HultonArchive/Illustrated London News // Getty ImagesAfter 1,500 years, the Olympic Games were officially reborn in 1896 and featured 12 countries around the world. Taking place in Athens, Greece, the games were filled with nearly 300 athletes competing in 43 events that included wrestling, track-and-field, gymnastics, and more. The competitors were all men, though women officially joined the ranks four years later at the 1900 games in Paris. Crowds were estimated at 60,000 for opening day, but the international spirit of sport took hold; today, billions around the world watch the games.
AP Photo/Jeff ChiuIn this Feb. 27, 2020 file photo, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. Though the coronavirus pandemic has upended graduation season, James is putting together an all-star event to honor and celebrate the Class of 2020. The one-hour special, "Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020," will air simultaneously on NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox on May 16 at 8 p.m. EDT.
Jamie Squire // Getty ImagesAfter the Twin Towers were attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, the entire world mourned the thousands of lives lost. But the sports community came together in solidarity to grieve and celebrate the first responders who saved countless more lives. Players donned helmets with NYPD or FDNY emblazoned on the front. Famously, Mike Piazza famously hit a go-ahead home run for the Mets in the first New York sports event following the attacks. Today, at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, there's an exhibit dubbed the "Comeback Season: Sports After 9/11" which celebrates how sports brought people back together and gave fans a reason to cheer again.
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP // Getty ImagesAfter a practice in 2018, the Thai soccer team went on an outing to check out a nearby cave. A monsoon flooded the entrance, trapping the team. The harrowing story of the boys and their coach brought the globe together. An international rescue team made up of Thai Navy SEALS, Brits, Australians, Americans, and Chinese, searched the dark, wet tunnels until they found the team alive nine days later.
PETER PAWINSKI/AFP // Getty ImagesIn the midst of the current global pandemic, in which most sports have been paused or cancelled, one ex-athlete brought international fandom together: Michael Jordan. ESPN decided to move up its long-awaited documentary series, "The Last Dance," about the 1997–98 Chicago Bulls and the dynasty's final title run. The April 19 airing of the first two episodes was the most-viewed documentary in ESPN history,averaging 6.1 million viewers. For a world itching for sports of any kind, Michael Jordan is still scoring in every way possible. You may also like: The 50 largest college football stadiums
Bettmann // Getty ImagesThe 1936 Berlin Olympics took place against the backdrop of an impending world war and Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party. At the same time, America's best athlete was African American track star Jesse Owens. In one of the most selfless acts of the games, German long-jumperLuz Long helped Owens qualify for the final by giving him tips to avoid a foot fault. Owens went on to win the gold and credited Long for the help.
George Rinhart/Corbis // Getty ImagesThe Iditarod is a legendary annual Alaskan sled dog race, but part of its history has a much deeper meaning still relevant today. Known as the Great Race of Mercy, back in 1925 there was a shortage of antitoxin in Nome, Alaska, and a diphtheria outbreak was beginning to spread. At the time, it was impossible to reach the area by plane or ship, so Leonhard Seppala and his team of Siberian huskies, led by his #1 dog Togo, raced hundreds of miles to Nome to deliver antitoxin and stave off a mass outbreak and likely save thousands of lives. Most know the more famous Balto, who completed the final stretch, while Togo completed the most mileage.
Morne de Klerk // Getty ImagesIndia-Pakistan relations have long been hostile, but when it comes to cricket, the two sides share the field in a legendary rivalry, the pinnacle of which is the Cricket World Cup. The typical TV audience for the matches hovers around 400 million people, but when India played Pakistan in 2015,more than 1 billion people watched.
AFP // Getty ImagesDuring the height of the Cold War in the 1970s, a small encounter between two ping-pong players helped bridge a massive divide. In 1971, American ping-pong player Glenn Cowan was late for his team's bus, so he hopped on the Chinese bus instead and struck up a conversation with the Chinese team's best player Zhuang Zedong. The two became friendly, exchanged gifts, and it led to Chairman Mao Zedong inviting the American team to play in China. President Richard Nixon also welcomed the Chinese team to a reception. The goodwill ultimately led to official diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Stock Montage // Getty ImagesBritish captain Matthew Webb in 1875 became the first person to swim the English Channel. Webb was known for water stunts, but it wasn't until the famous swim that he became an international celebrity. The whole world wanted a piece of the captain as he was celebrated with parades, speaking engagements, and other stunt competitions around the globe.
liewig christian/Corbis // Getty ImagesThe Ivory Coast was in the midst of a civil war in 2005 when its soccer team was playing in Sudan for its first-ever spot in the World Cup. With an entire country watching anxiously, the team, led by international football star Didier Drogba, defeated the Sudanese squad, providing hope to his home country. After the contest, Drogba spoke to his countrymen through the media, imploring them to lay down their arms and hold elections. Sure enough, within weeks, aceasefire was brokered, and the two sides of the war came together to negotiate.
Jim Rogash // Getty ImagesOn April 15, 2013, terrorists set off a number of bombs at the Boston Marathon, injuring hundreds and killing three. As the competition includes a massive international following, the effects were felt around the world. But in the first Red Sox home game following the attack, star David Ortiz made his way onto the field at Fenway Park for one of sports' proudest moments. Ortiz took the microphone and exclaimed: "This jersey that we wear today, it doesn't say 'Red Sox.' It says 'Boston.' We want to thank you, Mayor Menino, Governor Patrick, the whole police department for the great job that they did this past week. This is our f---ing city. And nobody's going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong."
Mintaha Neslihan Eroglu/Anadolu Agency // Getty ImagesWith the election of Donald Trump toward the end of 2015, United States-Iran relations grew colder by the day. When the Trump administration issued a travel ban against several Muslim countries (including Iran), Iran retaliated by denying entry to American wrestlers for the Freestyle World Cup. When U.S. courts halted the ban, the Iranian wrestling federation took an opportunity to lobby the government to allow the wrestlers to compete. TheIranian team beat the Americans, but new bonds were formed between all the wrestlers in what was hoped to trickle up to the respective governing regimes.
Dimitri Iundt/Corbis/VCG // Getty ImagesThe 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona marked the first time NBA players were allowed to participate in the Summer Olympics. Basketball was already a global game, but the international competition had yet to compete against the best players in the world from the NBA. Led by Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird, the Dream Team (as they were known) plowed through the competition for a gold medal—but along the way, they forged relationships with players and fans from around the world. The Dream Team is widely credited for bringing wider access to global basketball and for the immense amount of international talent in the NBA today.
SEYLLOU/AFP // Getty ImagesThe National Basketball Association first formed its global development and outreach program in 2001, Basketball Without Borders, as an international camp for kids to help improve their lives through sport. Since its inception, Basketball Without Borders has run 52 camps across 27 countries and six continents. The camps have been so successful, that many current and former NBA players were once participants, including Pascal Siakam, Joel Embiid, Marc Gasol, and many more.
JEAN-PIERRE MULLER/AFP // Getty ImagesMemorialized in the film "Invictus," newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela used rugby to helpbring his country and the world together. The Rugby World Cup took place in Johannesburg in 1995 and the sport had typically been viewed as all-white. Mandela, needing to calm a nation in the new post-apartheid era, donned his country's team colors and strutted onto the field to chants of "Nelson" from the crowd. Team captain Francois Pienaar also gave a speech to the crowd on the merits of Mandela, and an entire country's powder keg was diffused through sport. You may also like: 25 ways the NBA has changed in the last 50 years
MARK CARDWELL/AFP // Getty ImagesThe Jamaican bobsled team is one of the biggest underdog stories in Olympic history, and also one of the most unlikely. In a country known for its track and field stars, the Jamaican bobsledders were forced to practice near a soccer field. The team competed in the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988 and, while they didn't win any medals, they won the hearts of fans worldwide. The story of the team was ultimately turned into a 1993 Disney movie called "Cool Runnings."
