# What has Happened in Sports Since 2000? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 22, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-in-sports-since-2000/503837 "2009-07-22T06:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-in-sports-since-2000/503837/21 "2009-07-24T08:17:23Z")
Re. boxing: Okay, I’ll concede that Muhammed Ali was the greatest sports megastar on the planet. Emphasis on **was**. Sorry, but the OP clearly says “since 2000”. Could most fight fans identify the current heavyweight champion(s) if they ran into them on the street? And while most of them might not know Randy Couture inside and out, they certainly know about the Gracie family, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, David “Tank” Abbott, Kimo “Kimo” Leopoldo, Mirko “Cro Cop” Flipovic, Brock Lesnar (although he does owe a lot to his WWE background), Quentin “Rampage” Jackson, etc. How many of them can discuss a _current_ boxer (or a recently retired one, e.g. Arturo Gatti)? This really shouldn’t come as a surprise at all when you consider that MMA has a huge advantage over both Ali and company (the Internet) and the modern sport (free TV). Definitely all the credit in the world should go to the Zuffa organization, without which Ultimate Fighting Championship would’ve almost certainly tanked and set the sport back many years. But make no mistake about it, in terms of visibility, worldwide exposure, fan support, money, buzz, merchandise, publicity, etc., MMA is the reigning king of fighting. Oh, and if we’re allowed to include local favorites, I’ll nominate the University of Hawaii football team’s miracle season where they either went 12-0 or 12-1 depending on who’s keeping score. This came not long after there was serious talk about a move to Divison 2. Given the Rainbows’ usual pretty-good-to-abysmal streakiness, this is an absolutely astonishing achievement that will most likely never come close to being repeated. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-in-sports-since-2000/503837/22 "2009-07-24T08:39:44Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Uh, no. It’s nowhere near boxing at its peak. I’d say it’s bigger than boxing now and that gap is likely to increase, but it’s got a ways to go. > > Zidane headbutted an opponent in the 2006 World Cup final in what is one of the two most shocking sports moments in my mind (Tyson biting Holyfield is the other). What aobut Maradonna kicking an opponent in the 84? 88? world cup, or the Tonya Harding / Nancy Kerrigan episode. Not to say that Zidanes wasn’t shocking…just not sure if it was the most shocking. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-in-sports-since-2000/503837/23 "2009-07-24T08:48:56Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Re. boxing: Okay, I’ll concede that Muhammed Ali was the greatest sports megastar on the planet. Emphasis on **was**. Sorry, but the OP clearly says “since 2000”. Could most fight fans identify the current heavyweight champion(s) if they ran into them on the street? And while most of them might not know Randy Couture inside and out, they certainly know about the Gracie family, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, David “Tank” Abbott, Kimo “Kimo” Leopoldo, Mirko “Cro Cop” Flipovic, Brock Lesnar (although he does owe a lot to his WWE background), Quentin “Rampage” Jackson, etc. How many of them can discuss a _current_ boxer (or a recently retired one, e.g. Arturo Gatti)? > > . I don’t recognise any of the names you’re mentioning, but during the late 70’s / early 80’s I certainly remember Ali, Foreman, Sugar Ray and more recently even guys like De La Hoya… not that this means very much of course ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-in-sports-since-2000/503837/24 "2009-07-24T14:57:45Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Re. boxing: Okay, I’ll concede that Muhammed Ali was the greatest sports megastar on the planet. Emphasis on **was**. Sorry, but the OP clearly says “since 2000”. DKW, one could make a legitimate argument that MMA is bigger than boxing since 2000. But in your first comment, you said MMA is bigger than boxing ever was, which is what everyone is objecting to. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-in-sports-since-2000/503837/25 "2009-07-24T17:06:59Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > What aobut Maradonna kicking an opponent in the 84? 88? world cup, or the Tonya Harding / Nancy Kerrigan episode. Not to say that Zidanes wasn’t shocking…just not sure if it was the most shocking. The thing that did it for me is that it’s by far the biggest event in sports. There were literally billions of people watching that happen. ---
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-in-sports-since-2000/503837/26 "2009-07-24T19:03:12Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Oh, and if we’re allowed to include local favorites, I’ll nominate the University of Hawaii football team’s miracle season where they either went 12-0 or 12-1 depending on who’s keeping score. This came not long after there was serious talk about a move to Divison 2. Given the Rainbows’ usual pretty-good-to-abysmal streakiness, this is an absolutely astonishing achievement that will most likely never come close to being repeated. How is this any different than what Tulane did? Almost every year there’s some non-BCS school that plays an easy schedule and makes it through the season with a near undefeated record. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-in-sports-since-2000/503837.md?page=1)