Iconic Moments

We watch sports for many different reasons, and sports give us many things in return. Thrills and disappointments, joy and heartbreak, incredible feats and performances both individual and team. Lifelong memories that we share with family and friends. The simple fact that your favorite team is playing at night can get you through a hard day. Then there are the iconic moments.

Iconic moments. Those moments that are frozen in your memory forever. That you can recall at any moment and replay in your head as if you had just seen it. Every detail, every movement burned into your memory. The moments you dream about being a part of when you were a kid. A World Series winning hit. A championship-winning buzzer-beater. Scoring the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.

These moments that burn into your mind can be both joyous or heartbreaking, as all Philadelphians know. There are several of those not-so-pleasant ones that haunt us all, which I will not mention in detail. Some of these moments are universal, as any sports fan can recall them, and some are more subjective, reserved for an individual or a specific fan base. Here are a few of mine.

Lidge drops to his knees



This one is self-explanatory for any Phils fan, especially of my generation. It's the lasting image of the first championship of our lifetime. I'll never forget that glorious October or where I was when it finally happened.

The Stepover



Allen Iverson is my favorite athlete of all time. The 2000-2001 season saw the Sixers jump out to a 10-0 start, continue to run through the rest of the regular season, and battle their way to the NBA Finals. There they met the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, who had yet to be defeated in the entire postseason. So here come the Sixers, a heavy underdog, and they gut and grind their way to a Game 1 road victory. The Sixers eventually came up short, but this moment showed the Lakers and the world that the Sixers were coming to play and weren't going down without a fight. It was the greatest moment in a season where the Sixers and A.I. provided a ton of great moments.

Jordan over Russell



This one pretty much speaks for itself. The greatest player ever adding yet another signature moment to his legacy, taking and making the final shot of Chicago Bulls career to win his 6th and final title.<

Brandi Chastain clinches '99 World Cup



Partly because it clinched the World Cup title, partly because I watched a woman rip her shirt off on national television. You have to love the emotion, you have to love the unrestrained reaction. Plus it gave us this gem of a commercial: