WI: Dirt Track racing ran as many (short) road course style layouts as they did ovals? It wouldn't take much more space, hell, for the cost of elevating the stands a bit, the fans would get to see as much of the action. "Roval" layouts wouldn't cost much more to build, either. Just have sections of the oval wall to move as needed.
Sports What Ifs.
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
One timeline i'd love to make that's also a what if is this: What if Rugby became popular on the west coast of the United States? Back in the early 1900's Cal and Stanford switched out football for Rugby, as it was seen to be safer. This was before the NCAA allowed the forward pass and football had quite a few deaths. Maybe if Cal and Stanford keep it up you might see the modern Pac 12 schools all playing Rugby, and you have everything from the Rockies on west play Rugby instead of football.
to expound on this, I’d be interested in a TL or just hypothetical where rugby replaces football in the US more or less entirely
Might be possible. Maybe we see the west coast schools tour the eastern ivies and Big Ten teams. Might allow for Rugby to grow. Or if football is banned (some states thought of it. In Nebraska in 1898 a player from Doane College died and a legislator wanted to ban it. It didn't obviously pass, but if for some reason the forward pass isn't developed, football might be out and you might see Rugby take over. You might even have the US become a powerhouse. Maybe even a Pacific challenge between the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
Some more college sports WI's:
1. I did a quick Google read of the book The Last Great Game about the 1992 Duke-Kentucky ERF. In the book, there is a part that talks about the time when Duke AD Tom Butters was looking at replacements in 1980 for coach Bill Foster (who went to South Carolina). One of the guys he was looking at was Jack Hartman, who was HC at Kansas St (and a very successful one. Tom really liked Hartman). However, he never contacted Hartman. He hired Coach Cheater, and the rest is history.
2. In 1989, Illinois (fresh off a Final Four appearance) was recruiting Shaquille O'Neal. However, he made his visit when the weather wasn't that good, and he chose LSU. Kendall Gill said that Shaq may have chose Illinois if he came on a nice day.
They had Gill, Marcus Liberty, and Steve Bardo returning from the 1989 Flying Illini team. In OTL, they were a 5-seed, and they lost to Dayton in Round 1 by two points. Put Shaq on that team, and they probably win the Big Ten (instead of Michigan St) and make a deep run that year.
1. I did a quick Google read of the book The Last Great Game about the 1992 Duke-Kentucky ERF. In the book, there is a part that talks about the time when Duke AD Tom Butters was looking at replacements in 1980 for coach Bill Foster (who went to South Carolina). One of the guys he was looking at was Jack Hartman, who was HC at Kansas St (and a very successful one. Tom really liked Hartman). However, he never contacted Hartman. He hired Coach Cheater, and the rest is history.
2. In 1989, Illinois (fresh off a Final Four appearance) was recruiting Shaquille O'Neal. However, he made his visit when the weather wasn't that good, and he chose LSU. Kendall Gill said that Shaq may have chose Illinois if he came on a nice day.
They had Gill, Marcus Liberty, and Steve Bardo returning from the 1989 Flying Illini team. In OTL, they were a 5-seed, and they lost to Dayton in Round 1 by two points. Put Shaq on that team, and they probably win the Big Ten (instead of Michigan St) and make a deep run that year.
Deandre Jordan was drafted 35th overall in 2008 by the Clippers. What if he’d been drafted...
- 10th by the Nets?
- 15th by the Suns?
- 17th by the Raptors?
- 18th by the Wizards?
- 20th by the Bobcats?
- 23rd by the Jazz?
- 31st by the Timberwolves?
- 10th by the Nets?
- 15th by the Suns?
- 17th by the Raptors?
- 18th by the Wizards?
- 20th by the Bobcats?
- 23rd by the Jazz?
- 31st by the Timberwolves?
If the T-Wolves drafted him and Steph Curry, maybe they are the ones who make a final in the 2010's.
I wonder if he would have made enough of a difference in 2010 for them against the Lakers. If he does, and they get past them, maybe Nash finally gets a ring.
Here's another angle: What if the Blazers decided to get some Oden insurance, and decide to take Jordan 33rd overall?
Alright, I am feeling in the mood for some rapid-fire subjects of sorts that have been rattling my cranium:
Forward Pass as "Designated Hitter": Through whatever butterflies possible, I wonder a two-fold question:
A Different USFL: What if Dan Dixon, rather than look for gridiron football in the springtime, decided to return to the game of Austus or look to Aussie rules and put a new sport in the spring of 1966?
A Better USFL: Revisiting the fact that Dixon had planned for the springtime league in 1966, some of the buyers had what appeared to be solid locations with Dixon (New Orleans), Nelson Baker Hunt (likely Dallas), Jerry O'Neil of General Tire (Akron? Canton?), Gussie Busch (St. Louis), Kemmons Wilson (Memphis). Depending on buyers, what would be solid locations for the 1960s USFL that could have made a serious league?
Mamba-less Lakers: While it may not feel like three months since Kobe has been gone, there was talk once upon a time that Kobe was looking for a trade to the Chicago Bulls in 2007. What happens if the Lakers did end up making that trade with Chicago?
The Gifford Effect: What are the consequences if the TV cameras captured a much more fatal outcome of Frank Gifford against the Eagles? Would that have a long-term negative effect on the game in media terms?
Early Ewing: What if C Patrick Ewing decided to take the gamble in spite of his mother and declare for the 1984 NBA Draft? What knock-on effects would that have?
Better Basket Together: What are the consequences of the NBA-ABA merger able to go through without a lawsuit to stop it?
Forward Pass as "Designated Hitter": Through whatever butterflies possible, I wonder a two-fold question:
- Is there any way for the Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit and Ohio League to remain competitive enough to potentially form a union (similar to the failed "Football Association" effort of 1904 or the effort of the WPFU and IPRU to form the CFL)?
- With that window, what would the effects be of an alt-NFL (the Gridiron Football Association) with one league accepting the "forward pass" as legal and the other league remaining with more rugby-esque elements?
A Different USFL: What if Dan Dixon, rather than look for gridiron football in the springtime, decided to return to the game of Austus or look to Aussie rules and put a new sport in the spring of 1966?
A Better USFL: Revisiting the fact that Dixon had planned for the springtime league in 1966, some of the buyers had what appeared to be solid locations with Dixon (New Orleans), Nelson Baker Hunt (likely Dallas), Jerry O'Neil of General Tire (Akron? Canton?), Gussie Busch (St. Louis), Kemmons Wilson (Memphis). Depending on buyers, what would be solid locations for the 1960s USFL that could have made a serious league?
Mamba-less Lakers: While it may not feel like three months since Kobe has been gone, there was talk once upon a time that Kobe was looking for a trade to the Chicago Bulls in 2007. What happens if the Lakers did end up making that trade with Chicago?
The Gifford Effect: What are the consequences if the TV cameras captured a much more fatal outcome of Frank Gifford against the Eagles? Would that have a long-term negative effect on the game in media terms?
Early Ewing: What if C Patrick Ewing decided to take the gamble in spite of his mother and declare for the 1984 NBA Draft? What knock-on effects would that have?
Better Basket Together: What are the consequences of the NBA-ABA merger able to go through without a lawsuit to stop it?
As a Trail Blazer fan (I wasn't then, but I would be by 1990), that would have been beneficial. The Blazers would have drafted Ewing instead of Sam Bowie, and that would have increased their chances of winning a title by 1991.
Cross-posting from my post about this in the Kentucky Fried Politics timeline:
The Trail Blazers passing on Jordan OTL was one of those "it seemed like a good idea at the time" picks in sports; the Trail Blazers wanted another big man like Bill Walton (who had left the Blazers in 1979 and had led the Blazers to their 1977 championship) and Sam Bowie, on paper, looked like the next Bill Walton (and he shared an unfortunate trait with Walton--their tendency to have leg injuries that derailed their careers). In addition, the Blazers already had someone at what would have been Jordan's position--Clyde Drexler (who was a Hall of Famer at his position), who had been a teammate of Hakeem Olajuwon (who went first OTL with Houston in 1984--Portland, BTW, lost a coin flip for him (which is an interesting PoD in and of itself)) and who the Blazers had drafted in 1983. Furthermore, they also had another shooting guard--Jim Paxson (whom they drafted in 1979), so they had no need for someone of Jordan's position...
But, yeah, Ewing coming out in 1984 butterflies away Bowie's drafting by the Trail Blazers...
For another WI from this: WI Portland wins the coin toss and drafts Hakeem Olajuwon?
Cool video, sent it to my nephew who is a big NBA fan.
I will have to look at this guy's YouTube channel for more. It's amazing how realistic the NBA video game makes it look, I assume used NBA 2K.
I will have to look at this guy's YouTube channel for more. It's amazing how realistic the NBA video game makes it look, I assume used NBA 2K.
People forgot Designated Hitter is a new thing, is not even 50 years old vs 150 years story of the sport, just feel eternal.
Would have failed, took years and an inmigranted based to allow MLS to be sucessful.
We discussed this..the Colts (in Baltimore now and forever), the Rams(IN LA) and Browns Would have not moved, instead expansion would have been more common
It kind of took over as something of a necessary annoyance, since it allows for an extra roster spot and keeps the pitchers from getting hurt batting. And even if it’s less than 50 years old, bear in mind most people watching are younger than that and don’t remember baseball without at least some measure of it (even if it wasn’t ever-present.)
The rules in a lot of leagues favor its use much more often than not outside MLB. In the International League, one of two AAA leagues, the rule is as follows - if even one team playing has an American League parent team, BOTH teams use the DH. So being from Columbus, our local AAA team’s parent club during my childhood was the Yankees, so I never saw a pitcher bat (they’re with the Indians now but I’ve been to only one game where I spent more time chasing my son all over the park and feeding him hot dogs and soda than watching the game. What can I say; he’s 3. And the Indians are AL anyway so they always uses the DH, or they would if that fucking first base umpire didn’t call our batters out when they were clearly safe...just my luck that I was at the ONE game in the playoffs the Clippers lost.)
What if Utah wins their season finale against the Clippers? The Sixers would have been in the 1984 coin flip with Portland instead of Houston (they had LA's pick due to a 1978 trade involving World B. Free), and they would have drafted MJ no matter what, leaving Olajuwon for Portland.
In Jordan's first two years in Philly, I can see them giving the Celtics a good run in the 1985 and 86 Eastern Conference Finals. If they still make the stupid trades that they did on draft day 86, though, MJ may have eventually wanted out.
As for Olajuwon, the Blazers are stronger contenders in the latter half of the 80's, but they may not have broken through to the Finals until 1990. They probably go to the finals at least three straight years, with two titles. After that, though, it depends on the supporting cast that Hakeem has (guys like Drexler, Porter, and Kersey would have gotten older, althbough they did have a young Cliff Robinson at PF).
Here's a minor WI. What if James Hunt didn't die in 1993? How long would he be a F1 commentator? Him and Murray Walker were an amazing team. Hunt would be 72 now, would he still stick with the mic?
He could still be around. I don't think he'd be the main guy, that would still be Crofty. I think he would be like what Chris Eckonomaki was to CBS or like Ken Squire was by 2000 when Mike Joy was moved up to the booth.
I utterly LOATHE whomever is running the sound on the Sky feed. It's complete shit for surround sound. I set up my stereo specifically for racing onboards, with the speaker behind my head blasting engine notes. With Sky, I don't get that, it's just Crofty being loud as hell and it really lessens my enjoyment of the race broadcast. I'd take all the commercials from NBCSN just to have a competent sound tech working the broadcast.