12 Most Outrageous Sports Stories of 2016 so Far
The ongoing issues in Rio leading up to the 2016 Summer Olympics have to collectively represent the most outrageous sports story of 2016 right?
But what else? Already (somehow) half over, this year has already seen its share of unbelievable, bizarre and highly unlikely occurrences in sports—or, to borrow from Dictionary.com, "highly unusual or unconventional; extravagant; remarkable."
These are the 12 headlines fans read this year and thought, "Um, what?" or simply, "Wow!" Some were good (Hey, Leicester!), some were not so good (um, Zika), and others were just flat-out weird. (Why would Conor McGregor tweet he's retiring?)
If one thing is certain in sports (and life) it's this: If you think you've seen it all, you haven't.
UFC Bans Journalist for Reporting the News
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In early June, MMA Fighting reporter Ariel Helwani broke the (big) news that Brock Lesnar would fight at UFC 200, beating the UFC to the announcement punch.
Helwani immediately had his press credentials yanked and was escorted out of UFC 199 in Los Angeles. He said the UFC issued him a lifetime ban, a statement confirmed by President Dana White to TMZ Sports.
The story generated a lot of buzz because it looked a lot like White was simply upset at a reporter for, you know, doing his job.
Helwani said on the MMA Hour podcast, "The last thing anyone should do is sit on news. If you have it confirmed, you should go with it," per Des Bieler of the Washington Post.
It didn't take long for the UFC to lift Helwani's ban.
D'Angelo Russell Breaks the Bro Code
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In March, a video emerged that appeared to show Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell recording a conversation in which teammate Nick Young talked about cheating on his then-fiancee, rapper Iggy Azalea.
Not only was Young (obviously) unhappy with the developments, but the incident apparently caused trouble among additional Lakers.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Other teammates are 'ticked off' at Russell, according to a person familiar with the situation, believing he violated an unwritten code with the secret video."
The whole story read like a juvenile drama, and it's not ever yet. In June, Russell appeared to make fun of the incident in a Foot Locker ad but later insisted he didn't mean to make light of the situation, per Danielle Lerner of the Courier-Journal.
Russell and Young are also still teammates, for now.
Deflategate Is Still Happening
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How is it 2016 and Deflategate is still a thing?
Deflategate in and of itself is outrageous. It all started with the suspicion that a member, or members, of the New England Patriots tampered with footballs ahead of the 2015 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
There was an investigation and a report (neither of which found definitive proof of tampering, by the way). The team was fined $1 million and stripped of a first-round draft pick. Quarterback Tom Brady was suspended four games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Brady's suspension was overturned, reinstated and it's still not over. Brady is making a last-ditch effort to avoid the penalty with a petition to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
The fact that a year-and-a-half has passed and the issues still aren't resolved—it's bonkers.
Right, Ben Affleck (NSFW)?
Rookie Wins Indy 500 on an Empty Tank
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With just a few laps to go in the historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, American rookie Alexander Rossi was on no one's radar.
It seemed likely a big name would prevail—Tony Kanaan, Carlos Munoz. But instead, it all came down to the fuel.
The race leaders had to pit in the final laps of the race, but Rossi took a major risk. He went 90 miles on one tank, conserved fuel along the way, chose not to pit in the final laps and ultimately coasted into the finish on fumes.
A 66-1 underdog, per Odds Shark, racing on an oval for just the second time in his career, the former Formula One test driver came out of nowhere.
Rossi later said, "I like to see how far I can go (on a tank of fuel), but I would never imagine doing that in a race, specifically the Indy 500, for a win," per Mark Robinson of Indycar.com.
The Conor McGregor Retirement Tweet
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In March, Conor McGregor lost to Nate Diaz via second-round submission in a highly anticipated bout at UFC 196. The rematch was on for UFC 200, but then, one tweet set the whole thing into a tailspin.
In April, McGregor tweeted he planned to retire, igniting a predictable internet firestorm the gist of which was, "Um, what?"
UFC President Dana White followed up by announcing McGregor had been pulled from UFC 200 for failing to comply with promotional obligations while training in Iceland.
Per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, White said, "I didn't prevent Conor from fighting at UFC 200. Everybody, if you look at [last week's] news conference—Joanna Jedrzejczyk came in from Poland. Claudia Gadelha came in from Brazil. This is what we do. This is how it works."
The situation between McGregor and White eventually calmed, and the rematch was rescheduled for UFC 202 (but not before bunch of absurd McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. rumors circulated).
John Scott's NHL All-Star Glory
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John Scott is a journeyman NHL enforcer with five career goals and no business in the All-Star Game. And yet, an internet fan campaign got him there in 2016.
The establishment seemed to fight it at first—Scott was traded and demoted to the AHL shortly after his selection.
Ultimately, Scott captained the Pacific Division team, scored two goals in the new three-on-three tournament format, took home MVP honors and literally road off (on his teammates' shoulders) into the sunset as an unlikely hero.
