Sports What Ifs.

How about a more minor event from the NFL.

January 19, 2003

After leading for three quarters, the Oakland Raiders fall in the AFC Championship Game to the Tennessee Titans. Final Score, Tennessee 31, Oakland 27. Tennessee is off to their 2nd Super Bowl in 4 years, while Oakland sits at home.

January 26, 2003.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, under 1st year head coach Jon Gruden, delivered one of the most lopsided victories in NFL history, dismantling the Tennessee Titans by a humiliating score of 47 to 6, on their way to winning Super Bowl XXXVII.
 
@Spens1 So what happened in Cricket in this timeline as you have taken away the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Sydney Cricket Ground from the grounds here.

SCG exists its just that the MCG got taken. I kind of didn't think that one through but they'd have their grounds. They'd probably be using more surburban grounds maybe which got developed since football has the AFL's influence in this tl.

One example is Allan Border field which would be used for the cricket instead or the Brisbane Showgrounds.

Also otl Lakeside Stadium got converted from a cricket ground so that remains a cricket ground.

Major Cricket Stadiums:

  1. Melbourne - South Melbourne Cricket Ground (41,000)
  2. Sydney - Sydney Cricket Ground (48,000)
  3. Brisbane - Brisbane Showgrounds (25,490)
  4. Perth - WACA (20,000)
  5. Adelaide - Glenelg Oval (15,000)
Then probably suburban grounds like North Hobart oval, Riverway Stadium (Townsville) etc. I mean they're not massive but given the fact that AFL in this tl is basically A-League level, its probably enough and even for international cricket (cricket btw hasn't had its popularity effected, its more or less otl i'd imagine).
 
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WI the Steelers trade Terry Hanratty to the New York Giants in the 1975 for their first-round pick...which turns out to be Randy White?

Randy White with Jack Lambert and Mean Joe Greene...that'd be a killer defense (not that the Steelers didn't have a good defense already)...

If the Giants don't trade for Morton in 74, I have a better trade: What if the Steelers trade Joe Gilliam to the Giants for their 1975 first and fourth-rounders (in this world, the Giants don't trade Snead to SF for their third-rounder the same day they trade for Morton)?

The World Champs would enter the 75 draft with the #2 pick. Randy White would be an option, but what if the Steelers did this:

To Lions: 1975 first-rounder (#2 overall)
To Steelers: 1975 first-rounder (13th overall), 1975 second-round pick, 1976 first-round pick, RB Dexter Bussey (The Steelers would waive Frenchy Fuqua in a corresponding move).

Detroit would draft their future offensive superstar #2 overall in RB Walter Payton. Then, after the Steelers take TE Russ Francis 13th overall, they would take Michigan DB Dave Brown (26th), N.C. A&T DE Charles Smith (38th), Pitt DT Gary Burley (51st), and Oklahoma DB Tony Peters (78th).

Smith would fall victim to a serious knee injury in camp (with Denver in OTL, he was dominant, but he got hurt, and never played), but the rest of the early Steeler picks would make solid contributions, and Dexter Bussey would also help as a backup to Harris and Bleier. As a result, the Steelers would repeat as champs.

As for the Lions, they not only acquired Payton, but they would acquire QB Craig Morton from the Cowboys for a 1976 second-round pick.

In OTL, Detroit would finish 7-7. However, with Morton and Payton, they would win 9 games.

In 76, the Steelers would put rookie DB Tony Peters up for the expansion draft, and Dave Brown would be able to stay (in OTL, he was put up for the expansion draft). They would have the 19th and 28th picks in the draft, and they would take Colorado OT Mark Koncar and Florida OLB Sammy Green in Round 1. Then, in the next few rounds, they would draft players like Texas A&M DB Pat Thomas, BC QB Mike Kruczek, and Arizona WR Theo "T" Bell to add to the most talented team in the league.

As a result, they were able to three-peat in 76. Then, after being upset by the Colts in 77, they would win in 1978 and 79 before injuries took their toll in 80.

As for the Lions, they would win eight games in 76 before winning the Central in 77 and 78.
 
It would be hard for them to overtake the Cowboys for the JFC crown those years, but Payton had the same bad luck OTL. Might we see the Steelers over the Lions in SB XIV?

