Year: 2012
Type: editorial
Abstract: People have varying opinions about the role of sports in life. For some it’s a diversion: a chance to forget about life for a short while. For many athletes, sports is their life! Without sports, unfortunately, life has no meaning for some. For countless others, sports prepares them for life. Adolescent and high school athletes can learn that discipline and dedication combined with hard work can accomplish many things. In sports competition, experiencing “the joy of victory and the agony of defeat” can prepare participants for the roller-coaster ride of life that lies ahead.
In terms of life lessons learned and unforgettable moments in sports, few have had the experience of the 1972 USA Olympic Basketball Team.1 Forty years ago, that group of college youngsters headed to Munich, Germany, for a life-changing experience. What a crew! Led by 6′6′′ Doug Collins (Illinois State), Mike Bantom (St Joseph), Jim Brewer (Minnesota), Tommy Burleson (North Carolina State), Kenny Davis (Georgetown), James Forbes (Texas–El Paso), Tom Henderson (San Jacinto Junior College), Bobby Jones (North Carolina), Dwight Jones (Houston), Kevin Joyce (South Carolina), Tom McMillen (Maryland), and Ed Ratleff (Long Beach State) were a talented group anxious for the 1972 Olympic Games. The USA entered the Olympic competition on a 55-game win streak, having never lost an Olympic match along the way to claiming 7 consecutive Olympic gold medals in basketball. The 1972 team looked more than capable of continuing that streak, stacked with a multitude of very talented youngsters from the NCAA ranks. Their only perceived deficiencies were their youth and their lack of international experience. They were carefully selected as the best amateurs from across the country for this special competition.
The USA knew that its strongest challenge that year would come from the Soviet Union: a well-seasoned international group with an average age of 30 years. Leading up to the final, the USA team rolled through the first 8 games in the Olympic tournament, defeating Czechoslovakia, Australia, Cuba, Brazil, Egypt, Spain, Japan, and Italy. Brazil and, surprisingly, Cuba provided the most competition for the American squad. Actually, Cuba went on to take the bronze medal in basketball in 1972, its only medal in the modern Olympic era.
At the height of the Olympic competition that year, the tragedy of the Munich Games struck: 11 Israeli athletes and coaches murdered by Palestinian terrorists.2 A devastating blow was delivered to the neutrality of the Olympic Games. The goal of promoting sportsmanship and tolerance while easing nationa.l tensions was shattered, as Jewish blood was once again spilled on German soil. This tragedy shocked the world as the Games came to a standstill. Initially, nobody knew for sure if the games would continue or end on this horrific note. The Olympic Village resembled a prison camp with armed military everywhere. A heavy cloud of deep sadness and shock hung over the Olympics. The Olympic officials braved international criticism and decided to continue competition, thus denying the terrorists their goal of disrupting the Olympic Games. After 4 very difficult days, on September 9, 1972, the USA met the USSR on the basketball court at the Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle in Munich, Germany. Remember, the Cold War was in full swing. There was no love lost between the Russians and the Americans, and many across the globe resented American Olympic prowess, especially its rule on the hardwoods of the basketball court.
The basketball tournament brackets were set up so that the final could feature the top two 8-0 teams: USA and the USSR. Early in the matchup, the scoring was slow as the American coach, Henry Iba, chose to play the slowdown European style instead of trying to run the Soviets off the court with the American youngsters. In the aftermath, that decision was heavily criticized. The Soviets scored the first 7 points of the game and held a 26-21 lead at the half. The physical style of play increased in the second half and led to the ejection of USA player Dwight Jones, arguably its top scorer and rebounder, after a tussle with Ivan Edeshko with about 12 minutes remaining. The game plan of the Soviets became even clearer on the ensuing jump ball. USA’s Jim Brewer was slammed to the floor and left the game with a concussion. The attempts at intimidation seemed to jump-start the young American players as they closed the gap to 1 point, 49-48, with 40 seconds remaining. The Soviets were trying to kill the clock as Doug Collins stole a pass with 10 seconds left and streaked to the basket for a layup. He was undercut at the basket and hit the floor hard. A dazed Collins sank both critical free throws even though the horn from the scorer’s table blasted during the second shot. With the Americans up by 1 with 3 seconds on the clock, what happened next is unexplainable.
The Soviets inbounded the ball and missed the first shot as the clock ran out. The Soviets then claimed they tried to call timeout and were, unbelievably, awarded a second attempt and a clock reset. When the second attempt failed, the Soviets got a third chance as an official claimed a clock/scorer’s table mishap. On the third attempt, the Russians scored on a pass the length of the court as 2 Americans were sent sprawling. The Americans were stunned as the rest of the world seemed to celebrate. One of the referees refused to sign the score sheet realizing what had happened. The Americans protested but were denied by a panel dominated by the Soviet Bloc countries. In protest, the Americans refused to accept the silver medal: a decision some team members now regret. American invincibility on the basketball court was shattered! Basketball would now become a true international sport.
Forty years later, it’s hard to forget the horrible terrorism that took center stage in Munich and the blatant injustice on the hard court. Certainly, these events are not comparable: the murderous loss of life is never comparable. Both events, however, were signals of the international turmoil that would follow. In our world today, the battle continues: terrorism and injustice are very much present, as sports play an integral role in preparing youngsters for the rigors of life. Sports really can prepare athletes for life, as they must often accept unfairness and impropriety that are, unfortunately, part of many games. There will always be some that seek an unfair advantage by tilting the balance, and sometimes the outcome, in their favor in sports, and in life too.
Tom McMillen, a star on that USA team, graduated from the University of Maryland after the Olympics, surprisingly passed up the NBA draft and went on to Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. He went on to serve 3 terms as a US congressman before going into business. In Congress, he led the fight to allow professional athletes from the USA to compete in the Olympics. Not the best accomplishment from my standpoint, but it did balance the score a little since the Russians and others had been using professionals on their teams for a long time. Today, Mr McMillen is a homeland security expert. No doubt, the tragedy of Munich left its mark. Mr McMillen’s sports career did influence his professional choices. This pattern of influence is interesting to contemplate. I wonder which events in today’s world will influence the career paths of today’s athletes.
Author: Edward M. Wojtys
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2042849949