Sports

25 Sports Events That Robbed Fans of Their Money

Darren Ryding - March 18, 2024

Sports

25 Sports Events That Robbed Fans of Their Money

Darren Ryding - March 18, 2024

It’s safe to say that not all sporting events live up to expectations. Some events are phenomenal on paper but terrible in reality. Often, fans feel robbed because they fork out their hard-earned dollars on tickets and pay-per-views. But this is the reality of watching sports.

For every great game, there’s a stinker or even two. Sometimes two teams or athletes cancel each other out. Occasionally, the weather interferes and ruins a game. Also, there are exhibitions where superstars openly exploit a paying audience for their own gain. We’re looking at you, Floyd Mayweather. Check out the list below via Complex.

25. Snowbowl (2017)

Upstate New York is inhospitable in winter. NFL teams hate visiting Buffalo when the late-season months show up. However, in 2017, this went to a new level. The Bills hosted the Indianapolis Colts in a regular-season game. The Colts wondered what they did wrong because they suffered some horrible weather conditions.

An insane snowstorm meant nine inches of snow fell during the game alone. This could have been a novelty but the frozen fans were barely able to see the game. Finally, visibility improved during overtime. The Night King’s army could have taken over the stadium and nobody would have noticed. Buffalo won the game.

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24. UFC 200 (2016)

This event was a disaster from beginning to end for the UFC. They planned for it to be a showcase of their biggest superstars but that’s not what happened. They lost Conor McGregor after he refused to do media duties. Then, Jon Jones failed a drug test. So the UFC made the title fight between Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate the main event – hardly what the promotion had envisioned for its ‘biggest event ever.’.

Nunes and Tate weren’t big enough on their own to lead a card. Somehow, the UFC lured Brock Lesnar back for one last fight. The WWE star outwrestled Mark Hunt but later failed a drug test. Meanwhile, Daniel Cormier took on Anderson Silva, but this was boring too because Cormier played it very safe. Many fans felt robbed because it was such a disappointing event.

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23. Floyd Mayweather vs. Tenshin Nasukawa (2018)

Mayweather retired after defeating Conor McGregor for the 50th win of his career. However, he signaled his interest in exhibition matches. Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN jumped on board and made a deal with the American boxer. He agreed to fight Tenshin, an elite kickboxer, in the main event of their New Year’s Eve card.

The problem about this was that Mayweather had a weight advantage of at least 20 pounds. Tenshin suffered a brutal TKO loss after ‘Money’ flatlined him a couple of times. Technically, he didn’t lose because there wasn’t an official winner. Many fans felt like Mayweather robbed them and accused RIZIN of fixing the fight.

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22. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Houston Astros (2017)

The Dodgers played the Astros in the 2017 World Series. It went to Game Seven but the very end was very anticlimactic. Any Dodgers fans who watched or attended that game lost all hope very quickly. This was because the Dodgers fell behind in a turgid game of baseball. However, the legacy of this win was even worse.

L.A. fans felt brokenhearted because their team collapsed when it counted. Meanwhile, this was also the season of the Astros’ sign-stealing fiasco. Their cheating robbed their fans of any good feelings because they brought shame upon the city. MLB should have stripped them of the World Series win but they were too cowardly to do it.

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21. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Miami Dolphins (1999)

Dan Marino played his final game for the Dolphins in 1999. One of the greatest players never to win a Super Bowl, he was Miami through and through. However, his career ended with a whimper against Jacksonville. The Dolphins played like kittens against the Jaguars and suffered a massive blowout loss.

The Jags robbed the Miami fans of their money and nostalgia. In the end, they won 62-7. This was a terrible game because it was so crushingly one-sided. It became cringeworthy after a while because the scores kept coming in. Nobody wanted to see Marino bow out like that. He remains a true legend but this was a terrible way to leave the NFL.

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20. Spurs vs. Warriors – 1994

The San Antonio Spurs welcomed Golden State to the Alamodome in 2014. There’s not much to say about the actual game itself, but in terms of fan experience, this one was a bit of a disaster. A water cannon erupted like an angry Karen and soaked half of the crowd. Needless to say, this was a major disruption to the game.

After a delay of over an hour, the game went ahead. Firstly, stadium workers cleared the water off the court and made it safe for the players. However, there was still the problem of a stand full of saturated fans. Many of them received free shoes for their troubles. Some people loved this bizarre event while others felt robbed and miserable.

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19. Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua II

Ruiz stunned the world when he knocked out Joshua in Madison Square Garden. It was meant to be Joshua’s coming-out party in America. But it ended in disaster for the UK star because Ruiz flatlined him. In doing so, he became Mexico’s first heavyweight boxing champ in history. Joshua had a rematch clause in his contract so the pair did it all over again in Saudi Arabia.

Unfortunately, Ruiz robbed himself and his fans of potential greatness. He partied hard between the two fights and was out of shape when they met again. As a result, Joshua used his jab to outpoint Ruiz in a boring match. It wasn’t exciting to watch but Joshua reclaimed his belts and moved on. In Ruiz’s case, it was a major disaster.

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18. Super Bowl XL (2006)

Seahawks fans still resent referee Bill Leavy to this day. They met the Pittsburgh Steelers on the biggest stage of them all. However, the officiating left a lot to be desired. Leavy and his team made a number of dubious calls. These infuriated the Seattle fans and they claimed that the referee robbed them of a great win.

Ben Roethlisberger scored a ghost touchdown after grounding the ball just short of the touchdown. But the referee allowed the ‘score’ to stand. It was so blatantly wrong that many people argued that the NFL fixed the match. Some games are a shambles and this was one of them. In sum, it was a total letdown.

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17. Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea (2014)

Atleti and Chelsea are European powerhouses. But the Spanish side plays a very rugged style of soccer under Diego Simeone. Meanwhile, in 2014, Jose Mourinho managed the Blues. His tactics are extremely pragmatic. These two teams met in the Champion’s League but it wasn’t an exciting game. In fact, it was incredibly dull.

Mourinho effectively parked the bus against Atleti. Considering that the Madrid team prefers to play counterattacking soccer, this was not a good move for viewers. He totally robbed the watching audience of any entertainment. Most people would prefer to watch snails race than suffer through games like this one.

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16. Jeremy Stephens vs. Yair Rodriguez (2019)

This fight was a massive letdown for a number of reasons. Stephens is an absolute wildman and brings the heat even in defeat, and Rodriguez is one of the most exciting contenders in the featherweight division. This was meant to be a showcase for the Mexican in his home country, but ended miserably.

Early in the first round, Stephens suffered an eye poke. He was unable to see because of this so the referee stopped the fight. There was barely a punch thrown before this and the fans were very upset. They reacted by throwing whatever they could get their hands on. While the eye poke robbed them of a great fight, their response was terrible.

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15. The Lake Effect Game (2007)

Cleveland and Buffalo know all about bad weather. Upstate New York and Ohio receive a lot of snow during the winter. However, even they couldn’t have expected some of the worst conditions to afflict an NFL game. The Browns hosted the Bills in this regular season fixture. But a nearby lake caused a bizarre weather condition that ruined the game.

Fans attend games because of the spectacle and atmosphere. Unfortunately, Mother Nature robbed them of their money because it was utterly miserable. Snow blinded them and prevented them from seeing the football game. Meanwhile, 40 mph winds hit them as they sat in the stands. Phil Dawson scored two field goals as the Browns won 8-0.

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14. Bosnia vs. Ireland (2015)

Ireland traveled to Bosnia for a European Championship playoff game in 2015. They came away with a 1-1 draw but that wasn’t the story of the match. They experienced some of the most difficult weather conditions in modern soccer history. A heavy blanket of fog overwhelmed the arena and made it impossible to see anything.

Even viewers at home struggled to make out the players on their television screens. Most people who made the journey to Bosnia felt robbed because it was so difficult to see. There were genuine concerns about the viability of the game but the teams completed it. Ireland won the second leg of the tie in Dublin after playing to a draw in Sarajevo.

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13. Mickey Bey vs. Miguel Vazquez (2014)

Vazquez attempted to defend his IBF lightweight title for the seventh time against Bey in Las Vegas. He failed and the only good thing to say about this is that it ended. The fight was incredibly boring and robbed fans of precious minutes of their lives. Neither boxer threw many shots and it was difficult to score.

