Top 20 Most Controversial Calls in Sports History
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Date: 2024-05-20
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Comments and reviews: 20
watchmojo
The ones where the ref was wrong:
20. (the ball did not cross the goal line. It shouldn't have counted)
19. (that Super Bowl will always be marred by terrible officiating)
18. (there was nothing even close to a tag there. I fail to understand how the ref thought there was a tag)
16. (the ball clearly hit the ground. I don't know what the refs was looking at)
14. (Jordan did indeed push off)
13. (Henry did touch the ball with his hand)
12. (there was definitely an offensive foul there)
11. (There was obvious fan interference)
10. (The ball was clearly in)
9. (How did the refs award the wrong winner)
8. (Testaverde did not get the ball across the line)
6. (The Green Bay defender clearly had possession first. Or at least they could have called interference)
4. (the crew should have have flipped the down marker when the play was over)
3. (clear handball. How did the ref miss that)
2. (worst rule ever and the call was wrong even with the rule)
1. (the fielder clearly had his foot on the base before the runner did)
The ones where the ref was right:
17. (Bettis did say heads before changing it to tails and the rules say that the ref has to go with the first one that the player said)
15. (it looks to me like the boxer indeed did not respond and the ref correctly followed the rules)
7. (the player had control of the puck. Good goal)
5. (if the Soviets called timeout, the refs have to give it to them)
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The ones where the ref was wrong:
20. (the ball did not cross the goal line. It shouldn't have counted)
19. (that Super Bowl will always be marred by terrible officiating)
18. (there was nothing even close to a tag there. I fail to understand how the ref thought there was a tag)
16. (the ball clearly hit the ground. I don't know what the refs was looking at)
14. (Jordan did indeed push off)
13. (Henry did touch the ball with his hand)
12. (there was definitely an offensive foul there)
11. (There was obvious fan interference)
10. (The ball was clearly in)
9. (How did the refs award the wrong winner)
8. (Testaverde did not get the ball across the line)
6. (The Green Bay defender clearly had possession first. Or at least they could have called interference)
4. (the crew should have have flipped the down marker when the play was over)
3. (clear handball. How did the ref miss that)
2. (worst rule ever and the call was wrong even with the rule)
1. (the fielder clearly had his foot on the base before the runner did)
The ones where the ref was right:
17. (Bettis did say heads before changing it to tails and the rules say that the ref has to go with the first one that the player said)
15. (it looks to me like the boxer indeed did not respond and the ref correctly followed the rules)
7. (the player had control of the puck. Good goal)
5. (if the Soviets called timeout, the refs have to give it to them)
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UKenn78
Honorable mention: The Major.
In the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff first round, the Vegas Golden Knights were up 3-0 on the San Jose Sharks in Game 7. With under 11 minutes left an unfortunate incident occurred when Sharks forward Joe Pavelski, who was already nursing a sore jaw, got slammed into the ice inadvertently by Vegas’s Cody Eakin. Eakin was given a five minute major and a game misconduct, although it would be later shown that it was just an accident when Pavelski fell to the ice. The Sharks would take advantage of the extra power play time, scoring four goals in five minutes to take the lead. Although Vegas would tie it late, the Sharks would win the game and series in OT.
The rules would be changed in the off-season where all potential five minute majors would be reviewed. Even if it’s not a major, the offending party will still have to sit for two minutes.
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Honorable mention: The Major.
In the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff first round, the Vegas Golden Knights were up 3-0 on the San Jose Sharks in Game 7. With under 11 minutes left an unfortunate incident occurred when Sharks forward Joe Pavelski, who was already nursing a sore jaw, got slammed into the ice inadvertently by Vegas’s Cody Eakin. Eakin was given a five minute major and a game misconduct, although it would be later shown that it was just an accident when Pavelski fell to the ice. The Sharks would take advantage of the extra power play time, scoring four goals in five minutes to take the lead. Although Vegas would tie it late, the Sharks would win the game and series in OT.
The rules would be changed in the off-season where all potential five minute majors would be reviewed. Even if it’s not a major, the offending party will still have to sit for two minutes.
