The Top Funniest Incidents in Sports | Eastern NC Now

    There's always room for comedy in sports, even at the highest levels of competition. Even the most famous and accomplished athletes can find themselves in funny situations, whether it's because of a slip-up on the field or court, or something off the field or court that goes viral. Some are so iconic that people use them as examples during trivia games—next thing you know, you’ll be betting on the next funny incident.

    Here are a few examples of funny incidents that have occurred in different sports:

Soccer

    Many funny incidents have occurred during FIFA matches over the years. One of the most recent and memorable incidents happened during the 2014 World Cup between Portugal and Germany.

    In the midst of a heated match, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was seen picking up a piece of paper and starting to try to read it. Of course, the German players and fans were not happy about this and started to boo Ronaldo.

    It turned out that Ronaldo was not actually trying to read the paper, but was instead trying to figure out what the German fans were chanting. This incident led to some laughs from both sets of fans and players and is sure to be remembered for years to come.

Football

    One funny incident that took place in the NFL was when players from the New York Jets and the New England Patriots got into a fight during a game. The fight started because one of the Patriots players was trying to stop a Jets player from catching the ball.

    The Jets player then punched the Patriots player, and a big brawl ensued. It was really funny to see all the players fighting, and it was even funnier when they had to be separated by the referees.

Basketball

    One of the funniest incidents that have taken place in the NBA happened during a game between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons. The Bulls were leading the Pistons by a wide margin, and the Piston's coach decided to put in the bench players. One of the bench players, John Long, decided to take a shot at the basket from half court. Instead of going in, the ball hit the backboard and then came back and hit Long in the face. The look on Long's face was priceless, and the crowd went wild.

Baseball

    In baseball, there's the infamous " Steve Bartman incident ." In 2003, during a key playoff game between the Chicago Cubs and the Florida Marlins, a fan named Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball that was headed towards Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. Alou ended up missing the catch, and the Marlins went on to win the game and eventually the series. The incident led to a lot of blame being placed on Bartman, and he even received death threats.

    There have been many funny incidents in the MLB over the years. Here are just a few of the most memorable:

1. In 2001, then-Oakland A's relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley was called upon to close out a game against the Yankees. However, Eckersley's pitching was so bad that day that Yankees' catcher Jorge Posada had to call time out so he could stop laughing.
2. In 2006, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher James Shields was caught on camera picking his nose and eating it during a game.
3. In May 2010, San Francisco Giants' pitcher Barry Zito was asked to take a drug test. Zito, who was unaware that drug testing was taking place, agreed to take the test. However, he was then informed that he had to provide a urine sample. Zito responded by asking, "Can't I just give blood?"
4. In September 2011, Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher Sergio Santos was shown on television spitting sunflower seeds into his glove before pitching.
5. In June 2012, Adam Dunn of the White Sox hit a walk-off home run against the Twins. As he was rounding the bases, Dunn's pants fell down, revealing his bare backside to the crowd.

Tennis

    Some of the funniest incidents that have taken place in tennis tournaments include:

1. When Venus Williams was defaulted from a match at the Indian Wells tournament in 2018 after she refused to play following a dispute with the umpire.
2. When Novak Djokovic defaulted from a match at Wimbledon in 2020 after he accidentally hit a line judge with a ball.
3. When Bernard Tomic was defaulted from a match at the Madrid Open in 2016 after he threw his racquet into the stands.
4. When Ernests Gulbis defaulted from a match at the Rome Masters in 2013 after he made an obscene gesture to the crowd.
5. When Nikolay Davydenko retired from a match at the Paris Masters in 2011 after he was booed by the crowd for being suspected of tanking.