Sports controversies in 2014 – The year 2014 heads towards the finish as we near a brand new 2015. But before we could call in the New Year, this year has been a whirlwind to say the least ‘“ in the world of sports.
The year 2014 heads towards the finish as we near a brand new 2015.
But before we could call in the New Year, this year has been a whirlwind to say the least – in the world of sports.
Controversial calls, controversies, statements, feuds etc. 2014 has given us fans memories that will last a lifetime.
Even as we speak on controversy, this year was not the most shocking year in sports history but it certainly gave us news that set the social media buzzing and raking the TRPs on the news channels.
And since the below names are one of the biggest sports figures, there had to be some mention about these guys and gals who were not just surfacing on magazine front covers but also behind-the-scenes hooplas!
So, without further ado, here are the sports figures that were deemed as the most controversial of this year 2014:
Oscar Pistorius –
South African-born blade runner Oscar Pistorius hogged the limelight for most of the 2014 due to his involvement in murdering model-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at former’s home in Pretoria. A year later, South African court announced that the double-amputee Paralympian receive a five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide and a concurrent three-year suspended prison sentence for a separate reckless endangerment conviction. Even as the Steenkamp family finally found ‘justice’ for their daughter’s demise, Pistorius’ clan remained calm and accepted the punishment.
Donald Sterling –
Who would have thought a basketball team owner would land himself in hot water! After the release of an audio recording between former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his girlfriend back in May, it was revealed that the American was recorded in a racist chat. One line included, “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.”
As soon as the clip broke, the authorities at the NBA acted promptly in mending off the situation at the earliest and so finally, the league banned Sterling from the league for life, fining him 2.5 million dollars and forced him to sell the team which, ultimately, happened a few months after the tape was released.
Luis Suarez –
Never shy away from controversies, Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez attracted yet another when the former bit opponent defender Giorgio Chiellini in a Group D match between Uruguay and Italy at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The episode went on and on until the FIFA body came to a conclusion of announcing a four-month ban for Suarez that included not playing football and even entering a stadium.
Ernests Gulbis –
Women’s tennis is mostly enjoyed the world over but unlike Ernests Gulbis. The Latvian star made a promising start in this year’s French Open but instead of his game, the comments took the centrestage. He stated, “Hopefully they (his sisters) will not pursue professional tennis careers. Hopefully. Because for a woman, it’s tough. … I wouldn’t like my sisters to become professional tennis players. It’s a tough choice of life. A woman needs to enjoy life a little bit more. Needs to think about family, needs to think about kids.”
Gulbis attracted criticism from major female players and men alike and that was that!
Kevin Pietersen –
After leaving the field (basically exterminated) former England cricketer found life in the IPL and other leagues around the world. And amidst that, the South African-born cricketer took timeout to write an autobiography titled ‘KP’ that played around his controversial cricketing career most firmly the Ashes defeat. In the book, Pietersen attacked his former mates including Graeme Swann, Alastair Cook and also former coach Andy Flower.
Nico Rosberg –
Even as teammate Lewis Hamilton walked away with the title in this season F1 Championship, Nico Rosberg was left eating sour grapes. The Mercedes drivers set the boiling point to the maximum when it all began in Bahrain before it reached its climax at the Belgian GP when the two drivers collided on lap two on which later Rosberg admitted he did not try to prevent the crash.
