sports drama doesn’t stop once the game
is over
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
press conferences in sports history
for this list we’ll be looking at sports
press conferences that were unique
strange or even iconic effective
immediately I am banning mr. sterling
for life from any association with the
Clippers organization or the NBA
number 10 steroids Alex Rodriguez in the
year 2001 2002 2003 experimented with a
banned substance that eventually
triggered a positive test in 2009 it was
revealed that MLB superstar Alex
Rodriguez had tested positive for a
banned substance during the 2003 season
I did I did take a banned substance and
you know for that I’m very sorry and
deeply regretful
in response the New York Yankee held a
press conference to explain his side of
the story during the presser Rodriguez
read off a piece of paper occasionally
looking up to make eye contact with the
sea of reporters in front of him we
consulted no one and had no good reason
to base that decision it was pretty
evident that we didn’t know what we were
doing the entire event felt rehearsed
with Rodriguez pausing at key moments to
examine the room with his apparent lack
of sincerity making this presser feel
unnatural Rodriguez’s reputation would
take a major hit during the incident and
this infamous press conference
definitely didn’t help one thing I know
is for sure that baseball is a lot
bigger than Alex Rodriguez number 9 I’m
a special one Jose Mourinho so I’m not
of the bottle I was I think I’m a
special when Portuguese football
managers Jose Mourinho joined the
Chelsea Football Club in the summer of
2004 a press conference was called to
introduce him to the media
from the moment the presser started
Mourinho was dripping in arrogance which
he was quick to point out numerous times
we have stopped plays and I’m sorry I’m
a bit arrogant we have a top manager he
went on to state that his arrogance was
justified because he’d won a UEFA
Champions League with FC Porto one month
earlier but it was Marino’s nonchalant
behavior and in different responses to
reporters questions that made this press
conference one to remember
the event culminated with the manager
stating that he is quote a special one
but perhaps he was right as Chelsea did
end up winning the Premier League title
under Marino’s management in 2005 again
please don’t call me arrogant because
what I’m saying is true number eight
apology Michael Vick I want apologize to
all the young kids out there for my
amateur acts when it was revealed that
NFL quarterback Michael Vick was
involved in an illegal dogfighting ring
in 2007 the world was appalled
Vick had been the toast of the league
appearing on magazine and video game
covers off the field while racking up
impressive statistics on it however this
all came crashing down in the spring of
2007 found guilty that summer Vick held
a press conference to tell his side of
the story and to apologise for his
actions from more disappointed myself if
anything is because of all the young
people young kids that I’ve let down who
look at Michael Vick as a role model the
widely covered press conference was the
first time Vick had spoken publicly on
the issue moral of the story if you’re a
football player making millions of
dollars maybe just stick to that I got a
lot of down time a lot of time to think
about my ex and what I’ve done and how
to make Michael Vick a better person
thank you number 7 transgressions
Tiger Woods I am deeply sorry for my
irresponsible and selfish behavior I
engaged in throughout the aughts
Tiger Woods was without question the
face of golf breaking record after
record and winning 14 major
championships however his public image
went into freefall in late 2009 after
Woods crashed his car into a fire
hydrant and nearly
2:30 a.m. near his home in Florida after
which it was revealed that Tiger had
been involved in a number of
extramarital affairs he then held a
press conference in early 2010
apologizing for his transgressions to
his wife children and supporters for all
that I have done I am so sorry many
argued his speech sounded insincere but
regardless it’s hard to deny that his
golfing career has been a shadow of what
it once was since the infamous press
conference asks you to find room in your
heart to one day believe in me again
thank you number 6 retirement Magic
Johnson
because of the HIV virus that I have
attained I will have to retire from the
Lakers today Magic Johnson was a
five-time NBA champion three-time Finals
MVP three-time NBA MVP and a 12-time
all-star he was a major figure in the
game of basketball throughout the 1980s
as such it came as an enormous shock
when he announced to the world that he
would be retiring from basketball after
contracting the HIV virus I just want to
make clear first of all that I do not
have the AIDS disease because I know a
lot of you I can want to know that but a
HIV virus
during the press conference in which he
revealed his reason for leaving the game
Johnson attempted to keep things light
throwing in a joke when possible I plan
on going on living for a long time
bugging you guys like I’ve always have
the legacy of this presser has lived on
and was cemented in history when it was
named one of the most memorable moments
in 25 years of sports by ESPN in 2004 I
think sometime we think well only gay
people can get it only
it’s not gonna happen to me and Here I
am saying that it could happen to
anybody even me magic John thing can
happen to number five we’ve lost
Dale Earnhardt Mike Helton this is
undoubtedly one of the toughest
announcements that I’ve ever personally
had to make when it comes to the world
