Biggest In-Game Sports Fails of the Year

When sports fans think of their favorite athletes, the expectation is that they can do no wrong.

Seemingly playing their sport with ease, most players not only make the game look simple, but do it without completely embarrassing themselves—most of the time, anyway.

Proving that athletes are, in fact, human, I've gathered the biggest in-game fails from 2014 and compiled them all into one place for you here.

So, while it's never nice to laugh at someone else's shortcomings, get ready to, well, do just that.

The Derek Jeter Foul-Ball Toss

When you bring children to a baseball game, make sure they understand what is and isn't appropriate.

I'm not blaming this young girl's parents for failing to educate her with the simple instructions of "if No. 2 for the New York Yankees comes to the plate, pay attention, because he's pretty good."

Unfortunately, this youngster wasn't aware that Derek Jeter is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best players in Yanks history; otherwise, she probably wouldn't have thrown this foul ball back.

This would have been a souvenir worth remembering forever. As it stands, it's just a memory that she and her family will never forget.

Thiago Braz Da Silva Had One Job

For all intents and purposes, Brazilian pole vaulter Thiago Braz da Silva knows what he's doing when he steps up for his attempt to clear the height of the bar.

It seems that this time wasn't one of them, though.

Not only did he fail to fly over the bar, but while coming down he nearly flattened himself like a pancake, missing the giant mat that's there to help break the fall of competitors.

Thankfully, the dude avoided any injury, because falling from that high up could have been bad.

Graham Ga-No Like These Band Members

Oh, kickers, how fans love you.

If there's one thing everyone should know, it's to never mess with an athlete while he's trying to perform his job.

A trombone player from Bethune-Cookman University didn't get the memo, though, as he backed into Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano while he warmed up during halftime of a game earlier this season.

I guess Gano just isn't a fan of the marching band.

Iman Shumpert's Pass Is Nuts

For all of you guys out there, I probably don't need to go into great detail as to why Atlanta Hawks' Thabo Sefolosha getting drilled is a major fail.

I mean, if there's one thing that no dude should ever have to experience, it's that.

But, when under pressure to get the ball inbounds, New York Knicks' Iman Shumpert wanted to make sure he let Sefolosha know he didn't enjoy the tough defense, giving the poor guy a higher voice for a few seconds.

Rhett Lashlee Slips and Slides

For anyone who might wonder why football players wear cleats on the gridiron, allow Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee explain.

You see, while sprinting to call a last-ditch timeout before a play against Mississippi State this season, Lashlee felt his feet slip right out from under him, sliding into the referee who, luckily, wasn't too mad he had a grown man fall into him and granted the timeout.

Still, for the Auburn coach, it's a moment he would rather forget—especially since his Tigers ended up losing too.

Tyson Chandler Swats a Shoe

Remember in Austin Powers where the simple question of "Who throws a shoe, honestly?" was posed?

Well, Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler answered it with a very simple answer—by swatting the sneaker of Marreese Speights right out of the air for a rare shoe rejection.

Occurring just a few weeks ago, Chandler's shoe block gave us one last fail before the end of the year, reminding us that wild things happen in sports nearly every night.

Alexei Ramirez Gets Weak in the Knees

I know that hitting a curveball is difficult, but it's a little foolish to see a major leaguer such as Alexei Ramirez get this embarrassed by one.

Standing in the batter's box against the Seattle Mariners' Yoervis Medina, Ramirez looked like a little leaguer, getting fooled so badly that he actually dropped to his knees.

No ballplayer wants to make a fool out of himself, yet Ramirez couldn't help it here.

J.R. Smith's Shoegate

It must be pretty nice to have $50,000 to blow over something as dumb as untying an opposing player's shoe.

I wouldn't know, but you know who would? New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith, who got slapped with a $50 grand fine after doing just that a few times earlier this year.

Smith is a bit of a loose cannon, but pulling a bush league move like this was even a little over the line for him.

James Jones' Double Fumble

Seeing a double rainbow might be a rare occurrence that gets people to go crazy, but seeing a double fumble isn't something that too many football fans want to witness—especially if it's coming from their favorite team.

For Oakland Raiders fans, though, they had to see one of the most ridiculous plays ever, as receiver James Jones fumbled not once but twice during the same play, costing his team a possession against the Houston Texans.

As if trailing 17-0 right before halftime wasn't bad enough.

A Black Eye for a Buckeyes Fan

Not every fail this year came from some of our favorite athletes, as this Ohio State Buckeyes fan showed during a game early this season.

