When you think of scary sports moments your mind probably goes to bone-crushing hits and cringe-worthy injuries. This is not that kind of list. Instead, we’ve decided to present three sports-related moments that, while scary, everyone involved comes out mostly unscathed. So, with Halloween around the corner, here are three scary sports moments that you won’t believe.
Friday Night Lightning
Friday night high school football is as American as apple pie. However, this contest between Orlando University High School and Boone High School had an unexpected moment, or rather, the Orlando marching band did. During the halftime performance, a tree next to a set of occupied bleachers was struck by lightning. Luckily, no one was hurt. The field was evacuated, and the game was called off with Orlando leading Boone 14-7 – which really sucked for Boone. Oh, and by the way, the date of the game was Sept. 13, 2013. That’s right – it was Friday the 13th. Booooooo!
Crashing the Game
Crash is a versatile word. You can "crash" on a friend's couch. You can even "crash" a wedding. When you think of the word crash in the context of a baseball game, you may think of two players crashing into each other trying to catch a ball. You probably don't expect to be referring to an actual plane crashing next to the field. Well, that is exactly what happened on July 31, 2003, at a sports complex in Anchorage, Alaska. The plane in question was a single-engine Cessna 207 Skywagon, which had to make an emergency landing and managed to slip the aircraft between an occupied minor league baseball stadium and soccer field. Two people on board sustained minor injuries, but otherwise, everyone made it out OK. When you look at the video, it's surprising the incident wasn't worse.
Punches & Parachutes
OK, full disclosure, this final entry isn’t as scary as it was unbelievable – and bittersweet. James Miller, also known as the Fan Man, was an extreme sports enthusiast who gained notoriety for crashing (wee what we did there?) the Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe rematch at Caesars Palace in 1993. And how did James “crash” the fight? By paragliding into the ring, of course! Well, his parachute got tangled in the lights, and he managed to hit the top rope before being dragged down and beaten unconscious by security and spectators. Anyway, James went on to interrupt several more sporting events before “retiring” in 1996. He sadly passed away in 2002 by his own hand. On a brighter note, when interviewed about the Holyfield vs. Bowe stunt, James stated, “It was a heavyweight fight, and I was the only guy who got knocked out!”
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