Over the weekend, I was reminded of the opening scene of Molly’s Game when Jessica Chastain’s character narrates the results of a survey asking people what is the worst thing that can happen in sports. For all the joy I derive out of watching sports, there were some gut-wrenching moments the past two days.
This thought exercise is probably all-too familiar for Clippers fans. Some of the worst things that could happen to the Clippers did just happen in the past three weeks, and there’s no point in reliving them right now.
But other teams experienced some of the most terrible moments sports has to offer this weekend, and it made me curious as to what qualifies as the worst.
For instance, losing in an international exhibition game doesn’t seem that bad. But when you’re Team USA, the standard of basketball around the world, and you’re preparing for a run at an Olympic gold, it’s pretty embarrassing to lose, especially when you’re coming off a seventh-place finish at the World Cup. On top of that, to lose to a team with no NBA All-Stars, one that the USA had beaten by 83 points at the 2012 Olympics, is bad. It’s really bad. Maybe not one of the worst things in sports, but we’re just getting started.
How about if you’re the Brazilian men’s soccer team, hosting an international championship against your arch-nemesis Argentina. Not only do you lose for the first time ever at home in a Copa…
