Arian Foster Helps Break Down Some of the Biggest Conspiracy Theories in Sports History
On today's Pardon My Take, Mr. Cat and Mr. Commenter welcomed on recurring guest Arian Foster. The former NFL running back joined the show to discuss the first episode of the podcast he hosts with Mr. Commenter - Macrodosing. The two of them will "explore conspiracies, conundrums, and the dark corners of the deep web." With that, we mixed together the topic of conspiracy theories and sports on today's PMT. Each person picked an important sports conspiracy to dive into, and here is how that selection process went:
PFT: Curt Schilling and the Bloody Sock - In the midst of one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling attempted to pitch through an ankle injury in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. Was it truly blood? Or was it ketchup/paint to give Schilling an excuse if he pitched poorly?
Arian Foster: Michael Jordan's Secret NBA Suspension - After watching "The Last Dance," we all know how big of a gambler MJ is. While one of the best players of all-time retired from basketball in 1993 to try out baseball, some say that wasn't the real case. Instead, there is a theory out there that NBA commissioner David Stern suspended Jordan for the 1993-94 season for his bets.
Hank: Cal Ripken and the Power Outage - It was August 1997, when Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak was still alive. That's also when actor/producer Kevin Costner, a friend of Ripken, was staying at his house. The story goes that Ripken walked in on his wife with Costner, and Ripken couldn't play that night. That's when the power went out at Camden Yards to postpone the game and kept the streak in tact.
Me: Blackout Bowl - The storylines leading up to Super Bowl XLVII included the last dance for Ray Lewis and the "Har-bowl," when the two brothers faced off as head coaches in the biggest game in the world. The Baltimore Ravens were running away with things, leading 28-6, and then the power went out at the Superdome, stopping play for 34 minutes. Was this enough time to allow the San Francisco 49ers to regroup and get back in the game? It helped a little bit, but Baltimore still ended up winning, 34-31
Billy: Russian Doping at the Olympics - At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Russians were trying to cover up a doping operation. A Russian official eventually admitted that there was some truth to this.
Big Cat: Ronaldo at the 1998 World Cup - It was the Final at the 1998 World Cup, when the best player in the world had a seizure right before the championship match. Was he drugged so that Brazil wouldn't win? Did Nike force him to play because of all the money involved?
Which of these do you think is the most intriguing? Tune into Macrodosing every Tuesday, when a new episode is released covering plenty of different topics: