The history of sport is littered with tales that have become accepted truths even when there is no definitive proof, the facts have become distorted or they are simply works of fiction. From Rafa Nadal’s shoes to Top of the Pops and a waitress called Suzie, here are some of the greatest and most bizarre myths in sport…
Fergie knocked Liverpool ‘off their perch’
If anyone could be credited with that achievement it should be former Arsenal boss George Graham. The Gunners beat Liverpool 2-1 in the 1987 League Cup Final and two years later Graham’s team won the title at Anfield. Then, in 1991, they overhauled Liverpool to win another league title. By the time United became champions in 1993 Liverpool were already a team in decline.
A stun gun fixed a horse race
Royal Ascot, 1988. Ile De Chypre looked certain to win until veering violently off course with the winning post in his sight. On the same day James Laming was arrested after traces of cocaine were found on banknotes in his car as part of an investigation to crack a drug ring. Laming later claimed in court that he won the money after fixing the infamous Ile De Chypre race by using a stun gun that emitted ultrasonic waves. Tests on horses using a stun gun were, at best, inconclusive and experts will tell you that horses can suddenly throw a wobbly during a race, usually because they’ve been spooked by something in their line of vision. Meanwhile, Laming was found guilty on two charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Tony Blair lied about joining the Toon Army
Yes, the very same Tony Blair who said that one of his biggest regrets was to allow his government to introduce the Freedom of Information Act, was the victim of misinformation. In 1997 it was reported that Blair told an interviewer he used to sit in the Gallowgate End watching Jackie Milburn. But there were no seats in the Gallowgate when ‘Wor Jackie’ was playing for Newcastle. Then, in 2008, the original interview was unearthed. Blair never mentioned the Gallowgate and said he started supporting Newcastle shortly after Milburn had left the club in 1957.
60% of US sales in avocados occur during Super Bowl week
Avocados are, of course, the key ingredient in guacamole and there ain’t no party like a Super Bowl party with guacamole. Around 80m lbs of guacamole are consumed during Super Bowl week but according to Jan DeLyser of the California Avocado Commission that only accounts for 3-4% of annual sales. As for idea that sewers could overflow at half-time during the big game because too many toilets are being flushed at the same time…that isn’t true either.
Tottenham’s dodgy lasagne
Spurs needed to win at West Ham on the final day of the 2005/6 season to finish fourth and secure a place in the Champions League qualifying stage at the expense of Arsenal. The night before the match several players were struck down by what was thought to be food poisoning having eaten lasagne at the hotel they were staying at near Canary Wharf. The following day a depleted Spurs side lost 2-1 to the Hammers. The head of Tower Hamlets Trading Standards and Environmental Health later revealed that the likely cause of the illness was a viral form of gastroenteritis, not lasagne.
The weather is the key to swing bowling
Rabrinda Mehta is a NASA scientist. He’s also a former fast bowler who has spent the last 30 years studying the flight of cricket balls. Seriously. It’s a commonly held view the cloud cover and humidity have an effect on swing. Mehta argues that a combination or ‘turbulent air and cloud conditions’ create the ideal circumstances for swing, but clouds and heat do not. The debate rages on.
A waitress poisoned the All Blacks
Members of the New Zealand rugby team suffered food poisoning on the eve of the 1995 World Cup Final in South Africa. The Springboks won 15-12 and, in the wake of that defeat, All Blacks coach Laurie Mains pointed the finger of suspicion at a waitress in their hotel called Suzie. However, there was no evidence of anyone by that name being employed by the hotel and team manager Colin Meads later thought it might have been down to a carton of milk that was on the turn. Former Springbok winger James Small had his own take on the Suzie legend. ”That’s the biggest load of shit I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Back To The Future II and Baseball’s World Series
In the film Marty McFly sees a sports broadcast which reveals that the Chicago Cubs have beaten Miami to win the 2015 World Series. Back in 1989, when the film was released, the state of Florida didn’t have a Major League outfit but by 1997 the Florida Marlins (who later became the Miami Marlins) had won Baseball’s biggest prize. A story then did the rounds on the internet stating the movie predicted a Miami win. It resurfaced last year when it looked like the Cubs were on the verge of making the 2015 World Series only to fall short. The reason why the writer picked the Cubs was because they hadn’t won the World Series since 1908 and he wanted to pick a sporting event that seemed totally implausible to moviegoers at that time.
Rafael Nadal wears shoes that are too small
Legend has it that Nadal’s shoe size is 11.5 but he wears size 10 pumps. According to Tennis fans it’s a story that was put about by John McEnroe and the idea is that wearing a smaller shoe makes him more nimble around the court. The question has been put to Nadal and he has categorically denied it. In a Q&A session with The Daily Telegraph he stated: “No, this is not true. I am normally a 10-and-a-half and I wear a tailor-made one to play that is a 10. But as I say it is tailor-made so not a real number.” Also, there is no truth to the story that his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, forced him to become a left-handed player as he thought it would give him an advantage against opponents.
Ryan Giggs could have played for England
Well, he did captain the England schoolboys team back in 1989, but only because he went to school in Manchester. He was never eligible to play for the England senior team. He was born Cardiff and his parents are Welsh.
Jocky Wilson appeared on Top of the Pops
It has gone down in folklore as a classic TV blooper. When Dexy’s Midnight Runners appeared on TOTP in 1982 to perform ‘Jackie Wilson Said’ – a cover of Van Morrison’s classic tribute to the legendary soul singer – the backdrop featured a huge picture of Darts World Champion Jocky Wilson. But Dexy’s frontman Kevin Rowland later revealed in an interview with The Guardian: “For a laugh, we told the producer to put a picture of Jocky Wilson up behind us.” "He said: 'But Kevin, people will think we made a mistake.' I told him only an idiot would think that.”