of NASCAR one figure stands above the
rest
Dale Earnhardt winner of 76 races 7
Winston Cup championships and a legend
of the sport died in a crash in the
final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 that
same day
NASCAR president Mike Helton held a
press conference to confirm Earnhardt’s
death after the accident in turn 4 at
the end of the Daytona 500
we’ve lost Dale Earnhardt as he attempts
to tell media members about the tragedy
Pelton is clearly shaken NASCAR has lost
its greatest driver ever and I
personally have lost a great friend
while the pressure itself is unassuming
the aftermath of that moment remains
significant to this day NASCAR would
review their safety regulations in
response to Earnhardt’s death eventually
adopting a number of new safety policies
when you lose your biggest star you got
to figure out how to not lose the next
one number four the rumble in the jungle
Muhammad Ali it definitely is an
historic event because he will have to
definitely go down in the history of
boxing as one of the all-time in the
fall of 1974
Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in
the former Republic of his a year before
the fight very few people in the boxing
world believed Ali had a chance at
victory however you don’t earn a
nickname like the greatest without an
upset or two on your resume
Ali defeated Foreman with a knockout
punch in the eighth round
he was then immediately rushed into a
locker room for a post-fight presser in
typical Ali fashion he completely owned
the room I told you today I’m still the
greatest of all time what makes this
press conference so memorable is his
supreme confidence I kept telling me he
had no punch he couldn’t hit he’s
swinging like a sissy he’s missing let
me see you box I hadn’t thought dancing
yet the magnitude of this moment in the
history of sports cannot be understated
Ali’s victory
coupled with some brash post-fight
comments will never be forgotten I’m
gonna float like a butterfly and sting
like a bee his hands can’t hit what is
eyes can’t see so that’s what happened
number three hugging Jim Irsay Peyton
Manning I’ve been a coach for almost all
of my adult life but I guess in life and
in sports we all know that nothing lasts
forever after spending 14 seasons with
the Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning
was released by owner Jim Irsay
in the winter of 2012 by the way being
released from a professional sports team
is a nice way of saying you’re fired
thank you very much from the bottom of
my heart I truly have enjoyed being your
quarterback but anyway winners say held
a press conference to announce the
decision he made sure to highlight
everything Manning had accomplished with
the team in an effort to soften the blow
[Music]
this culminated in an awkward embrace
with his former QB before he finally let
Manning take the stage Payton clearly
goes for the handshake and appears a
little taken aback when his former boss
forces a hug on him it was a moment that
not even Manning’s retirement speech
could quite top there’s something about
18 years 18 is a good number and today
I’ll retire and pro football number two
the trade Wayne Gretzky promised mess I
wouldn’t do this in 1988 there was no
bigger player in hockey than Wayne
Gretzky having led the Edmonton Oilers
to four Stanley Cup victories throughout
the 80s the great one held a press
conference to tell the hockey world he’d
been traded to the Los Angeles Kings
there comes a time when
the magnitude of the trade was
staggering Gretzky and two other Oilers
were traded in exchange for fifteen
million dollars to players and three
first-round picks what makes the press
conference so memorable is Gretzky
sincere display of emotion making it
painfully clear he was disappointed to
leave his adopted hometown of Edmonton
I’m disappointed about having to leave
Edmonton I truly admire all the fans and
respect everyone over the years it
marked the end of an era for the NHL and
Gretzky would never again win a Stanley
Cup this home for me you know it always
will be and it’s a tough tough thing to
go through before we unveil our number
one pick here are some honorable
mentions oh this one the joys of my life
right here I do this is this is great
fun there’s nothing I would rather be
doing and the questions are so incisive
and well thought out that how could one
not enjoy the challenge of trying to
find the answer are we pretending are we
pretending again it’s hard to hear you
[Applause]
Oh No Oh pretending as fairy tales yeah
now you are the biggest I’ve ever seen
you see number one the decision LeBron
James you ready to go on the bran
where’s the powder in the summer of 2010
there was no bigger fish in the sea of
NBA free agency then LeBron James
courted by a number of teams James held
a live ESPN special titled the decision
to announce who he’d be playing for in
the upcoming season LeBron what’s your
decision and this fall man is very tough
and this film will take my talents to
South Beach and joining Miami while King
James would eventually declare his
intention to sign with the Miami Heat
the reaction he received from fans
critics and players was largely negative
the backlash stemmed from what many
people saw as an unnecessary and
unprofessional promotional event however
the fact that LeBron won two
championships with his new team not to
mention the six million dollars raised
for charities by his ESPN special cannot
be ignored I would still you know wanted
to be a part of this franchise do you
agree with our list
what’s your all-time favorite sports
press conference for more entertaining
top 10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com
is over