Jean Catuffe // Getty ImagesOne of the most-watched sporting events on the planet is the Tour de France, the 21-stage road course that stretches over 23 grueling days. The race first started in 1903 and is still considered one of the most prestigious events in the world. Its international popularity is mostly due to the extremely difficult course that takes riders from all over the world around France covering more than 2,000 miles.
JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP // Getty ImagesIt's the biggest sporting event on the planet, connecting countries, nationalities, languages, and dissolving borders every four years since 1930. The average number of viewers for the FIFA World Cup tops out at more than 3 billion people, and the most-watched match wasmore than 1 billion when Germany played Argentina in the 2014 final.
Rob Carr // Getty ImagesAlthough it started as an American-only event, today Little League Baseball and Softball is the biggest youth sports program internationally. Teams represent more than 80 countries around the world for 10- to 12-year-old boys and girls. The Little League World Series, held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is broadcasted around the world and represents one of the biggest annual sporting competitions. The series serves as a major platform for global sportsmanship and cultural education.
Bettmann // Getty ImagesIn 1973, Billie Jean King was attempting to put women's tennis on the map and agreed to a match against male tennis star Bobby Riggs for $100,00—and to prove that women's sports deserve their own respect. King beat Riggs in three straight sets, while around the same time the Title IX law was passed in the United States. The combination of the two events led to anexplosion of women's sports participation around the world.
KAREN MINASYAN/AFP // Getty ImagesOne of the biggest sticking points in the ongoing war of words between Turkey and Armenia is over Turkey's refusal to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide that claimed around 1.5 million during World War I. In 2008, the two teams were set to play a World Cup qualifying match, and the Turkish president accepted an invitation from the Armenian president to watch together. In another gesture of goodwill, Armenia loosened visa restrictions so Turkish fans could come to the game in Armenia as well. The match opened new diplomatic channels between the two countries in hope to thaw relations going forward. You may also like: Oldest teams in Major League Baseball
JUNG YEON-JE/AFP // Getty ImagesIn 2018, South Korea played host to the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. At the time (and still now), tensions were high with North Korea. But for a brief moment, global geopolitical issues subsided as the two countries came together to form a united women's hockey team. Though it wasn't successful on the ice, it did help bring the two countries together as Kim Yo-jong (the sister of the North Korean leader) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in watched a match together and sparked a series of in-person summits between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Moon.
Bettmann // Getty ImagesThe Fight of the Century pitted Muhammad Ali against Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in 1971. Both fighters were undefeated heading into the match, which was a first for a heavyweight championship. Upwards of 20,000 fans attended the fight, but globally, Frazier's 15-round victory was broadcast to 50 countries, in multiple languages, and was estimated to have been seen by more than 300 million people.
li xin/AFP // Getty ImagesYao Ming was the best Chinese basketball player in the world and an inductee to the Basketball Hall of Fame. But beyond creating a billion new basketball fans in China, it'sYao's animal activism that has made him a global icon. Yao serves as a WildAid ambassador where he's helped raise awareness around the conservation of elephants, sharks, rhinos, and more. Because of Yao's work, he helped end the ivory trade in China and has brought awareness about animal conservation to the entire world.
