70 Fun Facts About 2000s Sports

Which team ended the Patriots' 19-0 bid by beating them in Super Bowl XLII?

New York Giants: big underdogs, they scored the winning touchdown with 35 seconds left and handed the 18–0 Patriots their only loss of the season.

Whom did the Red Sox beat in the 2004 ALCS after trailing 3-0?

New York Yankees: after losing the first three games, Boston won four straight, then swept the World Series to end an 86-year title drought.

Whose record of seven golds at one Olympics did Phelps break in 2008?

Mark Spitz won seven at Munich 1972; in Beijing, Phelps was seventh at the turn of the 100 m butterfly before beating Milorad Čavić by one hundredth of a second for his seventh gold.

Which country won both the men's and women's 100 m gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

Jamaica: Usain Bolt set a 9.69 world record despite celebrating before the line, and Shelly-Ann Fraser led a Jamaican sweep with a dead heat for silver.

Which player did Zinedine Zidane headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final, his last professional match?

Marco Materazzi took the headbutt to the chest, and Zidane, sent off in the last match of his career, still won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

What is the nickname for Liverpool's comeback from 3-0 down against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final?

The Miracle of Istanbul: Liverpool scored three goals in six second-half minutes, then Jerzy Dudek saved Andriy Shevchenko's penalty to win the shootout 3–2.

Which club went unbeaten through the 2003-04 Premier League season, earning the nickname "The Invincibles"?

Arsenal saw their unbeaten league run halted at 49 matches at Old Trafford in October 2004, in a bad-tempered game after which pizza was thrown at Alex Ferguson.

Which outsider won Euro 2004 by beating hosts Portugal in the final?

Greece had already beaten Portugal 2–1 in the tournament's opening game, so Euro 2004 began and ended with the same upset.

Which two nations co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup?

South Korea and Japan were rival bidders until FIFA, whose rules did not allow co-hosting, brokered a compromise and awarded the tournament to both.

Who won the Golden Shoe at the 2002 World Cup with eight goals, including both in the final?

Ronaldo had barely played for almost three years because of two major knee injuries, and in 1998 he played the final Brazil lost hours after suffering a fit.

Which Australian sprinter lit the Sydney 2000 cauldron and then won the women's 400 m?

Cathy Freeman ran the final in a full-body hooded suit, then took her lap of honour carrying both the Aboriginal and Australian flags.

The 2004 'Malice at the Palace' brawl broke out during a Pistons home game against which team?

Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest went into the stands after a fan threw a drink at him, and he was suspended for 86 games, including the playoffs.

Which team drafted LeBron James first overall in 2003?

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the lottery, and Detroit used the next pick on Darko Miličić, passing on Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.

Which team drafted Yao Ming first overall in 2002?

The Houston Rockets drafted Yao from the Shanghai Sharks, and in 2009 he bought the Sharks, his former club.

Whose seven Tour de France titles were stripped in 2012?

Lance Armstrong lost all seven after a US Anti-Doping Agency investigation, and no other rider was named winner of those Tours.

Tiger Woods completed the "Tiger Slam" of holding all four majors at once by winning which event?

The 2001 Masters gave Woods four straight major titles, but because they did not come in one calendar year, the feat became the Tiger Slam, not a Grand Slam.

Whom did Tiger Woods beat in a playoff to win the 2008 U.S. Open?

Rocco Mediate lost in sudden death after an 18-hole playoff, and Woods, playing on a badly injured left leg, needed surgery soon afterwards.

Federer won his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2003 by beating which Australian?

Mark Philippoussis was beaten by a Federer who had lost in the first round of Wimbledon a year earlier, to 18-year-old Mario Ančić.

Who beat Roger Federer 9-7 in the fifth set of the 2008 Wimbledon final, in near darkness?

Rafael Nadal had lost the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals to Federer before ending Federer's run of five straight titles.

Whose single-season record of 70 home runs did Barry Bonds break with 73 in 2001?

Mark McGwire hit 70 in 1998 during a record chase with Sammy Sosa, and in 2010 he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

Which pitcher gave up Luis Gonzalez's series-winning bloop single in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series?

Mariano Rivera took a 2–1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but his own error on a bunt helped Arizona rally to win the title.

The Steve Bartman foul-ball incident in the 2003 NLCS involved the Chicago Cubs and which opponent?

The Florida Marlins were five outs from elimination when the ball was deflected, then won Games 6 and 7 and went on to win the World Series.

Which team won the 2005 World Series, its first since 1917, by sweeping the Houston Astros?

The Chicago White Sox's sweep ended an 88-year wait that stretched back past 1919, when White Sox players took money to throw the World Series.

Who broke George Sisler's 84-year-old single-season hits record in 2004?

Ichiro Suzuki finished with 262 hits, and after the record-breaking single he walked over to greet Sisler's 81-year-old daughter near first base.

Which singer's 2004 Super Bowl halftime performance gave the phrase "wardrobe malfunction" to the language?

Janet Jackson was exposed on live TV by Justin Timberlake, and the FCC fined CBS a record $550,000, a penalty the courts later overturned.

Which team did the Patriots upset 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI, Tom Brady's first title?

The St. Louis Rams were 14-point favorites, but Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired to win it.

Who became the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl, with the Colts in 2007?

Tony Dungy had been fired by Tampa Bay after the 2001 season, and the team he built won the Super Bowl the next season under Jon Gruden.

Which Steeler returned an interception 100 yards to end the first half of Super Bowl XLIII?

James Harrison intercepted Kurt Warner on the goal line and returned it 100 yards as the half ended, giving Pittsburgh a 17–7 lead.

Which Canadian pair received duplicate gold medals after the 2002 Salt Lake City judging scandal?

Jamie Sale and David Pelletier shared gold after a French judge said she was pressured to favour Russia's pair, and the scandal led to the end of the 6.0 system.

Which major North American league cancelled its entire 2004-05 season over a labor dispute?

The NHL called off the season, and the Stanley Cup went unawarded for the first time since 1919, when a flu epidemic halted the final.

Danica Patrick's first IndyCar Series win, in 2008, came at a race in which country?

Japan: Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi on fuel strategy after the leaders had to pit late, the first IndyCar race won by a woman.

Who won the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix but lost the F1 title to Lewis Hamilton by one point?

Felipe Massa won the race, but Hamilton passed Timo Glock, who had stayed out on dry tyres in the rain, near the finish to take the fifth place he needed.

Michael Schumacher won his seventh Formula One drivers' title in 2004 with which team?

Ferrari had not had a drivers' champion since 1979 when Schumacher joined in 1996, and his 2004 title was his fifth straight with the team.

Which NASCAR legend was killed in a last-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500?

Dale Earnhardt was blocking for his own team's Michael Waltrip and his son Dale Jr., who finished first and second as he crashed on the final turn.

Whose extra-time drop goal won the 2003 Rugby World Cup final for England against Australia?

Jonny Wilkinson had sent earlier drop-goal attempts wide, including one off his favoured left foot, before landing the winner with his right with seconds left.

Kobe Bryant scored 81 points on January 22, 2006 against which team?

The Toronto Raptors led by 18 in the third quarter before Bryant scored 55 points after half-time, and the Lakers won 122–104.

Which quarterback scrambled for the winning touchdown as Texas beat USC 41-38 in the 2006 Rose Bowl?

Vince Young ran for the go-ahead touchdown on fourth-and-5 with 19 seconds left, and Texas took the national championship.

Which FCS school stunned fifth-ranked Michigan 34-32 at the Big House in September 2007?

Appalachian State sealed the upset when Corey Lynch blocked Michigan's 37-yard field goal attempt on the final play.

Which trick play won the 2007 Fiesta Bowl with an overtime two-point conversion against Oklahoma?

The Statue of Liberty play won it 43–42 for Boise State, and the running back who carried it in then proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend on live TV.

Which nickname did Equatorial Guinea's Eric Moussambani earn by swimming a 100 m freestyle heat alone at Sydney 2000?

The Eel: Moussambani had taken up swimming only eight months before Sydney and trained in a hotel pool, and both rivals in his heat were disqualified for false starts.

Which team, helped by a 'Rally Monkey', beat the Giants in seven games to win the 2002 World Series?

The Anaheim Angels trailed 5–0 in Game 6 with the Giants eight outs from the title, then won 6–5 and took Game 7.

Which manager led Porto to the 2004 Champions League title, then left to take over Chelsea?

Jose Mourinho introduced himself to the English press by saying, 'I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one.'

Which MLS club did David Beckham announce in January 2007 that he would join?

LA Galaxy could sign him because MLS brought in a designated player rule, nicknamed the Beckham rule, letting clubs pay a star beyond the salary cap.

Who was named Finals MVP when the Detroit Pistons upset the Lakers 4-1 in the 2004 NBA Finals?

Chauncey Billups had been traded three times in his first three NBA seasons before Detroit signed him as a free agent in 2002.

Who was named Finals MVP when the Boston Celtics beat the Lakers in 2008?

Paul Pierce was taken off in a wheelchair with a knee injury in Game 1, then came back minutes later to play on.

Who was Finals MVP when the Heat came back from 0-2 down to beat Dallas in 2006?

Dwyane Wade averaged 34.7 points and took 25 free throws in Game 5, after which Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $250,000 for misconduct.

