Top 7 Strangest Sporting Moments

Despite ultimately losing out to Billy Horschel, Rory McIlroy produced possibly the most memorable moment of the weekend’s Tour Championsip – when he landed a tee shot in a spectator’s pocket.

We take a look at some other strange sporting moments…

The Sunderland Beachball

When Darren Bent came off the Aston Villa bench on Saturday, his opponents Liverpool had reason to be cautious.

Bent famously provided an assist for a beachball against The Reds for his previous club Sunderland.

It was the first inanimate object to score for The Black Cats since Jon Stead.

Do the Bartman

It’s not often a fan costs his team a major trophy and ends up under police protection. But that’s exactly what happened Steve Bartman, a lifelong Chicago Cubs supporter, in 2003.

Bartman disrupted a potential catch by Cubs outfielder Moises Alou, which ultimately cost his side from reaching the World Series.

Horan goes in One Direction

Earth-Moving Moment

While most sporting events in this part of the world are affected by rain or snow, in California things are a bit more serious.

The 1989 World Series between San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s was hit with an earthquake during the warm-up. The quake hits about two minutes into this coverage.

Knifed in the Back

The world of sport is rife with bitter rivalries, with opponents only too eager to stab their rivals in the back. However, sports stars don’t expect it from fans.

In 1993, Monica Seles was the best women’s tennis player in the world, and was leading a Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg, when her career changed forever. Günter Parche, an obsessive fan of Steffi Graf, somehow made his way onto the court and proceeded to stab 19-year-old between the shoulder blades.

Parche was sentenced to two years’ probation and psychological treatment, while Seles would never reach another Grand Slam Single’s final.

Ear Ring

Mike Tyson’s been a controversial figure throughout his career but one of his most scandalous incidents is also one of the most bizarre seen in a sporting contest.

Iron Mike faced Evander Holyfield in 1997 for the WBA Heavyweight Championship and intended to do whatever it took to win. In the third round, Tyson bit his opponent’s ear, removing a one-inch piece of cartilage, which he subsequently spat on the ring floor.

Holyfield was furious, while Tyson was disqualified and lost his boxing licence.

What an Ice Sore

Ice hockey is a notoriously violent sport, but it’s usually kept contained on the rink. However, it’s not often the fans get involved.

This incident occurred 35 years ago but is still notorious in US sport. It all kicked off when a New York Rangers fan struck Boston Bruins’ Stan Jonathan with his match programme.

The Bruins weren’t impressed and proceeded to retaliate. It ended with the fan getting clobbered by his own footwear, and the episode is infamously called “The Shoe Incident”.