When sprinting onto the field like a moron, make sure to try and avoid those guys who are much bigger than you—which is probably anyone to begin with.

For this kid, he wasn't aware that Buckeyes strength and conditioning coach Anthony Schlegel would take him down as if they were in the wrestling ring.

The New York Jets' Chameleon Play

I'm a Cleveland sports fan, so it's rare for me to flip the script and actually show sympathy for another fanbase.

But, for you New York Jets fans, I truly feel your pain.

And this chameleon-like kick return the team attempted this season was one reason to do just that, as it was one of the worst things ever witnessed in an NFL game.

Did they really think this would work?

Jake Cotton Falls Asleep

No, your eyeballs are not playing tricks on you, that really is Nebraska Cornhuskers offensive lineman Jack Cotton falling backward like a tree in the forest during a game against the Michigan State Spartans.

Two things here.

First, it was an impressive move by Cotton to go down with such grace, even with all the top-heavy weight he has. He committed, arguably, the greatest false start penalty ever.

Second, this was on national TV, so there was no way in hell the guy was going to avoid getting razzed by people.

It might be time for the Huskers to have an earlier curfew the night before games.

Lance Stephenson Is Blowing It

There was a swift wind that LeBron James felt during the NBA playoffs last season.

No, it wasn't a draft that was coming from an open door in the arena; it was the subtle breath of opponent Lance Stephenson, who thought the ploy would throw James off his game.

In the '80s and '90s, guys used to make a statement with a hard foul. These days, NBA players are so soft that they're doing this to try and get in players' heads.

Just awful.

Jamal Adams' Flop and Fall for the Flag

The only thing worse than this actual flop by LSU Tigers safety Jamal Adams is that it actually worked, as the referee tossed a flag in the air, penalizing Florida Gators returner Andre Debose.

I mean, we've seen some pretty terrible dives in football played across the pond, but Adams' might be worse than anything that Cristiano Ronaldo has ever done.

Give this dude an Academy Award, because his acting was brilliant.

Carlos Gomez Can't Quite Do It

With 47 home runs in the past two seasons, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez clearly has strength.

Too bad his thigh isn't where most of that strength is.

After striking out against the St. Louis Cardinals in a game this season, Gomez tried not once, not twice, but three times to break his bat over his leg, failing each time.

Rather than look silly, Gomez did the next best thing, violently throwing his wood to the ground in anger to show the thing who's boss.

Yes, splitting a baseball bat is harder than it looks, Carlos.

Florida Gators Continue to Block One Another

Remember when two Florida Gators players were seen blocking each other on a play last season, making every football fan shake their head in jest?

Can you believe that they did it again this year, too?

Seeing how this was the second time in as many seasons that this has happened, it might be a good thing that then-head coach Will Muschamp got canned, because the blocking schemes seemed a little bit out of whack.

He Got What He Deserved

Karma can be the worst.

I'm not sure what prompted this kid to go after his opponent after the guy got rid of the puck, but he quickly found out that he should have hit the brakes a little quicker.

Rather than absorb the oncoming player, the target moved, leading to a player doing the unthinkable—body-checking himself.

It goes down as one of the most boneheaded things that happened in sports this year—so thanks for being so ago, dude.

Check Your Spell Check, Colorado Rockies

Dear Colorado Rockies marketing department...

I know that it's a great idea to help draw fans to the ballpark by doing giveaways and stuff, but there's this thing called spell check...you might want to try it.

For failing to do so, the team actually printed up and gave way 15,000 jerseys with the last name 'Tulowizki" on the back of them.

One major problem, though—they were supposed to read "Tulowitzki," as in Troy Tulowitzki, the team's best player.

Thanks for the attempt, though.

It's Time to Get in the Weight Room, Kids

Who would have ever believed that running through the pregame banner would be the most difficult thing for a pee-wee football team to do?

No one.

That's why this video is so funny, because, well, you can't help but laugh after watching it over and over—even if it is at the expense of some youngsters.

Poor kids...it might be time to start lifting some weights so that you can actually make it onto the field without falling all over one another.

A Celebration Gone Wrong

Injuries in sports happen all the time, but coaches get a little bit upset when they could have been avoided.

In the case of Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch, his torn ACL didn't come from a nasty block or a guy running into him, but because of a celebration on a sack.

With Tulloch's knee injury being one of two that occurred this way, it might be time for NFL players to start acting like they've been there before so to avoid such humiliation—and pain.