Which country topped the gold-medal table at the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

China, as hosts, won the most gold medals, but the United States still won the most medals overall.

Which athletics event at the 2004 Athens Olympics ended in the Panathenaic Stadium instead of the main Olympic Stadium?

Marathon: in the men's race, leader Vanderlei de Lima was pushed off the course by a spectator, a former priest, and held on for bronze.

Which Italian city hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics?

Turin beat Sion 53 votes to 36 in 1999, in a race cut to two finalists under a procedure brought in after the Salt Lake City bid scandal.

Whom did Serena beat in all four finals of her 2002-03 'Serena Slam'?

Venus Williams lost all four finals, and because the run spanned 2002 and 2003 rather than one calendar year, it was dubbed the Serena Slam.

In May 2003 Annika Sorenstam became the first woman since 1945 to tee it up in a men's event on which circuit?

PGA Tour: before Sorenstam played the 2003 Colonial, Vijay Singh publicly said she did not belong in a men's event.

At a press conference promoting their 2002 fight, Mike Tyson bit which boxer's leg?

Lennox Lewis was bitten on the thigh when a brawl broke out at the New York press conference, and the fight still went ahead that June in Memphis.

Which country won the first ICC World Twenty20 in 2007, beating Pakistan in the final?

India won the final when Misbah-ul-Haq tried to loft Joginder Sharma over short fine leg in the last over and was caught by Sreesanth.

Who was named NBA Finals MVP in 2000, the first of three straight as the Lakers began their three-peat?

Shaquille O'Neal averaged 38 points, but when he fouled out of Game 4 in overtime, 21-year-old Kobe Bryant hit the clutch shots to win it.

Which 76ers guard's 2002 press conference repeated the word "practice" more than 20 times?

Allen Iverson was answering reporters' questions about coach Larry Brown's complaints that he had been missing practice.

Which team won the weighted 2005 draft lottery and picked Sidney Crosby first overall?

The Pittsburgh Penguins were among four teams given the maximum three lottery balls, and four years later Crosby led them to the Stanley Cup.

Which driver won five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships from 2006 to 2010?

Jimmie Johnson owed his Hendrick ride partly to Jeff Gordon: he asked Gordon for career advice at a 2000 race, and Gordon helped get him hired.

Which team won its first Stanley Cup by beating Calgary in seven games in 2004?

The Tampa Bay Lightning won Game 7 2–1 at home, with Ruslan Fedotenko scoring both of their goals against Calgary.

Which two sports became full Olympic medal sports at Sydney 2000?

Triathlon and taekwondo: taekwondo had only been a demonstration sport before, and Brigitte McMahon, the first Olympic women's triathlon champion, later tested positive for EPO.

Which future presidential candidate was hired to run the scandal-hit Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics committee?

Mitt Romney took over after the committee's leaders resigned over the bid team's gifts and payments to IOC members.

Which receiver made the "helmet catch" that helped beat the unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII?

David Tyree, a special-teams player who had caught four passes all season, pinned the ball against his helmet on the winning drive.

Which Russian wrestler, unbeaten for 13 years, did Rulon Gardner stun in the Sydney 2000 final?

Aleksandr Karelin, the three-time reigning champion, lost 1–0 in what proved to be the last competitive match of his career.

Which short-track skater won gold at Salt Lake 2002 after every rival ahead of him crashed?

Steven Bradbury stayed upright while the others fell, and Australians now call an unlikely win 'doing a Bradbury'.

Who won Wimbledon in 2001 as a wild card ranked 125th in the world?

Goran Ivanišević had lost three Wimbledon finals before; rain pushed his final against Patrick Rafter to the third Monday.

Whom did the Steelers beat 21-10 in Super Bowl XL?

The Seattle Seahawks lost in Detroit, hometown of Jerome Bettis, who had put off retirement for the chance to end his career there.

In which city did Italy beat France on penalties in the 2006 World Cup final?

Berlin's Olympiastadion hosted it, and Italy won while the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal was engulfing their domestic league.

Whose slip on the penalty spot cost Chelsea the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow?

John Terry's kick would have won the Cup, but he slipped and it went wide off the post; Edwin van der Sar then saved Nicolas Anelka's kick.

Whom did Roger Federer beat in the 2009 French Open final to complete his career Grand Slam?

Robin Söderling had handed the four-time defending champion his first ever defeat at Roland Garros, in the fourth round.

Ohio State's double-overtime win in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl ended which team's winning streak?

The Miami Hurricanes seemed to have won in the first overtime until a pass-interference flag, thrown seconds after the play, kept Ohio State alive.

In which city did Barry Bonds hit his record-breaking 756th home run in 2007?

Barry Bonds hit it at home in San Francisco, and the record ball was caught by a Mets fan from Queens.