I haven’t quite got time travel out of my system yet after the Back to the Future day a couple of weeks ago. I was watching Back to the Future 2 and I was thinking what I would do if I got a copy of Biff’s Sports Almanac and also had a time machine. I’m a bit of a sports fan so my mind got racing to what great sporting occasions I would want to revisit and also put a wager on.
If I was approached by my future self, like the 1955 Biff is by the older Biff, then I would probably head to an online betting website and do some betting there on the biggest upsets that were coming up, no matter what the sports were. Just to make money. I’d do it online because it’s slightly less in the spotlight. I don’t think I would want to be in big newspapers like Biff was and become a celebrity. This option is just if I had an almanac and I didn’t have a time machine though…
If I was the older Biff and I had the time machine then I think I would go back in time to revisit some great sporting events. An almanac would still help me keep track of scores and I would of course stick some bets on while I was there. It always makes it a bit more interesting when you have money riding on sport. I’m sure there’s a way I could put the winnings into a bank account when I returned to my present.
So this list is basically all the sporting moments from the past that I would love to attend if I had a time machine but that I would also probably stick a sneaky bet on while I was there. No order of preference. Just in chronological order. Some are just great sporting events I would love to watch and some are big upsets that would be great to bet on.
Cassius Clay v Sonny Liston – 1964
Muhammad Ali’s first win of the heavyweight championship belt, whilst still known as Clay, on the night that he announced his conversion to Islam. Would have been an electrifying atmosphere I bet, and a big upset, so a prime candidate for a big bet. The famous photo above is actually from their rematch a year later I think, so I would probably check out both those fights.
Nadia Comaneci’s perfect 10s – 1976
Gymnastics is amazing to see in the flesh, so to be there to witness the perfect routines from Comaneci that have gone down in sporting history would be amazing. Not sure if you can bet on gymnastics but I would certainly be looking out for a flutter on this.
McEnroe v Borg, Wimbledon Final – 1980
Deemed by many to be the greatest tennis match ever. Amazing displays of tennis from two icons of the sport.
Torvill and Dean’s Bolero – Winter Olympics 1984
Torvill and Dean’s near perfect performance at the Winter Olympics is stuff of legend. It made them instant household names and the pride of Britain. To be there in person would be amazing.
Lakers v Celtics – Magic Johnson 1987
One of the most famous NBA finals series, with the highlight being Magic Johnson’s famous skyhook in Game 4. So many other classic NBA names as well including Larry Bird, Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. I’d love to have been there to see this.
SuperBowl XXIII – 49ers v Bengals – 1989
I had to put in a classic SuperBowl and this one stands out for me. I remember watching it as a kid. Boomer Esiason, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice (MVP). And what a finish with Montana’s winning touchdown pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds left in the game.
Scotland winning the rugby grand slam – 1990
As a proud Scottish rugby fan who doesn’t get to see Scotland win all that often, I would have loved to have been at the stadium to see Scotland beat England to win the rugby Grand Slam. Iconic moments aplenty in this match, including David Sole famously walking the team onto the pitch, the first time that Flower of Scotland was sung as the official anthem, and Gavin Hastings kicking the ball ahead for Tony Stanger to catch the high bounce and score the winning try. Victory was sweet enough but a monetary win would be an extra bonus.
Michael Jordan’s first NBA championship – 1991
I had to put a Jordan game on this list. I nearly opted for the 1997 ‘flu game’ or the great ’98 series, but in the end I went for his first NBA championship in 1991. And the bonus is that it’s another basketball game series featuring Magic Johnson so I get to see Jordan and Johnson square up and see Jordan win his first championship ring.
Liverpool v Newcastle 4-3 – 1996
Possibly the most exciting game of football ever in the English Premier League. I remember I was pub-hopping via a friend’s house and every time we arrived at a new house or pub there had been yet another goal scored. Such a classic match with so many famous names such as David Ginola, Robbie Fowler, Les Ferdinand, Ian Rush, John Barnes, Jamie Redknapp, Stan Collymore, Faustino Asprilla, David James, Neil Ruddock, Steve McManaman, Phillipe Albert and Peter Beardsley. Loads of iconic moments including Robbie Fowler’s great finish and stumbling celebration, Martin Tyler’s commentary of “Barnes, Rush, Barnes… Collymore closing in!” and Kevin Keegan slumped against the advertising hoarding. An absolute classic and I doubt anyone would bet on that scoreline. But I would! Seriously, for any of my US friends who don’t think football/soccer can be exciting, just watch this video of the match highlights.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Celtic 3-1 – 2000
Another football game here. Not the best game perhaps but one of the most surprising results as the small Inverness Caledonian Thistle beat the giants Celtic at their home ground. And it spawned the best headline ever in The Sun – “Super Caley Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious”. I would have loved to have been there at Celtic Park to experience the shock, and even better to have some money riding on it. I can only imagine what it would have been like to be a Caley fan that day.
I’d love to hear what sporting moments you would go back to visit. Hit me up in the comments.