After the United States failed to miss the World Cup there was a lot of talk about patriotic sporting events. There is something special about cheering for your favorite team when they play a big rival, but nothing compares to cheering for your country. When the whole country is behind one team there is a certain energy that can’t be reached when cheering for a regular team. Patriotic sports moments give you goosebumps that a regular game could never give you. Directing all your hate at a country you know absolutely nothing about is what America was built on. So I’ve compiled my top 5 patriotic moments in American sports history, but these moments aren’t just the best for America, but the ones that inspired some serious hate in other countries.
5. USA Olympic Basketball
The Dream Team:
The OG Dream Team. The greatest collection of basketball players (besides the 2018 Warriors) to play on the same team. Granted they didn’t have a ton of competition, but they outscored teams by 44 points per game. This was the pinnacle of the USA proving they are way better than everybody else.
The Dream Team Two:
First of all, those uniforms are absolutely Mount Vesuvius Fire Flames Gas. Also, it’s crazy that the “forgotten” team of the 90’s had Stockton, Malone, Payton, Barkley, David Robinson, Shaq, and Hakeem, among others. Our fashion and B team are still better than everyone else.
The Redeem Team:
CP3, Kobe, Lebron, the Olympic GOAT Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard was a pretty decent starting line up in 2008. The new era of American hoops proved we’re still better than everybody else.
Honorable Mention:
This is the symbol of America vs. everybody else.
4. Landon Donovan’s Game Winning Goal Against Algeria
This was unreal. The biggest moment in American soccer history (which is embarrassing) but this was awesome. The whole country was behind this team and a lot of people across the country celebrated soccer for the first time ever.
I know absolutely nothing about Algeria, but I remember watching this goal and having an overwhelming amount of hate for Algeria. We’re way fucking better than them.
3. Jesse Owens Bodybags Hitler at the Olympics
The 1936 Olympics were hosted in Berlin, Germany and ole Hitler thought he was going to stunt his Nazi bullshit all over the rest of the world. However, American hero Jesse Owens had other plans. He showed up and dominated the track and field events and got to stand on the top of the podium over the Germans. Now, for those that don’t know much about history, Hitler was kinda racist. So he wasn’t very happy about getting dominated by an African American athlete.
FUCK THE NAZIS
2. Mike Piazza Hits a Home Run 10 Days After 9/11
This gives me the chills more than any other play in sports. 9/11 is the biggest tragedy in American history, which obviously impacted New York City worse than anywhere. Just 10 days after the attacks, the Atlanta Braves came to Shea Stadium to play the Mets. The New York fans that had been so freshly scarred, were looking for an escape from what had just happened. This is what makes sports the most amazing thing on the planet. This type of moment couldn’t come in any other way. This go ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth took Mets fans away from reality for a moment. Obviously as a Mets fan this is even more special for me, but for the whole country this was an incredible moment.
Honorable mention:
The Yankees made the World Series a month after 9/11. President Bush came out in his FDNY jacket at Yankee Stadium and threw the first pitch right down the fucking gut. Definitely the coolest moment of his presidency, and maybe any presidency.
1. The Miracle On Ice
This is of course the greatest moment in American sports history.
In the heat of the Cold War, the underdog USA team beat the Soviets to move on to the gold medal game.
It also inspired one of the most inspirational movie speeches of all time:
The greatest rivalry of all time will always be the USA vs. Everybody.
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