The Olympic Basketball Debacle (1972)
The U.S. vs. Soviet Union Olympic rivalry spanned many years and created inspiring moments like the 1980 “Miracle on Ice,” but eight years earlier, at the 1972 games in Munich, the Soviet basketball team was awarded a victory over the U.S. under incredibly maddening circumstances. The U.S. took a one-point lead on a free throw with only a few seconds remaining, but the Soviets argued that officials had missed a timeout call during the free throw that should have left them with enough time to run one more play. The officials obliged, and a series of game clock mishaps gave the Soviets not one, but three attempts, the last of which resulted in a layup that gave them a one-point lead as time expired. To this day, the U.S. team has refused to accept their silver medals, and who can blame them?