounded to win the U.S. Open two months later and was recently named WTA Player of the Year.
We're not sure what happened to Serena that day (she claims it was dehydration), but clearly it was an aberration. She's still the best women's tennis player in the world.
No. 8: Conditions at Sochi Olympics
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From packs of stray dogs to toilets that didn't flush, accommodations at the Sochi Olympics were unique, to say the least.
Athletes and reporters expecting to stay at the Ritz Carlton were probably disappointed. But there have to be worse ways to spend a month than watching the best athletes in the world compete for Olympic glory.
For all the criticism Sochi received leading up to the games, the city delivered an entertaining product.
Let's just hope none of the athletes drank from the tap.
No. 7: Cleveland Cavaliers' Slow Start
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You know when you press the snooze button on the alarm to get a few more minutes of sleep? That seems to be what LeBron James does whenever he switches teams.
Four years after the Big Three stalled out of the gate, LeBron's new-look Cleveland Cavaliers endured a similarly frustrating stretch.
As you would expect, hot takes swirled wildly. Grantland's Bill Simmons (subscription required) wondered if LeBron's offseason weight loss had anything to do with the team's struggles. Pardon The Interruption's Michael Wilbon chimed in as well, suggesting LeBron's Big Three in Miami was stronger than the one in Cleveland.
The Cavs haven't exactly been the '96 Chicago Bulls, but they seem to be headed in the right direction. They've won seven out of 10 since Nov. 29 to move into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
No. 6: Adam Wainwright "Grooves" One to Derek Jeter
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Derek Jeter received plenty of gifts on his farewell tour, so who could blame Adam Wainwright for lobbing Jeter a fastball down the middle?
Wainwright caught flak for "grooving" one to Jeter, but it was all in good fun. The American League won the All-Star Game and Jeter was able to ride off into the sunset. Wainwright took some criticism, but he wasn't any worse for the wear.
Wainwright's generous offering still wasn't as obvious as Michael Strahan's phantom sack on Brett Favre in 2001.
No. 5: Weather Concerns for Super Bowl XLVIII
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Everyone said it was a bad idea to play the Super Bowl in a cold-weather city. Months before the big game, The Farmer's Almanac predicted a massive snowstorm.
Of course, none of that happened. Temperatures were in the 50s with no precipitation. It was so warm out that The Red Hot Chili Peppers didn't even wear shirts.
We won't have to worry about snow for a while. The next three Super Bowls will take place in Arizona, California and Texas.
No. 4: Johnny Manziel Falling to Cleveland at Pick No. 22
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Was it really that shocking to see Johnny Manziel fall to No. 22? He's 5'11" with an appetite for partying and an ego that lives on the same street as Kanye West.
The truth is nobody knew where Manziel was going. Mel Kiper had him going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 7 (subscription required), while Todd McShay had the Dallas Cowboys picking him at No. 16.
Considering how poorly he played in his first start, Manziel should be happy he was even drafted. Maybe lay off the cake next time, John.
No. 3: Jameis Winston's Crab Leg Incident
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We've all done things we're not proud of. Drinking too much at a frat party, leaving a bad tip, taking hot sauce from Chipotle (guilty)it's all part of growing up.
Unfortunately, when you're the winner of a prestigious national award, all your mistakes are magnified. Jameis Winston thought he could take some crab legs and get away with it, but security footage caught him in the act.
Winston was sentenced to community service and returned to the Florida State baseball team after a brief suspension.
Opponents haven't let him forget about the crab leg incident, but Winston may have the last laugh. His Florida State Seminoles are one win away from reaching the national championship for the second year in a row.
No. 2: Richard Sherman's Postgame Outburst
14 of 15Richard Sherman had a lot on his mind after beating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game. He expressed these thoughts in a loud, mildly incoherent interview with Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews after the game.
Andrews may have looked traumatized, but she actually admired Sherman's passion. Sherman went on to explain his outburst in a column for Sports Illustrated.
The rant didn't hurt Sherman's image. If anything it made him more popular, as evidenced by his appearance on the cover of this year's Madden.
With that said, it's very unlikely Sherman will receive a Christmas card from Michael Crabtree this year.
No. 1: New England Patriots' Loss to Kansas City Chiefs
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In Week 4, everything went right for the Kansas City Chiefs and everything went wrong for the New England Patriots. Tom Brady struggled, Jamaal Charles looked unstoppable and Rob Gronkowski contributed the most unenthusiastic Gronk spike you will ever see.
What followed was one of the greatest overreactions in sports history. Things got so out of hand that people were calling for the Patriots to trade Brady.
Now that seems like a lifetime ago. The Pats have won nine of their last 10 games, including victories over the playoff-bound Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. Darrelle Revis is once again the best corner in football, while Gronkowski has emerged as one of the game's premier tight ends.
And Bill Belichick? Well, he's still Belichick.
Just like milk, counting out the Patriots was a bad choice.
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