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
press conferences in sports history
for this list we’ll be looking at sports
press conferences that were unique
strange or even iconic effective
immediately I am banning mr. sterling
for life from any association with the
Clippers organization or the NBA
number 10 steroids Alex Rodriguez in the
year 2001 2002 2003 experimented with a
banned substance that eventually
triggered a positive test in 2009 it was
revealed that MLB superstar Alex
Rodriguez had tested positive for a
banned substance during the 2003 season
I did I did take a banned substance and
you know for that I’m very sorry and
deeply regretful
in response the New York Yankee held a
press conference to explain his side of
the story during the presser Rodriguez
read off a piece of paper occasionally
looking up to make eye contact with the
sea of reporters in front of him we
consulted no one and had no good reason
to base that decision it was pretty
evident that we didn’t know what we were
doing the entire event felt rehearsed
with Rodriguez pausing at key moments to
examine the room with his apparent lack
of sincerity making this presser feel
unnatural Rodriguez’s reputation would
take a major hit during the incident and
this infamous press conference
definitely didn’t help one thing I know
is for sure that baseball is a lot
bigger than Alex Rodriguez number 9 I’m
a special one Jose Mourinho so I’m not
of the bottle I was I think I’m a
special when Portuguese football
managers Jose Mourinho joined the
Chelsea Football Club in the summer of
2004 a press conference was called to
introduce him to the media
from the moment the presser started
Mourinho was dripping in arrogance which
he was quick to point out numerous times
we have stopped plays and I’m sorry I’m
a bit arrogant we have a top manager he
went on to state that his arrogance was
justified because he’d won a UEFA
Champions League with FC Porto one month
earlier but it was Marino’s nonchalant
behavior and in different responses to
reporters questions that made this press
conference one to remember
the event culminated with the manager
stating that he is quote a special one
but perhaps he was right as Chelsea did
end up winning the Premier League title
under Marino’s management in 2005 again
please don’t call me arrogant because
what I’m saying is true number eight
apology Michael Vick I want apologize to
all the young kids out there for my
amateur acts when it was revealed that
NFL quarterback Michael Vick was
involved in an illegal dogfighting ring
in 2007 the world was appalled
Vick had been the toast of the league
appearing on magazine and video game
covers off the field while racking up
impressive statistics on it however this
all came crashing down in the spring of
2007 found guilty that summer Vick held
a press conference to tell his side of
the story and to apologise for his
actions from more disappointed myself if
anything is because of all the young
people young kids that I’ve let down who
look at Michael Vick as a role model the
widely covered press conference was the
first time Vick had spoken publicly on
the issue moral of the story if you’re a
football player making millions of
dollars maybe just stick to that I got a
lot of down time a lot of time to think
about my ex and what I’ve done and how
to make Michael Vick a better person
thank you number 7 transgressions
Tiger Woods I am deeply sorry for my
irresponsible and selfish behavior I
engaged in throughout the aughts
Tiger Woods was without question the
face of golf breaking record after
record and winning 14 major
championships however his public image
went into freefall in late 2009 after
Woods crashed his car into a fire
hydrant and nearly
2:30 a.m. near his home in Florida after
which it was revealed that Tiger had
been involved in a number of
extramarital affairs he then held a
press conference in early 2010
apologizing for his transgressions to
his wife children and supporters for all
that I have done I am so sorry many
argued his speech sounded insincere but
regardless it’s hard to deny that his
golfing career has been a shadow of what
it once was since the infamous press
conference asks you to find room in your
heart to one day believe in me again
thank you number 6 retirement Magic
Johnson
because of the HIV virus that I have
attained I will have to retire from the
Lakers today Magic Johnson was a
five-time NBA champion three-time Finals
MVP three-time NBA MVP and a 12-time
all-star he was a major figure in the
game of basketball throughout the 1980s
as such it came as an enormous shock
when he announced to the world that he
would be retiring from basketball after
contracting the HIV virus I just want to
make clear first of all that I do not
have the AIDS disease because I know a
lot of you I can want to know that but a
HIV virus
during the press conference in which he
revealed his reason for leaving the game
Johnson attempted to keep things light
throwing in a joke when possible I plan
on going on living for a long time
bugging you guys like I’ve always have
the legacy of this presser has lived on
and was cemented in history when it was
named one of the most memorable moments
in 25 years of sports by ESPN in 2004 I
think sometime we think well only gay
people can get it only
it’s not gonna happen to me and Here I
am saying that it could happen to
anybody even me magic John thing can
happen to number five we’ve lost
Dale Earnhardt Mike Helton this is
undoubtedly one of the toughest
announcements that I’ve ever personally
had to make when it comes to the world
of NASCAR one figure stands above the
rest
