Moment that transcends the sport

Sports often have moments that are so big that they appeal to even those that don't normally watch the sport. Baseball has had many such moments, starting with the early part of last century (Lough Gehrig's speech, Jackie Robinson, etc.) and even more recently with the Sosa/McGuire/Griffey (later to be Sosa/McGuire) HR record chase. Basketball enjoyed a full decade of this through the stardom of Michael Jordan. I've never seen anything like that--people who couldn't care less about any sport were absolutely mesmerized by MJ. Boxing also had many such moments, the one example that most readily comes to mind being the Joe Luis/Max Schneling bouts. The olympics are constantly packed with moments like this, and Soccer's worldwide popularity is a transcendence in its own right. But has this ever happened in football? Please help, because I can't recall anything that would qualify!

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:
Sports often have moments that are so big that they appeal to even those that don't normally watch the sport. Baseball has had many such moments, starting with the early part of last century (Lough Gehrig's speech, Jackie Robinson, etc.) and even more recently with the Sosa/McGuire/Griffey (later to be Sosa/McGuire) HR record chase. Basketball enjoyed a full decade of this through the stardom of Michael Jordan. I've never seen anything like that--people who couldn't care less about any sport were absolutely mesmerized by MJ. Boxing also had many such moments, the one example that most readily comes to mind being the Joe Luis/Max Schneling bouts. The olympics are constantly packed with moments like this, and Soccer's worldwide popularity is a transcendence in its own right. But has this ever happened in football? Please help, because I can't recall anything that would qualify!

The superbowl. Every year.

Originally posted by Vernon85:

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:
Sports often have moments that are so big that they appeal to even those that don't normally watch the sport. Baseball has had many such moments, starting with the early part of last century (Lough Gehrig's speech, Jackie Robinson, etc.) and even more recently with the Sosa/McGuire/Griffey (later to be Sosa/McGuire) HR record chase. Basketball enjoyed a full decade of this through the stardom of Michael Jordan. I've never seen anything like that--people who couldn't care less about any sport were absolutely mesmerized by MJ. Boxing also had many such moments, the one example that most readily comes to mind being the Joe Luis/Max Schneling bouts. The olympics are constantly packed with moments like this, and Soccer's worldwide popularity is a transcendence in its own right. But has this ever happened in football? Please help, because I can't recall anything that would qualify!

The superbowl. Every year.

Even though that's the biggest sporting even in the country, it hardly transcends the sports. Sure some people watch for the commercials and guacamole, but it doesn't have the impact of the other stated events.

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:
Sports often have moments that are so big that they appeal to even those that don't normally watch the sport. Baseball has had many such moments, starting with the early part of last century (Lough Gehrig's speech, Jackie Robinson, etc.) and even more recently with the Sosa/McGuire/Griffey (later to be Sosa/McGuire) HR record chase. Basketball enjoyed a full decade of this through the stardom of Michael Jordan. I've never seen anything like that--people who couldn't care less about any sport were absolutely mesmerized by MJ. Boxing also had many such moments, the one example that most readily comes to mind being the Joe Luis/Max Schneling bouts. The olympics are constantly packed with moments like this, and Soccer's worldwide popularity is a transcendence in its own right. But has this ever happened in football? Please help, because I can't recall anything that would qualify!

way to leave out Barry Bonds homerun record chase lol. hatin...

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:
Sports often have moments that are so big that they appeal to even those that don't normally watch the sport. Baseball has had many such moments, starting with the early part of last century (Lough Gehrig's speech, Jackie Robinson, etc.) and even more recently with the Sosa/McGuire/Griffey (later to be Sosa/McGuire) HR record chase. Basketball enjoyed a full decade of this through the stardom of Michael Jordan. I've never seen anything like that--people who couldn't care less about any sport were absolutely mesmerized by MJ. Boxing also had many such moments, the one example that most readily comes to mind being the Joe Luis/Max Schneling bouts. The olympics are constantly packed with moments like this, and Soccer's worldwide popularity is a transcendence in its own right. But has this ever happened in football? Please help, because I can't recall anything that would qualify!

way to leave out Barry Bonds homerun record chase lol. hatin...

hard to explain why that wasn't nearly as big of a deal. Different breaking a 50 year old record and a 3 year old record I guess

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:
Sports often have moments that are so big that they appeal to even those that don't normally watch the sport. Baseball has had many such moments, starting with the early part of last century (Lough Gehrig's speech, Jackie Robinson, etc.) and even more recently with the Sosa/McGuire/Griffey (later to be Sosa/McGuire) HR record chase. Basketball enjoyed a full decade of this through the stardom of Michael Jordan. I've never seen anything like that--people who couldn't care less about any sport were absolutely mesmerized by MJ. Boxing also had many such moments, the one example that most readily comes to mind being the Joe Luis/Max Schneling bouts. The olympics are constantly packed with moments like this, and Soccer's worldwide popularity is a transcendence in its own right. But has this ever happened in football? Please help, because I can't recall anything that would qualify!

way to leave out Barry Bonds homerun record chase lol. hatin...

In my mind the season home run record is still 61 by Roger Maris for a 162 game season and 60 by Babe Ruth in a 154 game season. Hank Aaron is still the career leader with 755. The steroid era tainted baseball records. What makes
Bonds so disgusting is he would have been a top ten career home run hitter with out cheating. Then he claims he was clean after gaining 30 pounds of muscle over night, a real arrogant jerk thinking people are stupid enough to believe his lies.

Any 49er Super Bowl win, even the beatdown of the Broncos in the Bayou

The catch.

Brett Favre throwing 4 TDs on MNF with a broken thumb after his dad died.

New Orleans winning a superbowl
Brett Favre (somehow he does it every offseason)
Namath leading the jets to victory? idk lol

Originally posted by modninerfan:
New Orleans winning a superbowl
Brett Favre (somehow he does it every offseason)
Namath leading the jets to victory? idk lol

Those are the closest I could think of... BUT

Favre only mattered to sports fans, and did the Namath SB really mean much outside of football? It meant a ton for football... but outside of it? The NO superbowl would have been had it happened a few years sooner, but by that time as great as it was, it didn't have a strong enough connection to the tragedy. I still can't think of a re-defining moment.

Originally posted by niner4life21:
Brett Favre throwing 4 TDs on MNF with a broken thumb after his dad died.

I gotta agree with this. That was an incredible game, hate Favre or love him.

Wardrobe Malfunction!!!! BOOOM!!!

He became soooooo much more than just a football player.

I am biased with "The Catch", but what about the upset of NE by the NY Giants?

Team of destiny, only the second team to go to SB undefeated, only thing everyone thought they had to do was show up, yet the NYG beat them with talent, and a huge amount of luck

I guess the Namath guarantee would count b/c without it, the AFL/NFL merger would've never happened