My Most Impactful Moments in Sports History, PT 1
Hi there! Thanks for joining me once again. Every day I think about the most important sports moments of my lifetime. Although there are so many to discuss, these are the ones that came out of the heart and on my mind without so much overthinking. Maybe in the future, I will keep on adding, but these really impact one way or another. Maybe you might relate to at least one, and if not, you are probably part of one of my team's rivals. Either way, thanks again for being here. Let us begin.
Real Madrid's 3peat
2016, 2017, 2018. Three years consecutively, Real Madrid took the crown. I still remember what I was doing, what I was wearing on each day of the champion league final. Rushing out of the church to get home to start cooking and making something special for the matches. All my thoughts and energy were going towards the finals. No one could relate honestly, and whenever I told someone, "hey, the champions league final is today," they would look at me like I had three heads. Either way, I did not care; I was the happiest girl in the world and very nervous. I experienced real Madrid win three champions leagues trophies, one after another. Thinking about it now, it makes me wonder, "damn, I really got blessed, huh"?
Ecuador Sub20 winning the South American C
up
If you know me personally, you know how much Ecuador's national team means to me. Growing up with an Ecuadorian father, it was Ecuador soccer news all over. Ecuador this, Ecuador that. My dad has never missed an Ecuadorian game in his life, and although as a youngin' I did not understand what the big deal was, I finally understood. Ecuador was the first team I ever loved in all sports. Ecuador is part of my blood, my people; I supported the guys born in my father's land. So Ecuador means so much to me. My dad and I get together to watch Ecuadorian games all the time. I decided to stay with a friend and watch it with him, but it just did not feel the same. I have to watch these games with my dad; after all, I am a daddy's girl. I thank him for introducing me to this wonderful sport which is football, aka soccer. Ecuador has never won any trophy, and although some people might be like, "well, this is only sub 20," it still meant the world to me. I saw it as the youth and my team's future; look how good they are now; they will be playing with the official team soon and showing out... Ecuador has progressed more than ever in a long time, thanks to these youngins'. I get so happy knowing these boys from poor Ecuador areas are shining on stage and, most importantly, having fun. South American qualifiers are coming soon again, and I cannot wait to see my boys out on the field again! Hopefully, we can make it to the World Cup in Qatar next year!
Peru going to the World Cup after 36 years
If you did not know I was born in Peru.
I think the title to this one says it all. After 36 years, Peru finally made it to a World Cup. Even though they did not play their best or advance, the fans took the show. They even won the best fans by FIFA. Even though that is not a game trophy, it really showed how passionate Peruvian fans are. Some fans sold their cars, beds, and furniture to make it to Russia to support their team. You watch the videos of Peruvians singing their national anthem, or the famous 'Contigo Peru' gives you chills, and you can tell the other fans from the other team just in awe and recording the fans singing so loud. Peruvians are ride or die! How it should be, in my opinion, and the World Cup in Russia truly portrayed that. Although we did not get the results, we wanted we still left a print in Russia's world cup.
Patriots Dynasty, Specifically vs the Seahawks and the Falcons
I watch youtube videos of our Super Bowl appearances and cry, sometimes a lot, not so much, but I am always crying. The Patriots really gave me SIX SUPER BOWL WINS. SIX. Like soccer, I had no idea what the big deal with American football was; I did not get it until I grew older, and my ideas on it have changed so much. I could honestly write a whole book on our dynasty and how much it means to me, but I think yall get the picture. The most iconic games for me were when we played against Atlanta and Seattle. I GET CHILLS JUST THINKING ABOUT THOSE TWO GAMES: Seattle, the game when Malcolm Butler intercepted quarterback Russell Wilson's ball. There were 26 seconds left into the game. The Seahawks called a pass and eventually ended up doing it on the second down and route combo. Malcolm Butler obviously knew what was going on. He jumped right in front of Ricardo Lockett and made the biggest interception, in my opinion of super bowl history. The game was still not over, though! Patriots faked the snap, which caused Michael Bennet to jump offsides which caused a five-year penalty. PATS WIN. Ah, the emotions! The nostalgia! You just had to be there!
The falcons game... haha, if you know, you know. Basically, we (patriots) were losing 3-28 in the third quarter with 8 minutes left. It seemed like everything was over for us, literally. I remember how silent everything felt and how no one had anything to say, some people left by the third quarter. We all thought it was genuinely over. Boy, were we wrong. The Falcons choked, and the game ended in 34-28. Pats win once again. I think this was probably the best comeback I have ever seen in my life, in all sports as well.
Holland's Revenge
We were all walking from school to watch the game altogether. The 2014 World Cup has just started, and it was one of the best matches to watch, so none of us could miss it, Spain vs. Holland. The 2010 South Africa champs vs. Holland who was looking for revenge. Everyone in that room was going for Spain, and then there was me. I was always a huge fan of Oranje due to their impeccable trio, Robben, Sneijder, and you already know ROBIN VAN PERSIE (huge fan here). First of all, this game is so memorable and special to me because Holland really played some of the best football I have seen in world cup history. I mean, the attacking of Holland was out of this world, and Spain's defense could not keep up, and unfortunately, Iker Casillas has some faults that day as well, and Holland took advantage. The best goal from that world cup was RVP's goal which you might recognize. The game ended in 1-5. Holland wins and gets their revenge. If you ever get the chance to watch this game's highlights, you will understand why this game made a list.
Croatia Advancing in the World Cup
Not Croatian myself. I really felt happy seeing Croatia advance the way they did in the World Cup in Russia. I am a huge Luka Modric fan and heard everyone saying there was no way Croatia would keep being successful and advance the way they were. I did not care; I kept supporting and watching their every step until they actually made it to the final and shut every doubter's mouth. Unfortunately, the better team won, but it made me happy seeing that a team representing such a little country made it this far. It gave me hope that maybe one of my teams might be the underdog and make it to a world cup final one day; I don't know, call me crazy.
Celtics NBA Championship 2008
"ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE" - KG. This game is special because it has been my only time seeing my Celtics win a championship. It was against our rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. I know what you are thinking to all the Lakers fans reading this or anti-Celtics fans reading this, but do not worry, I feel our time coming real soon! Just wait on it! I hope to one day not too far away to feel what I felt this day.
Red Sox winning in 2013
The Boston bombing occurred this year. It truly made me feel so saddened that someone would attempt to hurt thousands of people and know the Boston Marathon would be a perfect place to place two bombs. The Boston Marathon is a yearly event that happens in the city, and many people from all over the world come to run, so that means the place gets filled with spectators from all over the place. Hearing those bombs go off and seeing the explosions really makes your hair on your arms stand up and makes me tear up. How could anyone cause so much pain and damage to others? Something I ask myself to this day. I will never forget the Boston marathon and how devastating it was to see all the mess on tv and hear about how people woke up one day with no legs, arms, etc. That same year the Red Sox won the world series, and Big Papi came out with a speech saying, "This is our fucking city." This world series meant so much because of what our city had just gone through. Boston Strong forever.
Manchester United win their 3rd UCL in 2008
You know, a final with a penalty shootout just hits differently. It makes you want to die of a heart attack because the nerves start eating you up—also, SIR ALEX FERGUSON which is my favorite coach of all time was coaching this Manchester United. A header from Ronaldo came by and Lampard came with the equalizer. I had feeling penalties would have been the end result of this match and unfortunately, I was right. If you know me, you know how much I hate penalties in a final match.
The penalties started, and United won! But this game was impactful because of the players on both teams, players I deeply miss that have left an impact on my life. Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes, and my EPL goat WAYNE ROONEY!