Let’s talk holiday sports.
The Fourth of July (Independence Day) is coming up. It's a national holiday, and a family holiday for many. Is sports part of your holiday tradition? Do you schedule sports competitions or viewing or attending as part of your celebration? Do you include family, or is this just a “sports fan” thing? Or do you put sports on hold and spend all of your attention on the holiday at hand and/or with family?
Sports have become part of the American holiday fabric for many. On Independence Day alone, televised sports include Major League Baseball, Wimbledon (professional tennis), Major League Soccer, CONCACAF Women’s Soccer, WNBA, local sports and The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. OK, hot dog eating. Is that even a sport? Do you watch it anyway? Nathan’s sells a lot of hot dogs sponsoring that event, but while I enjoy Nathan’s dogs, I have never seen any contestant look like he or she is enjoying what he or she is eating/consuming, and I shake my head at labeling it as a “sports event.”
Back to real sports. Holiday sports have become a big-screen, part-of-the-event tradition for many on most holidays. From college football bowl games on New Year’s Day to Christmas Day sports, fans can attend or watch sports on any holiday and in many cases, watching is part of the celebration.
Examples include:
New Year’s Day – College football bowl games, NFL, NBA and NHL. On January 1, 1902, the first Rose Bowl game (then called the Tournament East-West Football Game), was played with the Michigan Wolverines beating the Stanford Indians (now the Cardinal), 49-0.
Mother’s Day – Major League Baseball (MLB) with special Mother’s Day uniforms, bats and tributes; NBA, NHL playoffs.
Memorial Day – IndyCar Indianapolis 500, NASCAR Coca-Cola 600, Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, NBA, NHL playoffs, French Open (professional tennis).
Father’s Day – MLB with special Father’s Day uniforms, bats and tributes; US Open (professional golf), NASCAR.
Independence Day – MLB, Wimbledon (professional tennis), NASCAR Firecracker 400, WNBA, Major League Soccer, CONCACAF women’s soccer, Tour de France (cycling).
Labor Day – MLB, Labor Day Classic (college football), US Open (tennis), NASCAR Southern 500, IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland.
Thanksgiving – NFL, college football, college basketball, NHL, NBA. The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving the most among NFL teams, beginning in 1934, and played in the first nationally televised game on Thanksgiving in 1953 vs. the Green Bay Packers. The Dallas Cowboys’ Turkey Day tradition started in 1966 and they have played the Washington-based franchise most often.
Christmas – NFL, NBA, NHL, college basketball, college football bowl games.
Some players really step up on holidays. For example, Duke Snider (Dodgers) hit nine home runs during his career on July 4 games; Willie Mays (Giants) belted eight and Mickey Mantle (Yankees) blasted seven round-trippers on Independence Day.
Among memorable holiday performances and milestones are the following:
Mother’s Day: Mickey Mantle hit his 500th career home run on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1967, against the Baltimore Orioles, after promising his wife that he’d hit one. Dallas Braden (Oakland A’s) pitched a perfect game vs. Tampa, May 9, 2010. He dedicated it to both his mother, who passed away when he was in high school, and his grandmother, who raised him and was in attendance. Jamal Mashburn scored 31 points for Charlotte vs. Milwaukee in the NBA playoffs with his mom (battling colon cancer) courtside. Martin St. Louis of the New York Rangers scored the opening goal in the playoffs vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, coming back after taking a few days off following his mother's passing.
Memorial Day: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) stepped up on Memorial Day in the NBA. In 1991, he scored 29 vs. the Detroit Pistons to complete a sweep for the Bulls after being eliminated by Detroit the prior three years. In 1993, MJ scored 54 to beat the Knicks 115-94 to tie the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece. In 1996, he scored 45 to complete a sweep over the Orlando Magic. Coincidentally, it was Shaquille O’Neal’s final game in a Magic uniform. Willie Mays hit his first career MLB home run on Memorial Day 1951 against Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves.
Father’s Day – Jack Nicklaus won the US Open in an 18-hole playoff over Arnold Palmer, July 17, 1962. Tiger Woods won the 2000 US Open by 15 strokes. In tennis, Bjorn Bjorg won his first Grand Slam singles title in 1974, at the French Open. Jim Bunning of the Phillies threw a perfect game over the Mets on Father’s Day in 1964.
Fourth of July – Arguably the top sports occurrence for any holiday probably goes to Lou Gehrig (Yankees), who on July 4, 1939, gave his “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech at Yankee Stadium while suffering from ALS. The Yankees retired his uniform number that day in front of a packed house. In the original “Fight of the Century,” July 4, 1910, heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson defeated former champ Jim Jeffries, whom the sportswriters called “The Great White Hope.” Johnson knocked out Jeffries in the 15th round. In tennis, John McEnroe ended Borg’s Wimbledon championship run of five straight in 1981. In 1987, Australian Pat Cash arguably started the tradition of winning athletes jumping into the stands, when he leaped into the gallery at the All England Club to embrace his father after Cash defeated Ivan Lendl in the final. Billie Jean King topped Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1975 at Wimbledon, and in baseball, Dave Righetti tossed a no-hitter for the Yankees vs. Boston in 1983.
Labor Day – In 1994, the Cleveland Browns scored the first 2-point conversion in NFL history in a game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. In baseball, Gary Carter (Mets) tied an MLB record by hitting five home runs in two games. He hit three vs. the Padres Sept. 3 and added two more on Labor Day, Sept. 4, 1985.
Thanksgiving – Bob Griese (Miami Dolphins) threw for six touchdowns passing and 207 yards in 1977 vs. the Cardinals. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) threw for six touchdowns and 236 yards in 2004 vs. the Lions. Tony Romo (Cowboys) totaled 306 yards passing and five touchdowns in 2006 vs. the Buccaneers. OJ Simpson (Buffalo Bills) gained 273 yards rushing in 1976 vs. the Lions. Special commendation to coach/broadcaster John Madden, who created the John Madden Turkey Leg Award in 1989, for the best player on Thanksgiving.
Christmas – The Cleveland Browns beat the L.A. Rams 30-28 for the NFL title in 1950 on a Lou Groza field goal in the closing minutes. Alvin Kamara (Saints) scored six touchdowns and gained 155 yards on 22 carries in a 52-33 win over the Vikings in 2020. Bernard King scored 60 points for the Knicks vs. the Nets in an NBA game. He hit 22 of 26 free throw attempts. And the longest game in NFL history, at 82 minutes and 40 seconds saw the Dolphins outlast Kansas City 27-24 in overtime on Dec. 25, 1971, in the AFC playoffs. Miami won on a Garo Yepremian field goal.
Some big things happen during holiday sports. Are they part of your celebration or off limits? Let me know and please share your favorite holiday sports events – even a personal hole-in-one or softball cycle is a good share. Contact me at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com.
