It's hard to believe, but today marks the 20th anniversary of one of the wildest, craziest days in American history. Without a question, it was one of the most significant days in American sports in the 20th Century. So significant, in fact, that ESPN dedicated an entire 30 for 30 to the subject (and it was one of the best ones in the series). And 20 years later, the events of June 17, 1994, still have a lasting impact.
The ESPN 30 for 30 touched on a couple things that were significant at the time, but pale in comparison to everything else that happened on that memorable day. Arnold Palmer, who nowadays is being plugged pretty hard as the half-iced tea/half-lemonade guy in those commercials, was a golf legend first. Twenty years ago today, he played the final U.S. Open round of his career.
They also showed highlights of the Rangers' Stanley Cup parade. Three days earlier, they had captured their first title in 65 years. Many of us in New York were hoping that there would be another parade down the Canyon of Heroes at some point this week, but, alas, that remains the last championship parade for a New York hockey team.
Another thing that they showed in the ESPN 30 for 30 was a Ken Griffey, Jr., home run. Of course, two months later, the baseball season would come to an abrupt end, depriving us of a potential assault on the home run record that would still belong to Roger Maris for another few years. Tony Gwynn, God rest his soul, was hitting .394 when the strike hit. Who knows if he could've reached .400? (Heartbreaking news about Gwynn. He'll always have a special place in my heart. The last time I went to Cooperstown was seven years ago, for his and Cal Ripken, Jr.'s induction.)
We're two months away from the anniversary of the strike. It started on August 12, 1994 to be exact. (Ironically, the day the strike started was the same day I made my first trip to Cooperstown.) It dragged on for months. We lost a World Series and were faced with the prospect of seeing replacement players until the strike was finally settled during Spring Training 1995. The strike changed baseball forever. It led to the Steroid Era.
But, there was also a much more lasting impact of the baseball strike, which I think is one of the few positive things that can be taken away. Through all the labor struggles we've seen in the other three Major League sports over the past few years, including the lockout that cancelled the entire 2004-05 NHL season (that anniversary is coming up, too), Baseball has had labor peace ever since that day. And I truly believe that there will never be another work stoppage in Major League Baseball again. Both sides learned from the strike. The fans eventually came back. They might not if it happens again. And both the players and the owners understand that.
More significantly, June 17, 1994, marked the opening day of the World Cup, which was held in the United States for the first time. Nobody thought it would work. The U.S. was notorious for not caring about soccer. No one was going to show up. Wrong! To this day, the 1994 World Cup is still the most attended in the event's history. As it turns out, going to the U.S. might've been the best thing FIFA ever did. Because it started a soccer explosion in this country.
MLS is coming up on its 20th anniversary, and it's never been stronger. Soccer's on TV everywhere. People watch the English Premier League and Champions League religiously. European club and national teams play exhibition games in the U.S., and the stadiums are packed. And do I even need to say anything about the U.S. National Team (great win over Ghana, guys!), the biggest by-product of the culture change started with the 1994 World Cup. People care about the National Team and World Cup now. That most certainly wasn't the case 20 years ago, when soccer was still a curiosity.
All of that pales in comparison to the Crime of the Century, though. I'm, of course, talking about the event that led to the creation of 24-hour news channels and reality TV (and also led to the Kardashians being unleashed on the world). NBC cut away from its coverage of Game 5 of the NBA Finals because people wanted to watch a white Ford Bronco drive very slowly down the Santa Monica Freeway while being trailed by police cars for an hour and a half. You could see
Yes, America, it was 20 years ago today that the entire country was transfixed by O.J. Simpson. From a slow speed car chase to the all the events that unfolded in the weeks and months afterwards to the trial itself, the O.J. Simpson case completely changed the way this country watches TV. It was the only thing people wanted to watch or could talk about. The entire trial was covered live on television, and everyone had an opinion. Whether you thought he was guilty or not wasn't relevant. You had an opinion.
I just watched a special about Oscar Pistorius, which is the 21st Century's version of the O.J. trial, and they interviewed Allen Dershowitz, a member of the legal "Dream Team" that earned a not guilty verdict. They obviously touched on O.J. and Dershowitz said something very interesting. He, not so subtly, implied that they didn't win the case as much as the prosecution lost it. That, to me, suggested that even Dershowitz, who helped get his client acquitted, has doubts about O.J.'s innocence.
O.J. Simpson is a fallen hero. He went from a beloved former sports star, TV pitchman and actor to an accused murderer overnight. Even though he was acquitted, his image has been shattered forever. And Simpson, of course, was never able to recover, and he's currently serving 33 years in prison for breaking into a hotel room and stealing memorabilia. He ended up going to jail anyway, which many people think is some sort of poetic justice.
Regardless of your personal opinion on O.J. Simpson, there's no denying that he'll have a permanent place in the American lexicon. The O.J. Simpson trial was the media event of its time, and it forever changed the way Americans watch TV. In fact, it did more than that. It completely changed the way we look at our celebrities. Now you only hear about celebrities because of the "trouble" they get in, as insignificant or made up as it might be.
For good or for bad, America changed with the O.J. Simpson saga. Whether or not today's a reason to celebrate is up for debate, but there's no doubt about the significance of what happened on this day 20 years ago. June 17, 1994--one of the most memorable days in the history of American sports. And one that has left a lasting legacy.
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