Oh yeah, by the way...it happened again under sillier circumstances.

Oh hi there, Mr. Houston.

Luis Suarez Is 'Jaws'

What is with soccer player Luis Suarez wanting to show his grill?

I mean, I know that the movie Jaws was a hit a while ago, but it seems like Suarez is doing his best to do a modern remake of the film, as he has bitten three opponents in his career.

His most recent chomp came on soccer's biggest stage—the World Cup—as he got a taste of Italian player Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder, which, naturally, led to a ban from FIFA.

Each time the Uruguayan striker thinks his opponents are food, he'll continue to fail on the pitch.

Ryan Raburn Forgets How a Baseball Is Thrown

Without a doubt, the throw that Cleveland Indians outfielder Ryan Raburn made on this play against the Kansas City Royals was the biggest blooper during the MLB season.

After just missing on a sliding catch, Raburn did the unthinkable, throwing the ball into the ground about two feet from his shoes and allowing the ball to roll into left field, while runners rounded the bases.

Sadly, even little leaguers would have to laugh at this, as they could do better.

Nick Young Celebrates a Bit Prematurely

Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young found out the hard way that it's never wise to celebrate prematurely, as he let a shot fly and turned to celebrate, only to realize the ball rattled out, leaving him dumbfounded—and embarrassed.

For his hiccup, Young nearly won the distinguished fail award, earning a nomination for the Shaqtin' a Fool MVP last season—which he, thankfully, lost.

Antonio Brown's Kung-Fu Kick

Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers has improved as a pass-catcher over the past few seasons, enjoying breakout years that have put him in the top echelon of wideouts in the league.

Unfortunately, he tried to show he should be cast in the next Karate Kid movie, too, as he kung-fu-kicked punter Spencer Lanning during a return.

In a reminder that punters are people, too, Brown was fined $8,200 for the boot, and the incident even led to other punters being terrified of it happening again.

But, it was pretty hilarious to see.

Kaelin Clay Wasn't Quite There, Yet

It's one of the worst things that can happen to an athlete—celebrating too early.

And, when it comes in a big game, it's a hell of a lot worse.

Poor Utah Utes player Kaelin Clay had to find out just how bad it feels when he dropped the ball on the 1-yard line before crossing into the end zone against Oregon this season.

Just as his team was about to take a 14-0 lead on the No. 2 team in the country, Clay's fumble resulted in a 99-yard return for the Ducks. That tied the game and swung the momentum the other way, with Utah ultimately losing 51-27.

As one would imagine, Clay just wanted to hide after his big-time fail.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Kendrick Perkins

I mentioned a few slides earlier that Nick Young was one of the finalists for the Shaqtin' a Fool MVP from last season, nearly earning the award for his premature celebration on a three-point attempt.

That means I have to give love to the player who actually "earned" top dog in bloopers—Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins.

When a guy gets acknowledged for something like this, it's impossible to just point out one of his fails, so enjoy these Perk classics over the past few seasons.

Brandon Knight Proves That Nothing Is as Easy as It Looks

Who says that a layup is the simplest shot in basketball?

Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight would argue that those things aren't just gimmes, as he blew a wide-open shot against the Brooklyn Nets last month.

In his defense, Knight was battling the game clock with seconds ticking down, but still, a layup is something that a kid can make, so it was funny—and heartbreaking—to see an NBA player roll one off the rim.

Arkansas State's Dead Man Falling

Few words can describe the fake punt play that Arkansas State attempted against the Miami Hurricanes this season.

Seriously, where does a special teams coach even begin to think up such a thing?

Hoping to distract the defense, Arkansas State had one of its players fall backward as if he was passing out, which, in turn, would give the punter a split second longer to deliver a pass to an open player.

Uh, yeah, it failed miserably.

Not only did no Hurricanes player care about the kid falling backward, but the punter proved he was no quarterback, tossing an interception.

It's time to take that one out of the playbook.

Cory Jefferson's Fresh Air

Forget 2014—Cory Jefferson's three-point attempt against the Chicago Bulls might be the biggest fail in NBA history.

No joke, what in the hell was this?

Can the league even consider that a shot, or is it just a failed assist to some unknown player?

Was Jefferson distracted by a female fan he happened to see behind the basket, or did he have some stickum on his hands that prevented the ball from coming out smoothly?

I have so many questions here. How is Jefferson even in the NBA with a shot as ugly as this?

Way to go, Cory—you'll forever live in infamy for one of the worst shots a professional basketball player has ever attempted.