15 Sports-Related Moves That Did Not Go as Planned
In sports, as in life, things don't always turn out as expected. That is just a fact. But sometimes, questionable moves are made, and bystanders are left wondering, "Really, no one anticipated that might crash and burn?"
Here are 15 such instances. And as we run down the list, the consequences of each should've been more and more predictable.
Some of the following examples are more serious than others, but since this is sports and pop culture, we're not talking trades or free-agent pickups. No, think more along the lines of Vanderbilt's football hype tweet or LeSean McCoy's females-only party.
Houston's Sack Celebration
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How it was supposed to go: Sack the quarterback, take a moment to celebrate the achievement—it's a pretty standard concept.
Instead: Unfortunately for Lamarr Houston of the Chicago Bears, things didn't go quite as planned. He tore an ACL while celebrating a sack in October. To be fair, that is a pretty freaky thing to occur. Then again, the same thing happened to Stephen Tulloch of the Detroit Lions only one month earlier, so it's not like it was unheard of.
Iowa Ices the Kicker
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How it was supposed to go: Last September, Iowa State kicker Cole Netten lined up for a field goal at the end of regulation, hoping to break a tie against in-state rival Iowa. Iowa did what a lot of teams do and attempted to ice him by calling a timeout.
Instead: Unfortunately for Iowa, it totally backfired. Netten got the original kick off after the Hawkeyes called the timeout. He missed that one, but he did not miss the redo, and Iowa lost.
Ben Payne's Premature Celebration
3 of 15How it was supposed to go: American runner Ben Payne was supposed to win the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta in July.
Instead: He didn't learn his lesson from Sammy Watkins. Payne celebrated a moment too soon, and British Olympian Scott Overall overtook him at the last second.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Wimbledon Shirt Rip
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How it was supposed to go: Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer for the second straight year to take the Wimbledon crown. Impressive. However, it was touch and go for awhile, and in a moment of frustration, Djokovic attempted to rip his shirt off.
Instead: Those tech shirts are no joke. Not surprisingly, ripping shirts is a little harder than Djokovic thought, and he quickly switched tracks to pull it over his head instead.
Lewis Botches National Anthem
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How it was supposed to go: Aaron Lewis was supposed to sing the national anthem, a sacred ode to our country, correctly before a World Series game.
Instead: He took a page out of the Christina Aguilera handbook and botched part of it. This was particularly embarrassing for Lewis since, according to Gil Kaufman of MTV, he publicly chastised Aguilera for her gaffe back in 2011.
Free Pizza Promotion
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How it was supposed to go: In 2014, MLB and Domino's Pizza collaborated on a promotion that would offer fans free pizzas following the first two no-hitters of the year.
Instead: Josh Beckett threw a no-hitter, but website traffic issues made it impossible for some fans to cash in. Cue negative Twitter reaction. Word to the wise: Never underestimate how impactful the term "free pizza" can be.
Cinder Block Wall Entrance
7 of 15How it was supposed to go: Getting onto the football field shouldn't be too difficult; most teams just run out of a tunnel. Not the Eagles of Eastern Michigan. At the 2014 opener, those guys were expected to bust down a cinder block wall just to get to the field.
Instead: Turns out, breaking through cinder block is hard.
All the Hashtags
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How it was supposed to go: Promotional hashtags and Twitter Q&As aim to engage fans. In May 2014, the NFL hosted a Q&A with Commissioner Roger Goodell and tagged it with the hashtag #AskCommish. The Dallas Cowboys played a football game in London and promoted it with #CowboysUK. On and on.
Instead: Let's just say if you give sports fans an inch, some will take a yard, especially when it comes to anything controversial or not universally beloved. One of the tamer #AskCommish tweets read, "If you were stranded on a deserted island, with only one book to keep you company, wouldn't that be better for everyone? #AskCommish."
All the Tweets
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How it was supposed to go: Instantly regrettable tweets are nothing new to the sports world, and all have one thing in common: a lack of foresight. For instance, the Washington Redskins (likely) attempted to insult their rival Philadelphia Eagles back in April. The Eagles signed Tim Tebow, and the Redskins immediately tweeted the Kermit the Frog meme that means "none of my business."
Instead: The Redskins posted a 4-12 record in 2014, so throwing stones probably wasn't the best idea, and of course, the Internet let them know.
Amphibious Headline
10 of 15How it was supposed to go: Oakland Athletics pitcher Pat Venditte can throw (well) with both his right and left arms, a skill that is fully boss and definitely worthy of a headline.
Instead: Unfortunately for the East Oregonian newspaper, the correct term for such a skill is "ambidextrous." Unless the paper was trying to say Venditte lives in water and on land, the headline didn't really work out.
Knicks All-Star Push
11 of 15How it was supposed to go: It's pretty normal for sports teams to campaign for their players to make All-Star teams. As such, the New York Knicks, despite starting the year at 4-20, made a push on Instagram for fans to vote their players in.
Instead: Similar to predictable hashtag fails, this didn't end up quite as the Knicks had hoped. Some of the comments to the initial post were pretty brutal, including this one: "No one deserves to be on the all star team. No one." Carmelo Anthony did end up making it, for whatever it's worth.
Pelicans' Terrifying Mascot
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How it was supposed to go: To go along with their new team nickname, the New Orleans Pelicans unveiled a new mascot, Pierre the Pelican, in 2013.
Instead: Pierre 1.0 was so terrifying, the team eventually revamped him entirely. Shouldn't they do focus groups for this type of thing? I don't even want to talk about King Baby Cake.
Vanderbilt Slogan
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How it was supposed to go: Vanderbilt apparently wanted to get people fired up about the upcoming football season. In that vein, the official football account tweeted a graphic that included the phrase, "We don't need your permission."
Instead: The response was, well, exactly what you'd expect. Vanderbilt issued a swift apology.
Buccaneers RED Movement
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How it was supposed to go: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently launched a campaign called RED. According to a team statement, RED is "a brand-new women's movement that will reinvent the female fan experience."
Instead: During the first week of RED's existence, we found out the movement includes a "RED Term of the Week." The first subject? The play clock. While not everyone understands all the ins and outs of football—men and women alike—this move has not been wholly well-received. For The Win even called it "embarrassingly sexist."
LeSean McCoy and the Females-Only Party
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How it was Supposed to Go: Presumably, LeSean McCoy's goal was to be at a party with a bunch of women. He posted this invitation to his Instagram account (and later deleted it). Not only that, but according to Dan Hanzus of Around the NFL, those who RSVP'd were asked to send a social media photo and were informed they would be required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Instead: Not only did McCoy's party invite predictable virtual ridicule, but it also irked his employer. The Buffalo Bills informed McCoy that using the team logo without permission is a no-no. Come on, man.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