It was close but not in an exciting way. Fortunately, Floyd Mayweather fought Marcos Maidana in the main event and this created more energy. But neither fight covered themselves in glory in this bout. It was very disappointing. At the end of the day, fans expect a certain level of performance when they pay to watch a boxing match.

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12. England vs. Algeria (2010)

Every time England qualifies for a major soccer tournament, the media overhypes them and things almost certainly go wrong for them. A case in point was their 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa. Their game against Algeria was one of the most depressing in their history. In short, everyone underperformed.

Legions of fans saved their money to travel and watch their nation compete. Then, England served up some of the worst soccer in the tournament. Their star player Wayne Rooney failed to get a single shot on target. Actually, it looked like Algeria was going to snatch a win. But this finished as one of the drabbest games of the tournament.

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11. David Wright’s Farewell Game (2018)

A New York Mets’ legend, Wright finally retired in 2018 after 14 seasons with the franchise. His farewell game came against the Miami Marlins. Injuries afflicted Wright for the previous two seasons but he was able to feature in this game. However, it might have been better if he didn’t. That’s because it was an awful game of baseball.

In fairness, the game went about as cosmically perfect as could be. It was scoreless for 12 innings before some action finally began. Meanwhile, Wright didn’t last for long and left the field with a wry smile on his face. To be fair, his appearance created a playoff-style atmosphere. But the game itself was very anti-climatic.

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10. Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Joseph Agbeko (2013)

Any boxer who steps into a ring deserves respect. That being said, some fights just aren’t fan-friendly. This one was a case in point. Rigondeaux is an Olympic gold medallist but his style didn’t make him popular. While he was an effective athlete, he wasn’t exactly fun to watch. Many of his fights went the same way as this one.

To be fair, Agbeko didn’t help matter because he did his best turtle impression for the entire fight. His output was incredibly low and his coach, Roger Mayweather, became frustrated. But Rigondeaux was content to pick his shots from a distance without pursuing his opponent. He defended his titles but robbed the fans of entertainment.

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9. Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis (2018)

On paper, this was one of the most exciting match-ups ever. Ngannou and Lewis are two of the scariest one-punch KO artists in the UFC. But like many heavyweight bouts, this turned out to be a major disappointment. Ngannou came into this fight with his first defeat hanging over him. This affected his performance against Lewis too.

In short, it was a staring contest. Viewers tolerated the lack of action for the first couple of rounds. But when it became clear that nothing was going to happen, they lost patience. Referee Herb Dean even told them to be more active. Finally, Lewis won by way of decision. But this was only because he had slightly more output. To sum up, it was one of the worst fights ever.

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8. Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys (2002)

There is no reason why anybody would remember this game. But if anybody reading this attended the game we’re sorry if we’ve triggered PTSD. To sum up, this is a classic example of football at its most miserable. Detroit is up there with the most wretched franchises in the NFL. They lived up to this label on the day.

Every score in this game came from a field goal. Nobody wants that. To make matters worse, the first score at Ford Field came in the third quarter. It wasn’t that officials made bad decisions or there were bad weather conditions. No, the two teams were just terrible. Anyway, Dallas was better on the day and in the end, they won.

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7. Chelsea vs. Manchester United (2007)

Soccer is amazing at its most pulsating. But when a game is bad, it’s a really boring experience. Chelsea and United are two of England’s best soccer teams. They met in the 2007 F.A Cup final and fans expected fireworks. However, great teams often cancel each other out. Unfortunately for their supporters, this was exactly the case.

This was a momentous game for another reason. Wembley was the home of English soccer and after years of renovation, it finally reopened. The Cup final was meant to be a showcase for the sport but it was a failure. The game finished scoreless and went to extra-time. With just four minutes left, Didier Drogba scored and robbed fans of a penalty shootout.

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6. Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 (2016)

Kimbo Slice became a combat sports cult hero because of his street-fighting exploits. He also had a short MMA career and fans loved him. Dada 5000 was one of his old streetfighting rivals. Bellator MMA made an official fight between the pair and 2.5 million people jumped on board. However, it was a shameful bout.

The two men gassed out after barely a minute of the first round. There was barely any meaningful action because they were too tired. Finally, Slice won TKO after three rounds. But this was because Dada collapsed in exhaustion. He also revealed that he suffered a minor heart attack during the fight. Anyway, they robbed the fans of their hard-earned money.

