The X-Games dude who made headlines last week with his massive 40-foot plunge and "wood nap" was pretty spectacular. With that in mind, I decided to assemble a short list of the "Most Epic Sports Falls" of all time.
Please note that I left off falls that ended up in paralysis or death. And yes, that also includes Maude Flanders' death in "The Simpsons," when she falls off the back of the racetrack grandstand after being dotted by a t-shirt cannon.
So without further adieu, here's the list to make your day a little better by comparison:
Herman Maier, Downhill practice run, 1998 Winter Olympics: The baddest downhill skier of all time (Sorry, Franz Klammer) the "Herminator" goes "gonads over head" in a crash that will live forever in photographic memory. Flying down the mountain at break-everything speed, Herman literally flies off the mountain, crashes through three orange cyclone fences, and comes to rest well outside the course perimeter. Oh yeah, he went on to win two gold medals just two days later.
Mick Foley, "King of the Ring," 1998 WWE: Undertaker and Foley are dukin' it out on TOP of the steel cage, when Foley takes the monster of all "bumps" by being thrown off the top, onto a folding table at ringside. Screamed Jim Ross: "Oh my God! They've killed him! With God as my witness, he's broken in half!" Foley then "breaks free" from the "medics" and returns to the cage, only to take another massive bump when ‘Taker throws him through the cage onto the mat. Yeah, it's "fake." But it's also not. Amazing.
Vinko Bogataj, the "Agony of Defeat" Guy From "Wide World of Sports," 1978: Luckily, this timeless piece of sports footage can be viewed and enjoyed through the ages because the young Yugoslav skier was not seriously hurt. But seeing his pathetic attempt to sort of "sneak out" of actually going off the ski jump, looked exactly like what any mortal would do if they were made to attempt such a jump at gunpoint. The yard sale of hat, gloves, skis, and crowd that follows is simply priceless.
Kristi Yamaoka, Southern Illinois Cheerleader, MVC Tournament, March, 2006: Forget football as the most dangerous "sport" in college; it's really cheerleading. Go ahead, look up the injury stats. What made sweet Kristi's fall so memorable was the fact that after crashing to the floor, chipping several vertebrae, and being knocked nearly unconscious, she was able to start moving her arms in a cheer as she was hauled out on a stiff board by paramedics. You go girl!
Jake Brown, Super Skateboard Vert in 2007 X Games on ESPN: Duuuuddee! That was radical! Okay, so the guy broke his wrist, bruised his spleen, and broke a few ribs. Big deal. For these skateboard maniacs, falling is just part of the game. If you Google up "skateboard fall" you'll get 782 pages of hits. The most entertaining part was the "Wile E Coyote" arm and leg flail on the way down, along with the "shoe explosion" at impact. Who the hell knew they actually constructed skate ramps that freaking huge?
Steve is a native Washingtonian and has worked in sports talk radio for the last 11 years. He worked at WTEM in 1993 anchoring Team Tickers before he took a full time job with national radio network One-on-One Sports.
A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, Steve has worked for WFNZ in Charlotte where his afternoon show was named "Best Radio Show." Steve continues to serve as a sports personality for WLZR in Milwaukee and does fill-in hosting for Fox Sports Radio.
