1990’s: Jordan and Olympic Basketball
In the 1990’s, NBA basketball saw its rising popularity with the inclusion of two new teams: The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic. Over 17,000,000 fans attended NBA games in 1990. The LA Lakers, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia 76ers were the best after winning their divisions, while Minnesota and Orlando both noobed under .300. Earvin ”Magic” Johnson retired after contracting HIV. The star of this period was Michael Jordan, from the Chicago Bulls. By 1992, he had earned three consecutive titles and led a record in scoring (30 ppg).
Jordan is highly regarded as the NBA’s most valuable player. Even during his short retirement from the world of basketball, a lot of people wanted to be like him. Jordan’s legend lives up to the present day.
1995: O.J. Simpson, trial of the century
In 1994, former college and professional football star O.J. Simpson was accused of the murders of his ex-wife and her friend. On the night of June 12th, after the murders have been committed, Simpson became the prime suspect. On June 17, police cars followed Simpson’s getaway SUV through the streets of Los Angeles for over an hour. The trial lasted over ten months, more than 150 witnesses testified but Simpson himself never took the stand. Criminal procedures finally began in October 2, 1995. In the end, the jury charged Simpson not guilty for the murders and was acquitted in the case.
The O.J. Simpson trial is highly regarded as the trial of the century and one of the most important events in 90s sports. The low-speed chase of Simpson through Los Angeles on June 17, 1994, was highly wathced by millions of Americans. Statistics reveal that day Domino’s sold as many pizzas as in Super Bowl Sundays. But things didn’t end for OJ; the familiars of his wife and friend testified against him. The jury found him guilty and forced him to pay millions of dollars in damages.
1996:
L.A. Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics held at Los Angeles made history in a number of ways. They marked the centennary of the first Olympic Games—Athens 1896, and were the fourth Olympic Games held in the U.S. The games also marked the first time Summer and Winter Olympics weren’t held the same year, due to a new rule implemented by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1994. Muhammad Ali, one of the biggest boxers of all time, was bestowed the honor of lighting the inaugural torch. Like Munich 1972, these games were also marred by tragedy, when Eric Rudolph detonated pipe bombs at the Centennial Olympic Park on July 27, injuring 111 people, as a form of protest against abortion sanctioning ang gay rights.
The 1996 Olympic Games had a lasting effect in the city of Atlanta. The building of the Centennial Olympic Park helped rejuvenate the city’s downtown area and became a permanent proof the Games’ legacy; the Centennial Olympic Park has been rebuilt twice; first as a baseball park, and then as a college football venue. Although marred by the domestic pipe terrorist attacks, the Games were a financial successes and were very attended and watched on television.
1998: Year of the home run
1998 was the year of the home run. Mark McGwire and Sonny Sosa battled and managed to break Roger Maris’s record of 61. The New York Yankees had the second record in baseball history, winning 114 games during the 182-games season, and then beating the San Diego Padres 4-0 in the World Series finale. The Chicago Cubs were named the Wild-card team. Kerry Wood from the Chicago Cubs set the strikeout record in a game by striking out 20 batters in a one-hit game. Elected to the Hall of Fame were Don Sutton, Larry Dobby, Joe Rogan, George Davis, and Lee MacPhail, Jr., a former owner.,
The 1990’s were a good decade for baseball. It produced some effective players and saw a lot of records broken or established. The acting of teams such as the Yankees deserves a honorific mention.