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5. The Snowplow Game (1982)

Some people feel nostalgic about this game because of its bizarre nature. However, at the timer, many fans felt like the NFL robbed them of their money. The Miami Dolphins traveled to play the Patriots in the middle of winter. However, a snowstorm beset Foxborough and made the game almost unplayable. The conditions were horrific.

Both teams struggled because of the horrendous weather. There was one moment of excitement and controversy toward the end of the game. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots sent a snowplow onto the field to clear a space for a field goal. The Dolphins protested but officials allowed it. New England won 3-0 but their frozen fans were grateful to go home.

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4. Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul (2021)

Boxing fans rolled their eyes when news broke of this exhibition bout. But they became interested because of its freakshow nature. Mayweather is one of the greatest of all time while Paul is ‘just a YouTuber.’ However, he also had over 30 lbs of a weight advantage over ‘Money’ and was also much taller. Fans couldn’t help themselves and tuned in.

In the end, it turned out to be a total waste of money and time. Mayweather was active in the middle of the bout but became frustrated because Paul kept holding onto him. The boxing icon didn’t pursue a knockout and robbed fans of their money. Meanwhile, he openly laughed at the amount of cash he made for the evening’s work.

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3. The Mud Bowl (2014)

Heinz Field Stadium hosted one of the worst games in the history of the NFL in 2014. The Steelers hosted the Miami Dolphins in nightmarish conditions. After a massive storm, Pittsburgh resurfaced their field. But things became worse for the players and fans. Next, a lightning storm delayed the game. However, the NFL always goes ahead.

Unfortunately, the weather robbed the fans of a great experience. The field soon became muddier than Joe Biden’s memory. This had a terrible impact on the quality of football. The Steelers won the game 3-0 after scoring a field goal. Maybe the Dolphins should have done better because they were almost literally swimming through pools of water.

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2. Jose Canseco vs. Barstool Intern (2021)

Beware of exhibition boxing matches. They’re almost always a scam to exploit fans. In 2021, Canseco robbed his fans of their hard-earned dollars. The former MLB icon fought a Barstool Sports intern in a boxing match. But things ended very quickly for the former Oakland star. In sum, this event in West Virginia was very disappointing.

His exhibition took place at the Rough n’ Rowdy event but didn’t last long. Canseco suffered a knockout in under 10 seconds. News emerged that he had an injury going into the bout. Immediately, he received accusations of taking a dive. Bookmakers also refunded all bets on the ‘fight’ and refused to pay out winnings.

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1. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao (2015)

This was one of the most disappointing fights ever. Firstly, Mayweather robbed the fans of something special by waiting until Pacquaio was older. This was a calculated move on Money’s part because he was wary of the Filipino’s power. The fight should have occurred at least five years earlier but boxing politics interfered.

In the end, it was the fans who suffered. The bout was very boring because Pacquaio was unable to assert himself in terms of offense. Mayweather defended and countered for the entire fight. He constantly clinched his opponent and ground out a decision win. New arrived that Pacquiao had a srious shulder injury before the fight. By then, the fans’ money had already been gone for some time. It was the biggest pay-per-view in boxing history but didn’t really even get close to living up to the expectations.

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25 Sports Events That Robbed Fans of Their Money

25 Sports Events That Robbed Fans of Their Money

25. Snowbowl (2017)

24. UFC 200 (2016)

23. Floyd Mayweather vs. Tenshin Nasukawa (2018)

22. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Houston Astros (2017)

21. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Miami Dolphins (1999)

20. Spurs vs. Warriors – 1994

19. Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua II

18. Super Bowl XL (2006)

17. Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea (2014)

16. Jeremy Stephens vs. Yair Rodriguez (2019)

15. The Lake Effect Game (2007)

14. Bosnia vs. Ireland (2015)

13. Mickey Bey vs. Miguel Vazquez (2014)

12. England vs. Algeria (2010)

11. David Wright’s Farewell Game (2018)

10. Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Joseph Agbeko (2013)

9. Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis (2018)

8. Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys (2002)

7. Chelsea vs. Manchester United (2007)

6. Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 (2016)

5. The Snowplow Game (1982)

4. Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul (2021)

3. The Mud Bowl (2014)

2. Jose Canseco vs. Barstool Intern (2021)

1. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao (2015)

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