Jamie Squire // Getty ImagesThe United States invaded Iraq in 2003 after the George W. Bush administration convinced the world that Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. At the 2004 Summer Games, and after the ouster of Hussein, the Iraqi soccer team made a historic run and became thefeel-good story of the games (although Iraqi players—and fans—were quick to say they the team was being used as a political pawn). Although the team didn't medal, the players finished fourth overall and inspired a country that had been held under a brutal dictatorship for decades. You may also like: Major sports headlines from the year you were born
ROBYN BECK/AFP // Getty ImagesNBA and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's death—along with his daughter Gigi and seven others—brought together an entire planet in the grief it brought. The tragedy reminded people of the sports world's interconnectedness, as well as the importance of family and loved ones. After the news sunk in about the fatal helicopter accident on Jan. 26, 2020, athletes and celebrities united with fans as soccer players,tennis stars,music legends,basketball greats, and golfers donned Kobe jerseys and collectively mourned the loss of one of the greatest athletes of all time. You may also like: Golfers who lost major money on a final stroke
Matthew Stockman // Getty ImagesIndia and Pakistan have been involved in numerous conflicts since the British partitioned their borders in 1947. But in 2007, tennis stars Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan joined forces as a doubles team. Their biggest triumph came in 2010, when the pair made it to the U.S. Open doubles final and were cheered on by their respective UN ambassadors who sat together at the match. Qureshi has since gone on to start a foundation called "Stop War Start Tennis" where he takes his message of peace all around the world.
PA Images // Getty ImagesThe Ryder Cup is a prestigious biannual team golfing event between America and Europe. In 1969, the American team was led by Hall of Fame 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus. The Cup came down to a final singles match between The Golden Bear and Britain's Tony Jacklin. On the last hole, with the score tied, both players faced short putts. Nicklaus sank his first, leaving Jacklin with a short putt to tie. In one of the greatest moments of sportsmanship, Nicklaus picked up Jacklin's ball, conceding the putt and guaranteeing a tie for a share of the Ryder Cup.
MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP // Getty ImagesLed by Masai Ujiri, the president of the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, Giants of Africa has been bringing basketball to the African continent since 2003. The organization runs camps for teenage boys and girls, in addition to building basketball courts and conducting outreach programs to communities in need. Giants of Africa has worked in more than 17 countries and its participants have gone on to play professional basketball all over the world or have become young doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos // Getty ImagesAt the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, the North Korean figure skating team represented the country's only athletes toqualify for the games solely on merit. Welcomed into the Olympic fold like any other athletes, the team was cheered on and celebrated by all countries in a bout of international sportsmanship—the very ethos of the Olympic games. The team didn't medal, but the goodwill was evident as crowds of fans applauded their performances on the ice. You may also like: Highest-paid players in the NFL
HultonArchive/Illustrated London News // Getty Images
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<p>After 1,500 years, the Olympic Games were officially reborn in 1896 and featured 12 countries around the world. Taking place in Athens, Greece, the games were filled with nearly 300 athletes competing in 43 events that included wrestling, track-and-field, gymnastics, and more. The competitors were all men, though women officially joined the ranks four years later at the 1900 games in Paris. Crowds were estimated at 60,000 for opening day, but the international spirit of sport took hold; today, billions around the world watch the games.</p>
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LeBron James is putting together an all-star event to honor and celebrate the high school class of 2020, which has had its graduation season upended by the coronavirus pandemic.
The LeBron James Family Foundation, XQ Institute and The Entertainment Industry Foundation on Wednesday announced that the one-hour special, “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020,” will air simultaneously on NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox on May 16 at 8 p.m. EDT. The event will pay tribute to high schoolers graduating this year and will include appearances by James, Pharrell Williams, Malala Yousafzai, the Jonas Brothers, Bad Bunny, Yara Shahidi, Ben Platt, Lena Waithe and H.E.R.
“I wanted to help create a show that looked and felt very different from traditional specials. Something that spoke to kids in a different way. These kids worked so hard to graduate and what is happening to them is truly unfair,” James said in a statement to The Associated Press. “I hope we can give them and their families something cool that makes their accomplishment feel special.”
“Graduate Together” was curated by high school students and educators. It will feature commencement speeches, performances and more. It will also air on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Complex Networks, PeopleTV and other digital platforms.
Other participants in the event include Megan Rapinoe, YBN Cordae, Chika, Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, Loren Gray, Brandan “Bmike” Odums, Henry Platt and Jonah Platt.