WIthout Morton, who do the Broncos have at QB? I was thinking it might be the Steelers in XII and the Raiders in XI because in XI Brdshaw and Harris were both hurt for the AFC title game, but if you butterfly those injuries away you could have the Steelers in '76 nd the Raiders in '77 (and they almost beat the Broncos OTL anyway).

Of course, you could also have Payton and Morton leading the LIions to that Super Bowl - maybe that year it's the Raiders and Lions. Morton was getting older anyway so, yeah, '79 isn't as likely as '77.

With the LIons somewhat better in the 1980 draft the Jets would have the #1 pick most likely, meaning they get Billy Sims instead of Freeman McNeil the next year. I'm not sure where McNeil goes.

One other thing - if the Bears don't make it into the playoffs in 1979, the Redskins do - and a good friend (who is admittedly a bit biased) says the RFedskins were just as good as if not better than the Cowboys that year. Maybe the Steelers face them in SB XIV.
 
Probably done before, but here’s one: What if Bo Jackson doesn’t get hurt badly in that playoff game against the Bengals? Let’s say he continues to play with no more wear and tear than a typical running back.
 
Probably done before, but here’s one: What if Bo Jackson doesn’t get hurt badly in that playoff game against the Bengals? Let’s say he continues to play with no more wear and tear than a typical running back.
Well some say he might help more the raiders or signed either 49ers or other team in the football side, but the most important butterfly is from the baseball side as he might get a shot for a world series before or after the strike, so depend the butterflies both sports but both might become a living legend even more and inspired more future two sport start(Rusell Wilson, James Wiston..tim tebow?) in the future.
 
It would be hard for them to overtake the Cowboys for the JFC crown those years, but Payton had the same bad luck OTL. Might we see the Steelers over the Lions in SB XIV?

WIthout Morton, who do the Broncos have at QB? I was thinking it might be the Steelers in XII and the Raiders in XI because in XI Brdshaw and Harris were both hurt for the AFC title game, but if you butterfly those injuries away you could have the Steelers in '76 nd the Raiders in '77 (and they almost beat the Broncos OTL anyway).

Of course, you could also have Payton and Morton leading the LIions to that Super Bowl - maybe that year it's the Raiders and Lions. Morton was getting older anyway so, yeah, '79 isn't as likely as '77.

With the LIons somewhat better in the 1980 draft the Jets would have the #1 pick most likely, meaning they get Billy Sims instead of Freeman McNeil the next year. I'm not sure where McNeil goes.

One other thing - if the Bears don't make it into the playoffs in 1979, the Redskins do - and a good friend (who is admittedly a bit biased) says the RFedskins were just as good as if not better than the Cowboys that year. Maybe the Steelers face them in SB XIV.

With better depth behind Franco and Rocky in Dexter Bussey, maybe they have enough of a ground attack to win the 1976 AFC Title Game instead of getting pounded 24-7. Then, in 77, holdouts and the lawsuit with the Raiders (Noll called George Atkinson a criminal element, and Atkinson sued him) knock them down a peg, and the Colts or Raiders make SB XII before losing to the Cowboys.

As for the Broncos, they would have had a problem. In 1976, John Ralston was rumored to be going after Jim Plunkett, his ex-QB. That didn't work out, but maybe the Broncos would bring in Plunkett in 1978 after the 49ers release him (then, they make the SB in 80 instead of 77).

As for the Lions, they would have had a chance to make the SB in 79, but if the Skins make it that year, they would have had a good shot to face Pittsburgh (of course, that probably butterflies away the Gibbs era. Hopefully, he ends up in Denver instead of Reeves in that scenario).
 
Well some say he might help more the raiders or signed either 49ers or other team in the football side, but the most important butterfly is from the baseball side as he might get a shot for a world series before or after the strike, so depend the butterflies both sports but both might become a living legend even more and inspired more future two sport start(Rusell Wilson, James Wiston..tim tebow?) in the future.

Any benefit to the Raiders would have come the following season, since the Bills played way too well the following week to be defeated. However, the Raiders losing a much tighter game (or total shootout) is a possibility, and maybe they would have been sharper against the Giants if they hadn’t coasted in the second half against the Raiders. So the butterflies may affect the rest of the league as well - maybe the Bills get their SB in 1990-91 against the Giants and aren’t as sharp against the Oilers in ‘92, maybe the Raiders make their run and pull an upset against the Cowboys that year.
 
Any benefit to the Raiders would have come the following season, since the Bills played way too well the following week to be defeated. However, the Raiders losing a much tighter game (or total shootout) is a possibility, and maybe they would have been sharper against the Giants if they hadn’t coasted in the second half against the Raiders. So the butterflies may affect the rest of the league as well - maybe the Bills get their SB in 1990-91 against the Giants and aren’t as sharp against the Oilers in ‘92, maybe the Raiders make their run and pull an upset against the Cowboys that year.
Yeah those are the butterflies i'm talking about, of course with Bo he would rush far more and score in the ground but the bills just destroyed the raiders, but later on the butterflies would be pretty interesting
 
Waddle the hero

In the real world Chris Waddle missed the penalty in the shootout that dashed England's hopes in the semi final of the 1990 world cup. On another day he could have been the man that sent England into the world cup final with a brace of wonderful goals...........................

Italy, 4th July 1990, Stadio delle Alpi, Turin. World Cup Semi final. England v West Germany. England versus the old enemy. England versus one of giants of world football. Backward, isolated, exiled England, whose club sides are still banned from European football, versus the cultured, intelligent, Germanic footballing machine led by the peerless Lothar Matthäus and managed by the idol of German football Franz Beckenbauer. It will be a day of destiny for one man.

Unfancied England have some how forced their way to a world cup semi finial. We topped our group but drew twice and won only once scoring 2 goals, we needed extra time to inch past Belgium in the last 16 and extra time again to squeeze past Cameroon in the quarter finals. West Germany on the other hand topped their group scoring 10 goals. They beat the Netherlands 2-1 in a tetchy last 16 cash that saw Rudi Voller & Frank Rijkaard sent off but eased by Czechoslovakia 1-0 in the quarters.

England continued with the sweeper system that had served them so well in the tournament despite the dislike of the system by the manager Bobby Robson who makes just one change from the side that started against Cameroon: Peter Beardsley in for the injured John Barnes. Des Walker and Mark Wright have been passed fit, although Wright has six stitches above his left eye protected by an outrageous plaster. West Germany make two changes with Thomas Hässler and Olaf Thon coming in for Pierre Littbarski and Uwe Bein. Rudi Völler also returns, having served his one-match suspension for being used as a hankie by Frank Rijkaard; Karl-Heinz Riedle drops to the bench. The teams line up as follows

England (5-3-2): Peter Shilton; Paul Parker, Terry Butcher, Mark Wright, Des Walker, Stuart Pearce; Chris Waddle, Paul Gascoigne, David Platt; Gary Lineker, Peter Beardsley.

West Germany (3-5-2): Bodo Illgner; Guido Buchwald, Klaus Augenthaler, Jürgen Kohler; Thomas Berthold, Thomas Hässler, Lothar Matthäus, Olaf Thon, Andreas Brehme; Jürgen Klinsmann, Rudi Völler.

England start fast and force a couple of corners which the usually solid German defence seems to be struggling to cope with. Surely the occasion cant have got to the Germans? 5 minutes gone and England fashion the first chance. Lineker lays of the ball for Gascoigne who slides past Augenthaler on the edge of the box before firing a smart left-footed shot which is well blocked by Kohler. West Germany haven't had a sniff. Lineker movement and link up play is smart and is confusing the Germans, Gazza is buzzing about midfield forcing the key German playmaker Matthäus out of his comfort zone while Walker and Wright are tight on Voller and Klinsmann giving them no time and space. It is going well. The first half hour is all England and sure enough the breakthrough comes on 34 minutes in the most incredible style:

The ball broke loose off Augenthaler in midfield 45 yard form goal. Waddle, seeing the keeper of his line, lofted it first time towards goal and Illgner, caught flat footed, can only watch as the ball dips over him, under the bar and into the net. The England players go mad and mob Waddle while the West Germans surround the referee insisting that seconds before the goal Platt fouled a West German player but the man in black is unmoved. The goal stands. England lead 1-0.

The West Germans need to impose themselves on the game but must do so without Rudi Völler who limped off after 39 minutes to be replaced by Karl-Heinz Riedle. It nearly half time now and England are hanging as wave after wave of relentless West German possession breaks over them. We MUST hang on. We must. Backs to the walls. They shall not pass. But we cant hang on to half time. On 41 minutes West Germany win a free-kick 25 yards out, left of centre, and while everyone is expecting a shot Brehme instead lays it square to Augenthaler. He cuts across a very good, swooshing right-footed strike and Shilton cant get across quickly enough to keep it out. He gets hands to it but it isnt enough. 1-1 now. You cant give the Germans a sniff. They sense blood now.

Half time comes and goes and the Germans are on top. England have blown this. Matthäus starts to take charge. It is all West Germany now. England cant get out, cant get the ball and aren't making any threats. It is over. it is only a matter of time now. West Germany are really turning the screw and on the 59th minute the goal that had been coming for some time arrives:

Pearce fouled Hässler 22 yards from goal, to the right of centre. The free-kick was touched off to Brehme, whose shot took a vicious deflection off Parker before looping high in the air and agonizingly over the stranded Shilton, who couldn’t back-pedal quickly enough and ended up helping it into the net as he fell backwards. 2- 1 West Germany.

That's it. You cant beat the Germans once you give them a chance. We have tried and failed again. But then something happens. England don't give up or give in. Gascoigne, bursts into life and seems single handedly determined to get England back in the game. he floats on a set piece that Pearce narrowly heads wide. On 69 minutes Waddle is chopped down in the area by Augenthaler after a ball from Gascoigne. PENALTY! No says referee José Roberto Wright who waves play on. The game is swinigng slowly toward sEngland now but they need to find a goal and quickly. 81 gone now and England have left it late:

Parker swings over a long cross towards Lineker from near the halfway line on the right. It hit the thigh of Kohler, who was running towards his own goal, and as it bounced up Lineker kneed it away from Augenthaler and Berthold before cracking an excellent left-footed shot across goal and into the far corner. 2-2 WHAT. A. GAME.

Both sides are happy now to run the clock down and play for extra time so the remaining 9 minutes pass without incident. Extra time kicks off with England now playing their third consecutive extra time period. It is the first for West Germany and it shows. They take control. They want this done. 95th minute Shilton saves well from a towering Klinsmann header. Should he have scored? 96th minute Klinsman, 12 yards out, unmarked, fires wide a great chance. Should he have scored? 99th minute Gazza is booked and si out of the final. Booked after a dive and roll from a cheating West German. It almost half time now and England are under the cosh. But whats this? 105th minute. Cometh the hour, cometh the man:

When Steven’s cross from the left was partially cleared, the same man leapt above Berthold to head it back towards the area. It came to Waddle, 12 yards out on the left side of the box, and he smacked a brilliant first-time shot across Illgner and into the bottom corner of the net. England 3 - West Germany 2! For a moment the tiredness is forgotten as the England players mob Waddle. There are tears of joy now from Gascoigne so pleased for his team yet so sad he will miss the final if England can hold out. But as the half time whistle blows it dawns on them the there are 15 minutes left to go and they must hang on.

The West Germans are really angry now. They pour forward. Against the run of play England have a goal disallowed. Waddle swung in a free kick and Platt flicked a smart header past Illgner but he had been flagged offside a split-second earlier. damn. Germany come again. 114 minutes Shilton saves smartly from a Thon curler form the edge of the box. England are tired. He had far to much space there. 115th minute Karl-Heinz Riedle fires just over. 5 left. Come on England. Hang on please! 117th minute Walker tackles Klinsman just as he is about to break free of the last man and pull the trigger. Phew. 188 minutes. Buchwald hits the post! Germany were so close to saving the match there. Riedle broke forward from the halfway line and played the ball to the right of the box for Matthäus, who came inside and had his left-footed shot blocked by Pearce. It broke to Buchwald – the centre-back – who controlled it calmly 20 yards from goal and then placed a lovely curler to the left of Shilton that bounced up on to the outside of the post. England are hanging on by their finger nails but there are only seconds left.

120 minutes: Full time. England 3 - West Germany 2!

England will pay Argentina in the final of Italia 90. Revenge for the hand of god beckons. England fired into the world cup final by former sausage factory worker. 24 years of hurt gone in one fantastic night in Turin.
 
Postscript - It was man of the match Waddle who was first to reach the distraught form of West German captain Lothar Matthäus who had crumpled to a heap on the final whistle knowing that his nations world cup dream and his personal dream of emulating Franz Beckenbauer was over. It was Waddle who consoled Matthäus despite the pandemonium in the England team and in the stands. On the greatest night of his sporting life the first thought was to console the beaten opponent. Little did either know that despite a fantastic career and having played in 5 world cups this was the closet Lothar Matthäus would ever come to world cup glory.