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glennstarkey7087
Listed before but def don dekengier in 85 and rams saints belong here
2016 wnba finals. just for the bizarreness the last 2 games were decided by blown structure calls. an over and back in game 4 and an 8 second call in the Deciding game 5. WBBs new popularity is in spite of a history of blunders like this
If Roy Jones and 72 us team on here the Trifecta should have been in here. Skategate
And a NASCAR example. Brett bodine wins a race while a lap down thanks to a scoring error when cars lined up after a caution
Pre digital scoring was nuts. lore is that bill France didn't wanna take the young drivers only win away days after the fact lol
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Listed before but def don dekengier in 85 and rams saints belong here
2016 wnba finals. just for the bizarreness the last 2 games were decided by blown structure calls. an over and back in game 4 and an 8 second call in the Deciding game 5. WBBs new popularity is in spite of a history of blunders like this
If Roy Jones and 72 us team on here the Trifecta should have been in here. Skategate
And a NASCAR example. Brett bodine wins a race while a lap down thanks to a scoring error when cars lined up after a caution
Pre digital scoring was nuts. lore is that bill France didn't wanna take the young drivers only win away days after the fact lol
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ElvisRose_
I will always remember the morning after the Fail Mary and realizing just how big of a deal it was because I don't usually see Packers news coverage in foreign languages but I did that week. The NFL screwed up big time not settling with the refs before the season and everyone knew eventually that those replacements would screw up a call that would decide who won and who lost a game. Roger Goodell's idiocy on full display for the world to see, because as much as we complain about the refs, they usually get it right. Sometimes it's the rules that are screwed up like for example. the Tuck Rule.
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I will always remember the morning after the Fail Mary and realizing just how big of a deal it was because I don't usually see Packers news coverage in foreign languages but I did that week. The NFL screwed up big time not settling with the refs before the season and everyone knew eventually that those replacements would screw up a call that would decide who won and who lost a game. Roger Goodell's idiocy on full display for the world to see, because as much as we complain about the refs, they usually get it right. Sometimes it's the rules that are screwed up like for example. the Tuck Rule.
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SSobotkaJr
1999 NFC Championship between the (then) St. Louis Rams vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in where the ref botched a completed pass call, which robbed the Bucs of momentum and sent the Rams to the Super Bowl.
The refs would later state they made the wrong call, and would apologize to the Buccaneers. But, the SB would still count towards Kurt Warner's legacy and The Greatest Show On Turf.
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1999 NFC Championship between the (then) St. Louis Rams vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in where the ref botched a completed pass call, which robbed the Bucs of momentum and sent the Rams to the Super Bowl.
The refs would later state they made the wrong call, and would apologize to the Buccaneers. But, the SB would still count towards Kurt Warner's legacy and The Greatest Show On Turf.
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jarrettowens6073
I'm surprised Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns back in December 16th, 2001 wasn't on this list. They called that moment The Beer Bottle Game. That moment was controversial. Look it up. The ref damn near caused the fans to riot in the crowd because his call made the Browns lose the game. I'm not a fan of either team, but that ref was a piece of shit.
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I'm surprised Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns back in December 16th, 2001 wasn't on this list. They called that moment The Beer Bottle Game. That moment was controversial. Look it up. The ref damn near caused the fans to riot in the crowd because his call made the Browns lose the game. I'm not a fan of either team, but that ref was a piece of shit.
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saebaryo2
93 NHL play off Leafs lead Kings 3-2 in series. Late in game 6 with the score tied Gretzky high sticks Gilmour and draws blood. That's a 5 min major back then. Gretzky should have been out of the game. No call from referee Kerry Fraser or the linesmen who were allowed to call majors. Gretzky ends scoring in OT. We were robbed of a Habs vs Leafs final.
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93 NHL play off Leafs lead Kings 3-2 in series. Late in game 6 with the score tied Gretzky high sticks Gilmour and draws blood. That's a 5 min major back then. Gretzky should have been out of the game. No call from referee Kerry Fraser or the linesmen who were allowed to call majors. Gretzky ends scoring in OT. We were robbed of a Habs vs Leafs final.
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JoeFlanagan-ii9mb
I can’t believe ravens vs 49ers Super Bowl and rams vs saints nfc championship didn’t make this list. Both those had missed pass interference plays that ultimately effected the games.
P. S. Sabres fan here born in 2000 and to this day Buffalo fans who were around in the 90’s still fume over Bret Hull’s goal not being reversed.
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I can’t believe ravens vs 49ers Super Bowl and rams vs saints nfc championship didn’t make this list. Both those had missed pass interference plays that ultimately effected the games.
P. S. Sabres fan here born in 2000 and to this day Buffalo fans who were around in the 90’s still fume over Bret Hull’s goal not being reversed.
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leobertoalbano
My Request For WatchMojo: Top 10 Individual Sports Records Will Never Be Broken Including LeBron James Became The First Player In NBA History With 40, 000 Points Since LeBron Currently Stands As The NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer To Caitlin Clark Became The All-Time Leading Scorer In NCAA Division 1 College Basketball History Men Or Women.
