Sports Question of Fall 2016 Week 4

What’s the greatest sports team of all time?2007 New England Patriots - Andrew SlapPatriots’ fans want to forget about this 18-1 season, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Too often in sports we put too much emphasis on championships. Yeah, the Patriots lost to the Giants, but there’s no doubt they were still the better team. Led by MVP Tom Brady and Randy Moss, New England’s offense was essentially unstoppable. At the time, it was the best offense of all time and Brady and Moss set individual records for most touchdowns in a season. Belichick’s defense was nothing to scoff at either, featuring All- Pros Vince Wilfork, Mike Vrabel and Asante Samuel. There was not a weakness on this team—New England had the largest point differential in league history. One bad game doesn’t erase 18 games of dominance. 1980 US Olympic Hockey - Bo KendallThe argument for the most dominant sports team ever could easily be made for the Soviet Union hockey team, who from 1963-84 won 19 world championships including four Olympic gold medals. That is a dynastic stretch unlike any other in modern sport. But there’s a stronger case to be made for the unlikely ragtag group of college kids from Minnesota and Boston that defeated that team in its prime. They took down the same Soviet professionals that made Wayne Gretzky look silly in international competition. The US team, led by captain Mike Eruzione and late great coach Herb Brooks, created the best sports story in history by achieving the greatest upset of all time. 

Next Week’s Question

What’s the greatest title run of all time?

Send your responses to aslap@scu.edu for a chance to get published in next week’s paper!