And now, Mitch Albom is writing a screenplay for a movie about the whole thing, according to Mike Fleming Jr. of Deadline. Because of course.
Laremy Tunsil's Draft-Day Hack
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Sure, pro prospects have had rough draft days—sitting in the green room too long or worse, not getting drafted at all—but what happened to Laremy Tunsil was another story.
Projected to go near the top of the 2016 NFL draft, the former Ole Miss offensive lineman dropped to No. 13 after a hacking scandal rocked his draft day.
Minutes before the first round was set to get underway, an incriminating video appeared on Tunsil's official Twitter account. The video appeared to show Tunsil smoking from a bong attached to a gas mask.
To make matters worse, texts between Tunsil and an Ole Miss official were also posted to Tunsil's Instagram account during the draft. The messages seemed to show Tunsil asking for financial assistance, and Tunsil said, "Those were true. Like I said, I made a mistake," per MMQB.
Tunsil was eventually taken by the Miami Dolphins, but as Victor Mather of the New York Times reported, he likely lost out on millions because of the drop.
29-Year-Old High School Basketball Player
8 of 12Jonathan Nicola of Catholic Central High School in Windsor, Ontario, was supposedly just another 17-year-old junior playing high school basketball.
In April, however, news broke that Nicola—originally from South Sudan and in Canada on a student visa—might actually be closer to age 29.
Trevor Wilhelm of the Windsor Star reported the Canada Border Services Agency arrested Nicola for "allegedly contravening the Immigration Refugee Protection Act."
According to Christopher Mele of the New York Times, agency officials found discrepancies in Nicola's paperwork. For instance, his application for a study permit listed a birth year of 1998, but Nicola's fingerprints matched an application for an American visitor visa that included a birth year of 1986.
Nicola—who claimed he is unsure of his actual age—was released from jail in May.
Adam LaRoche Suddenly Retires
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In March, Chicago White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche suddenly announced his retirement with one year and $13 million left on his contract.
As the story unfolded, more details emerged about LaRoche's reasoning. Apparently his teenage son, Drake, had been a staple at the ballpark for some time—often shagging balls and spending time in the clubhouse.
Then, White Sox Executive Vice President Ken Williams asked LaRoche to "dial it back," according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
LaRoche said in a statement (via USA Today), "The White Sox organization is full of people with strong values and solid character. My decision to walk away was simply the result of a fundamental disagreement between myself and Ken Williams."
Also this:
Tim Keown wrote a piece on the subject for ESPN.com in which he revealed a rather unexpected fact about LaRoche: "LaRoche, along with Brewers pitcher Blaine Boyer, spent 10 days in November in Southeast Asian brothels, wearing a hidden camera and doing undercover work to help rescue underage sex slaves."
Soccer Player Kidnapped
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This narrative definitely reads more like a Netflix drama than a true sports story. And yet, it happened.
In May, reports surfaced that Alan Pulido had been abducted at gunpoint near his hometown in Mexico. According to BBC News, the Mexican footballer was leaving a party with his girlfriend when kidnappers approached and took him.
BBC also reported there was a ransom demand, but Pulido was able to escape his captors shortly after the abduction with only a minor injury.
Later, Tamaulipas state Attorney General Ismael Quintanilla announced Pulido's relative—his cousin's husband—had been arrested in connection with the crime, per Ana Melgar and Catherine E. Shoichet of CNN.
Leicester City Wins Premier League
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The tale of Leicester City FC was outrageous in the best way. To describe it as an underdog story almost doesn't feel adequate.
Leicester wasn't just a Premier League underdog heading into the 2015-16 season. It was a 5,000-1 long shot that had barely staved off relegation a year earlier. Claudio Ranieri, though experienced, wasn't exactly celebrated as the new managerial choice at season's beginning.
And yet, in a league where the big-market teams dominate far more often than not, little Leicester defied the greatest of odds, playing a fairy-tale season and capping it off with an English title.
Leicester East MP Keith Vaz said, "This is the greatest day in the history of this city. It's the top, absolutely the top to win the English Premier League, the best league in the world. It's a miracle and what Claudio Ranieri has done with this amazing team," per BBC Sport.
The Rio Olympics
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It would be nearly impossible to summarize the issues plaguing the 2016 Summer Olympics with any sort of brevity. Let's just say the very real concerns in Rio de Janeiro include: the Zika virus outbreak, water contamination, street crime, financial turmoil and the impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff.
High-profile athletes such as golfers Rory McIlroy and Vijay Singh have declined participation due to concerns over the Zika virus.
The government in Rio declared a state of financial disaster in June to try to free up more funds for the Games.
Juliette Kayyem, who served as President Obama's assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said, "Don't think the Olympic spirit is going to protect you. There's going to be crime because there already is crime," per Shira Springer of the Boston Globe.
The fact that this is where things stand less than two months out—this is definitely the most outrageous sports story of 2016 so far.