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My Request For WatchMojo: Top 10 Individual Sports Records Will Never Be Broken Including LeBron James Became The First Player In NBA History With 40, 000 Points Since LeBron Currently Stands As The NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer To Caitlin Clark Became The All-Time Leading Scorer In NCAA Division 1 College Basketball History Men Or Women.
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Bman32x
11: 33 this was one of the worst I watched live. Tate should have been called for pass interference which should have resulted in a run off of the clock and Seahawks loss but he also wasn’t even the first player to touch the ball. It was clear as day GB had possession and control even in the struggle.
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11: 33 this was one of the worst I watched live. Tate should have been called for pass interference which should have resulted in a run off of the clock and Seahawks loss but he also wasn’t even the first player to touch the ball. It was clear as day GB had possession and control even in the struggle.
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watchmojo
Chavez beat that man half to death Taylor wasn’t responding fights over. Also there should have been never been a rematch. Taylor said in tears in between rounds he’s breaking me. I felt so bad for him.
What about the Bartman game
I still remember exactly where I was when took place
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Chavez beat that man half to death Taylor wasn’t responding fights over. Also there should have been never been a rematch. Taylor said in tears in between rounds he’s breaking me. I felt so bad for him.
What about the Bartman game
I still remember exactly where I was when took place
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Krypt-Kaiboy72
The Non-PI call in the NFC championship game of the Rams vs. Saints should be on this list. This was one of the worst calls ever in both football and sports history. This is also a great, if not best example of a team getting robbed.
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The Non-PI call in the NFC championship game of the Rams vs. Saints should be on this list. This was one of the worst calls ever in both football and sports history. This is also a great, if not best example of a team getting robbed.
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gregjohnson7270
Great compilation, I enjoyed everyone of them, probably because none of them impacted one of my teams, the KC Chiefs (I grew up near KC) and the Lakers (I've been in LA nearly 50 years) and worked for the Lakers at one time.
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Great compilation, I enjoyed everyone of them, probably because none of them impacted one of my teams, the KC Chiefs (I grew up near KC) and the Lakers (I've been in LA nearly 50 years) and worked for the Lakers at one time.
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leobertoalbano
My Second Request For WatchMojo: Top 20 North American Pro Sports Dynasties Of All Time Featuring The 2020s Kansas City Chiefs With 3 Super Bowl Trophies Including Back-To-Back Super Bowl Trophies In 2023 And 2024.
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My Second Request For WatchMojo: Top 20 North American Pro Sports Dynasties Of All Time Featuring The 2020s Kansas City Chiefs With 3 Super Bowl Trophies Including Back-To-Back Super Bowl Trophies In 2023 And 2024.
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jerzeyguy71
OK, I am sorry, who ever put this together and did not have somewhere, if not in the top 5, 2001 Bottlegate in Cleveland! look it up! its also called the game the NFL wants to forget, thats how bad of a call it had!
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OK, I am sorry, who ever put this together and did not have somewhere, if not in the top 5, 2001 Bottlegate in Cleveland! look it up! its also called the game the NFL wants to forget, thats how bad of a call it had!
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xxxxmattxxxx69
Give me a break with the tuck rule. A bad rule on the book that the refs got right. This compilation could be the stubbornness of nfl refs not overturning pass interference the one season they made it reviewable
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Give me a break with the tuck rule. A bad rule on the book that the refs got right. This compilation could be the stubbornness of nfl refs not overturning pass interference the one season they made it reviewable
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ReeseDavidson
I feel bad for Jim Joyce because he was one of the best umpires during his time in the league. And he’s the only official I’ve ever seen or heard feel terrible after a historically bad mistake.
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I feel bad for Jim Joyce because he was one of the best umpires during his time in the league. And he’s the only official I’ve ever seen or heard feel terrible after a historically bad mistake.
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watchmojo
In figure skating, Paul Wylie’s silver-medal performance that should have won the gold. He won the rematch against Viktor Petrenko, with a perfect performance at the 1992 Challenge of Champions.
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In figure skating, Paul Wylie’s silver-medal performance that should have won the gold. He won the rematch against Viktor Petrenko, with a perfect performance at the 1992 Challenge of Champions.
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jeremywilliams5141
Honorable mentions:
1. The Holy Roller incident. The 1978 game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers.
2. The first fight between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis
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Honorable mentions:
1. The Holy Roller incident. The 1978 game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers.
2. The first fight between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis
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ayadali9112
Coming across this now while watching sports since I’m a big sports fan and seeing that this was uploaded just a few hours ago. One of the things I always watch when it comes to sports.
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Coming across this now while watching sports since I’m a big sports fan and seeing that this was uploaded just a few hours ago. One of the things I always watch when it comes to sports.
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