Dale Earnhardt winner of 76 races 7
Winston Cup championships and a legend
of the sport died in a crash in the
final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 that
same day
NASCAR president Mike Helton held a
press conference to confirm Earnhardt’s
death after the accident in turn 4 at
the end of the Daytona 500
we’ve lost Dale Earnhardt as he attempts
to tell media members about the tragedy
Pelton is clearly shaken NASCAR has lost
its greatest driver ever and I
personally have lost a great friend
while the pressure itself is unassuming
the aftermath of that moment remains
significant to this day NASCAR would
review their safety regulations in
response to Earnhardt’s death eventually
adopting a number of new safety policies
when you lose your biggest star you got
to figure out how to not lose the next
one number four the rumble in the jungle
Muhammad Ali it definitely is an
historic event because he will have to
definitely go down in the history of
boxing as one of the all-time in the
fall of 1974
Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in
the former Republic of his a year before
the fight very few people in the boxing
world believed Ali had a chance at
victory however you don’t earn a
nickname like the greatest without an
upset or two on your resume
Ali defeated Foreman with a knockout
punch in the eighth round
he was then immediately rushed into a
locker room for a post-fight presser in
typical Ali fashion he completely owned
the room I told you today I’m still the
greatest of all time what makes this
press conference so memorable is his
supreme confidence I kept telling me he
had no punch he couldn’t hit he’s
swinging like a sissy he’s missing let
me see you box I hadn’t thought dancing
yet the magnitude of this moment in the
history of sports cannot be understated
Ali’s victory
coupled with some brash post-fight
comments will never be forgotten I’m
gonna float like a butterfly and sting
like a bee his hands can’t hit what is
eyes can’t see so that’s what happened
number three hugging Jim Irsay Peyton
Manning I’ve been a coach for almost all
of my adult life but I guess in life and
in sports we all know that nothing lasts
forever after spending 14 seasons with
the Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning
was released by owner Jim Irsay
in the winter of 2012 by the way being
released from a professional sports team
is a nice way of saying you’re fired
thank you very much from the bottom of
my heart I truly have enjoyed being your
quarterback but anyway winners say held
a press conference to announce the
decision he made sure to highlight
everything Manning had accomplished with
the team in an effort to soften the blow
[Music]
this culminated in an awkward embrace
with his former QB before he finally let
Manning take the stage Payton clearly
goes for the handshake and appears a
little taken aback when his former boss
forces a hug on him it was a moment that
not even Manning’s retirement speech
could quite top there’s something about
18 years 18 is a good number and today
I’ll retire and pro football number two
the trade Wayne Gretzky promised mess I
wouldn’t do this in 1988 there was no
bigger player in hockey than Wayne
Gretzky having led the Edmonton Oilers
to four Stanley Cup victories throughout
the 80s the great one held a press
conference to tell the hockey world he’d
been traded to the Los Angeles Kings
there comes a time when
the magnitude of the trade was
staggering Gretzky and two other Oilers
were traded in exchange for fifteen
million dollars to players and three
first-round picks what makes the press
conference so memorable is Gretzky
sincere display of emotion making it
painfully clear he was disappointed to
leave his adopted hometown of Edmonton
I’m disappointed about having to leave
Edmonton I truly admire all the fans and
respect everyone over the years it
marked the end of an era for the NHL and
Gretzky would never again win a Stanley
Cup this home for me you know it always
will be and it’s a tough tough thing to
go through before we unveil our number
one pick here are some honorable
mentions oh this one the joys of my life
right here I do this is this is great
fun there’s nothing I would rather be
doing and the questions are so incisive
and well thought out that how could one
not enjoy the challenge of trying to
find the answer are we pretending are we
pretending again it’s hard to hear you
[Applause]
Oh No Oh pretending as fairy tales yeah
now you are the biggest I’ve ever seen
you see number one the decision LeBron
James you ready to go on the bran
where’s the powder in the summer of 2010
there was no bigger fish in the sea of
NBA free agency then LeBron James
courted by a number of teams James held
a live ESPN special titled the decision
to announce who he’d be playing for in
the upcoming season LeBron what’s your
decision and this fall man is very tough
and this film will take my talents to
South Beach and joining Miami while King
James would eventually declare his
intention to sign with the Miami Heat
the reaction he received from fans
critics and players was largely negative
the backlash stemmed from what many
people saw as an unnecessary and
unprofessional promotional event however
the fact that LeBron won two
championships with his new team not to
mention the six million dollars raised
for charities by his ESPN special cannot
be ignored I would still you know wanted
to be a part of this franchise do you
agree with our list
what’s your all-time favorite sports
press conference for more entertaining
top 10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com
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