( if you watch the post penalty footage of the real semi final game the first person to console Waddle is Matthäus)
 
I know this is as recent as you can get but
nonetheless it's irrestistible. What if Chris Paul had not gotten hurt in this year's NBA
Western Conference finals? As it is, the min-
ute- the minute!- I heard he couldn't play, I
knew the Rockets were doomed.
 
Where else could the Rochester Royals move in 1957 besides Cincinnati?

Washington?
Baltimore?
Los Angeles?
Indianapolis?

The Rochester Royals to LA would have been interesting, especially if Maurice Stokes doesn't have his accident, and they are still bad enough in 1960 to get Oscar Robertson with a top-2 pick (in OTL, they were able to spend a territorial pick on him, but in LA, that goes out the window). You would have seen them battle the Minneapolis Lakers (with West, Baylor, and co.) almost every year for the right to play the Celtics in the Finals.
 
This is a what of focusing on American college/university football

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_Kentucky_Wildcats_football_team

https://www.nytimes.com/1976/12/20/archives/ncaa-places-kentucky-on-probation-for-2-years.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_NCAA_Division_I_football_season#Bowl_games

Coaches or staff at the University of Kentucky are either smart enough to not commit certain recruiting infractions and violations, or are willing to come clean sooner in other instances. As a result, despite being hit with numerous penalties including reductions in scholarships and not allowing any regular season games to be televised, the 1977 Kentucky Wildcats football team is allowed to participate in post season play, and are also declared SEC conference co champions for the 1977 season, having a 10-1 overall record and 6-0 conference record(Alabama finished the regular season 10-1 overall and 7-0 in conference play), the team's third conference title. No. 6 Kentucky subsequently takes on No. 2 ranked University of Oklahoma Sooners on January 2nd, 1978 in the Orange Bowl, beating the Sooners by a nail biting score of 21-20.
 
WI: No real rise of AFL, Football rises in its place

Pretty much, for reasons, football rises instead of football in Australia and Victoria instead of AFL. The AFL remains kind of like a regional sport or national but not huge (maybe the A-League level of today). (If only I knew had to/had the time to do a wikibox series for this).

I once saw an idea for a timeline where AFL had a 'Superleague'-type split, with the Victorian clubs largely siding with the VFL establishment, and the interstate teams going to a rebel league which was cashed-up by Pay TV money.. that could be a spur to Football (Soccer) overtaking AFL in popularity.

It also opens the door to NRL being more successful in this timeline too - *if* rugby league's administrators capitalise on the opening - hard to believe, as rugby league administrators are notoriously insular.
 
One for the AFL-NFL merger: what if Hugh Culverhouse beats out Bob Irsay for the Rams and either (1) swaps with Carroll Rosenbloom for the Colts and does things a little differently or (2) never completes the swap, forcing Rosenbloom either to suck it up in Baltimore or pack up much earlier than Irsay did OTL?

Or what if Rosenbloom swaps a couple of years earlier and decided to take the Rams to the AFC, convincing the DeBartolo family to join him (Art Rooney still takes the Steelers to the AFC because the Steelers has been God-awful and he was a swell guy.)
 
One for the AFL-NFL merger: what if Hugh Culverhouse beats out Bob Irsay for the Rams and either (1) swaps with Carroll Rosenbloom for the Colts and does things a little differently or (2) never completes the swap, forcing Rosenbloom either to suck it up in Baltimore or pack up much earlier than Irsay did OTL?

Or what if Rosenbloom swaps a couple of years earlier and decided to take the Rams to the AFC, convincing the DeBartolo family to join him (Art Rooney still takes the Steelers to the AFC because the Steelers has been God-awful and he was a swell guy.)
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Fuck Culverhouse. That man could had a team in the late 70s and early 80s that could been always in the hunt but his cheap ass fuck that all up.
 
The question is, do you want cheap-ass Culverhouse or batshit crazy Irsay? And would either of them keep the Rams in LA or hand them to people who do?
I think I would take my chances with batshit crazy Irsay so long as his son doesn't get control of the team. I hate Culverhouse with a fucking passion.
 
I think I would take my chances with batshit crazy Irsay so long as his son doesn't get control of the team. I hate Culverhouse with a fucking passion.

You do know Irsay’s son hired Bill Polian and built a winning franchise, right? Bob Irsay was a meddling jackass; Jim Irsay actually let football people do football stuff.
 
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