Memorable Sports Gaffes

Top 17 Most Controversial Sports Calls

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The Most Talked ... What sports calls have caused the most controversy among fans?
Check out our list of the most controversial calls in sports to see if your team made the list! (Photos: AP)
17. Chuck Knobla... 1999 MLB ALCS: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox: Chuck Knoblauch’s phantom tag on Jose Offerman as he rounded second base in the 1999 ALCS game at Fenway Park isn’t even up for debate. Boston manager Jimmy Williams knew it then and fans know it now.
Umpire Tim Tschida apologized after the game for blowing the painfully obvious call, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Yankees went on to clinch the pennant over the Red Sox in Game 5, and then swept Atlanta in the World Series. (Photo: AP)
16. Roethlisberg... 2006 Super Bowl XL: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks: Questions still surround the touchdown run by Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Did he actually get the ball over the goal line? The officials on the field thought so and the call stood after a review.
Seattle fans remain adamant that the ball never crossed the goal line, insisting that the original and upheld ruling was wrong ('Hawks fans felt robbed by three or four calls that night). As it turns out, the fans were right. This past August, referee Bill Leavy apologized to the Seahawks during preseason.
Leavy said, "It was a tough thing for me. I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game and as an official you never want to do that. It left me with a lot of sleepless nights and I think about it constantly. I'll go to my grave wishing that I'd been better. I know that I did my best at that time, but it wasn't good enough. When we make mistakes, you got to step up and own them. It's something that all officials have to deal with, but unfortunately when you have to deal with it in the Super Bowl it's difficult.“ (Photo: AP)
15. Hrbek Lifts ... 1991 MLB World Series Game 2: Atlanta Braves vs. Minnesota Twins: The Braves' Ron Gant (pictured arguing with Umpire Drew Coble) knocked a single to left field in the third inning of this 1991 World Series. As Gant rounded first, Twins pitcher Kevin Tapani threw the ball behind him to first baseman Kent Hrbek. Hrbek, in an attempt to tag Gant out, lifted Gant off the bag. Gant was called out to end the inning. The unfair maneuver was apparent to everyone in the stadium, except Umpire Drew Coble. Coble called Gant out, believing that he was off the bag through his own fault. Gant went ballistic. Braves manager Bobby Cox joined him in a classic screaming match with the umpires. The call was not reversed and the Twins went on to win the game. And every game after that. (Photo: AP)
14. Calvin Johns... 2010 NFL Regular Season: Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears: The most recent controversial call on the list comes in a matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. Lions receiver Calvin Johnson made a leaping grab in the end zone, completing what he believed to be the winning touchdown in the season opener. Johnson was wrong.
Officials called the catch an incomplete pass. Referee Gene Steratore said, "The ruling is that in order for the catch to be completed he has got to maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process of the catch." Johnson maintains that the catch was fair. "I figure if I got two feet and a knee down, to me that is a catch that's why I got up and took off," he said. (Photo: AP)
13. The Denkinge... 1985 World Series: Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals: Many thought the 1985 World Series was boring due to low scoring and few exciting plays. But that all changed in the bottom of the 9th of Game 6 when Jorge Orta led off for the Royals against Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell. The Royals were down 1-0 in the game. Orta hit a ground ball to first base, fielded by Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark. Clark threw over to Worrell, who was running over to cover first base.
Worrell beat Orta to first base but umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe. The Royals eventually won the game and the series, but Denkinger’s bad call at first is all that is remembered. (Photo: AP)

12. USA vs. USSR...

1972 Olympic Gold Medal Basketball Game: USA vs. USSR: The final three seconds of the 1972 Olympic Gold Medal basketball game have proven to be the most controversial in Olympic history. The United States maintains that they were victorious after the Soviets put the ball in play despite the fact that their coach was arguing with officials for a timeout. After two false starts and countless arguments, the Secretary General of the International Amateur Basketball Federation overruled the officials and gave the Soviets the timeout plus three seconds.



Aleksandr Bevlov scored on what amounted to a hail-mary full-court play and the USSR took gold. The United States, slighted by the sloppy decisions of the referees, refused to accept their silver medals and maintain that they are the true victors. (Photo: AP)

11. The Great Pi... 1983 MLB Regular Season: Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees: Kansas City’s George Brett slammed a two-run homer into the stands and began rounding the bases. Yankees manager Billy Martin, suspicious of Brett’s bat, ordered his bat boy to give the questioned bat to umpire Tim McClelland. McClelland examined the bat and determined that it was in violation of the pine tar rule which states that the handle of a bat cannot be treated with any substance higher than 18 inches. Brett was thrown out of the game and he threw an epic meltdown.
The Royals challenged McClelland’s decision to throw Brett out of the game. The league agreed that the punishment was too harsh and that Brett ‘s bat should have been taken but he should not have been thrown out. The completion of the controversial game did not come for 25 days, with the Royals beating the Yankees—fair and square. (Photo: AP)

10. Hull in the ...

1999 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 6: Buffalo Sabres vs. Dallas Stars: Brett Hull, a player for the Dallas Stars, scored what officials thought was a goal in the third overtime of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Fans reacted immediately, complaining that Hull’s skate entered the crease before the goal was scored. The officials, however, deemed Hull's goal legal. The fans were right. Pictures and video of this 1999 incident prove that the refs did indeed miss a vital call, leading the Stars to an unearned victory over the Sabres. (Photo: AP)

9. Jeffrey Maier... 1996 MLB ALCS Game 1: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles: Derek Jeter’s fly ball to right field in the bottom of the 8th against the Baltimore Orioles looked like it was out. Tony Tarasco thought otherwise and went back to the wall and leapt. Tarasco was inches away from catching it when it was smacked out of reach by 12-year-old Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier.

The call was ruled a home run by umpire Rich Garcia who completely missed the game interference by Maier. Tarasco insisted there was fan interference, but the call stood. The Yankees went on to win the game and eventually the 1996 World Series title. (Photo: AP)

8. The Tuck Rule

2001 NFL AFC Divisional Playoff Game: New England Patriots vs. Oakland Raiders: This call still has Raiders fans scratching their heads. In the 2001 AFC divisional game between the Patriots and the Raiders, Pats QB Tom Brady dropped back to pass. Charles Woodsen hit Brady, knocking the ball free. A Raiders player recovered it and it seemed as if the Raiders had the victory in the bag. But it wasn’t so simple. The play, originally called a recovered fumble, was reversed.



After an instant replay, referee Walt Coleman declared the play an incomplete forward pass, and gave possession back to the Patriots. His reasoning? An obscure NFL rule known as the Tuck Rule. Coleman said that even though Brady wasn't attempting a pass at the time of the hit, he was trying to tuck the ball back in after making a pass, and under NFL rules when a QB loses the ball while trying to bring it back in, the result is an incomplete pass. Fans were outraged. But the NFL stands behind Coleman’s decision, and has refused to remove The Tuck Rule from the rulebook. (Photo: AP)

7. Hue Hollins' ... 1995 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks:During the brief period in the 1990s that Michael Jordan was not playing for the Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen took over the reigns as leader. The Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference semis to face the New York Knicks, a feat many thought impossible without Jordan.
Just when it looked like the Bulls had won, referee Hue Hollins called Scottie Pippen for a foul on Knicks guard Hubert Davis. This sent David to the line where he'd score the points and win the game.
Bulls players, coaches and fans alike were shocked. Photographs and footage show that Pippen clearly did not foul Davis. Referee supervisor Darrell Garretson even criticized the call. The Knicks went on to win the series and Pippen lost his chance to lead the Bulls to a championship without Michael Jordan. (Photo: AP)

6. The Fifth Dow...

1990 College Football: Colorado vs. Missouri: This controversial call comes from the world of college football. In a 1990 matchup between the University of Colorado and the University of Missouri, an unprecedented fifth down occurred. Here’s how it went down -

First down: Colorado approached Missouri’s goal line and spiked the ball to stop the clock.

Second Down: Colorado attempts to run the ball in, fails, and calls a timeout. No one flips the down the marker to third down.

Third Down: With the marker still showing second down, Colorado runs again but fails to score.

Fourth Down: Colorado spikes the ball again to stop the clock.

Fifth Down: Colorado scores on a quarterback sneak.(Photo: AP)

5. Gregg’s Giant... 1997 MLB Game 5 National League Playoffs: Florida Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves: Umpire Eric Gregg’s strike zone in this 1997 NL playoff matchup had viewers outraged. Pitches that sailed high over the heads of players were called strikes.
The mistakes were so apparent that experts took to measuring Gregg’s strike zone during this particular game. They measured it to have been five feet top to bottom and an unbelievable six-feet wide.
Gregg achieved what every ump is taught to avoid. His decisions directly determined the outcome of the game and he will forever be remembered for his six-foot strike zone. (Photo: AP)
4. Coin Toss Con... 1998 NFL Thanksgiving Day Game: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Detroit Lions: This controversial call changed the game of football forever … or at least the coin toss. The Steelers and Lions were tied and the game was sent into overtime. The coin was flipped midfield and, according to Steelers RB Jerome Bettis, he called tails. The coin landed tails side up and the referee declared the Lions the winner of the toss.
Confusion erupted. Bettis screamed at officials that the referee had gotten the toss result wrong. Referee Phil Luckett, the official who declared the toss, later told reporters that Bettis had called ''heads-tails'' and Luckett, according to NFL rules, went with the first thing he heard out of Bettis’ mouth. The Lions went on to win in overtime and Steelers fans have never forgotten.
No one will ever know if Bettis said heads or tails first, but the rules regarding the coin toss have been since changed to avoid any further controversy. (Photo: AP)

3. Michael Jorda...

1998 NBA Finals Game 6: Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz: Did Michael Jordan push Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals? They say there are two sides to every story and that certainly rings true in this controversial sports call. Jazz fans insist that the refs didn’t call the foul on Jordan because it was supposed to be his last year in the NBA. Bulls fans maintain that Jordan’s move was clean and there was no push on Russell. Whatever the answer, Jordan and Russell have made amends over the situation, joking about it with the media. It has been reported that Jordan even invited Russell for a rematch to put the rumors to rest. (Photo: AP)

2. The Almost Pe...

June 2, 2010 MLB Regular Season: Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers: Armando Galarraga had a perfect game with two outs in the top of the ninth. And then Jim Joyce got involved. Joyce incorrectly called Jason Donald safe on a ground ball and ultimately cost Galarraga a place in MLB history. Joyce immediately recognized his mistake saying, “I thought [Donald] beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.“ (Photo: AP)

1. Hand of God

1986 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals: Argentina vs. England: During a 1-1 game between Argentina and England, Argentinean player Diego Maradona jumped up between two English defenders and deflected the ball into the net with his hand. To the outrage of England's players, coaches and fans, the referee allowed the goal and Argentina went on to win the match. This handball goal, the most famous in soccer history and our pick for worst call of all time, is not an isolated incident. It had an imitator.



In a 2009 World Cup qualifying match between France and Ireland, France striker Thierry Henry knocked down a ball with his hand in the build-up to the match-winning goal. This incident has been playfully nicknamed the "Hand of Gaul." (Photo: AP)