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Top 15 Urban Legends In Sports

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By @BrianKalchik

Top 15 Sports Urban Legends

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From generation to generation, stories are passed down. With each story, details are often changed, and some remain too good to be true. These stories vary in subject, but it's not uncommon to hear a sports urban legend. Some of these stories sound like part of Ripley's Believe It or Not, while others seem extremely likely. Here's my look at the top 15 urban legends in the history of sports. You decide what's real and what isn't.

15. Toni Braxton Broke Up The Mavericks

Toni Braxton
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15. Toni Braxton Broke Up The Mavericks

Toni Braxton
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Back in the mid-1990s, the three Js (Jamal Mashburn, Jason Kidd and Jimmy Jackson) were supposed to put the Dallas Mavericks back on the NBA map. The story goes that singer Toni Braxton stopped by the Mavs' hotel in Atlanta to pick up her date for the night, Jason Kidd, but left with Jimmy Jackson instead. Kidd was later traded to Phoenix and Jackson left soon after. At least the Mavs reloaded with Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.

14. Back to The Future II Predicted The Results Of The 1997 World Series

Back to the Future Cast
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14. Back to The Future II Predicted The Results Of The 1997 World Series

Back to the Future Cast
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Remember Back To The Future II, where Biff had an almanac with the results of future sporting events? Well, it turns out that some of those predictions may be right. When Marty went into the year 2015, there was a billboard saying that a Miami-based baseball team would defeat the Cleveland Indians in the 1997 World Series in seven games. In reality, the Florida Marlins defeated the Indians in seven games.

13. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR Wins In 2001 Were Fixed

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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13. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR Wins In 2001 Were Fixed

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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Back in 2001, the most tragic event in NASCAR history took place: Dale Earnhardt Sr. passed away after a fatal crash in the Daytona 500. Following his death, his son Dale Earnhardt Jr., went on to win three more races that season. As much as I'd love to believe he did it on his own, there have been rumors floating around saying that the races were fixed in favor of the younger Earnhardt.

12. Super Bowl III Was Fixed

Joe Namath Jets
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12. Super Bowl III Was Fixed

Joe Namath Jets
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In 1970, the NFL and AFL were about ready to merge, but people still weren't taking the AFL seriously, thinking that it was inferior to the NFL. So in order to get the AFL on the map, the New York Jets were fixed to win Super Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts, and to even develop the league's first superstar in the process (Joe Namath). Remember when Earl Morrall missed a wide open Jimmy Orr in the second quarter and threw an INT instead?

11. Curt Schilling's Bloody Sock Was Fake

Curt Schilling Red Sox
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11. Curt Schilling's Bloody Sock Was Fake

Curt Schilling Red Sox
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The 2004 ALCS which featured Boston's legendary 3-0 comeback against the New York Yankees was also known for Curt Schilling's bloody sock. This was considered to be one of the gutsiest and most admirable performances in sports history. However, it has its doubters. There are more than a few people who suggest that Schilling's bloody sock wasn't actually red with blood.

10. Bobbie Riggs Threw The Battle of the Sexes

Billie Jean King
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10. Bobbie Riggs Threw The Battle of the Sexes

Billie Jean King
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In 1972, tennis players Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King faced off in a tennis match that became known as "The Battle of the Sexes." Most people had Riggs taking the easy victory, but King ended up with the win in straight sets. But that victory didn't come without controversy. Many people believed that Riggs simply threw the match, and point to his lack of hustle throughout and several blatant unforced errors.

9. Kevin Costner and Cal Ripken Jr.'s Wife

Cal Ripken Jr. Orioles
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9. Kevin Costner and Cal Ripken Jr.'s Wife

Cal Ripken Jr. Orioles
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In 1997, Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games streak nearly ended when he came home to find Kevin Costner in bed with his wife. This rumor really picked up even more steam when people suggested that the Orioles cooked up a power outage to keep Ripken's streak alive while he was recovering from his rage. Ripken Jr. said years later that the story was not true, but there are some who could still believe otherwise.

8. Babe Ruth's Called Shot

Babe Ruth Yankees
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8. Babe Ruth's Called Shot

Babe Ruth Yankees
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Babe Ruth's called shot is arguably the most well-known urban legend in all of sports. Before a fifth-inning pitch in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, Babe Ruth pointed his bat at the center field bleachers of Wrigley Field to declare that he would hit it there. On the next pitch, he did. However, with the lack of film and with Ruth long gone, no one will ever know if that was his true intention.

7. Dock Ellis and The LSD No-Hitter

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7. Dock Ellis and The LSD No-Hitter

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On June 12, 1970, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis tossed a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. 14 years later, he admitted that he was under the influence of LSD throughout the course of the game. Take that however you wish.

6. Sonny Liston Takes A Dive

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6. Sonny Liston Takes A Dive

Cassius Clay Sonny Liston
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The rematch between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston was even more anticipated than the first after Ali defeated Liston. However, the fight was quick as Ali knocked out Liston midway through the first round with the "phantom punch." Some believe that Liston owed the mob a debt, so he took a dive against Ali.

5. Wilt Chamberlain and The 20,000 Mistresses

Wilt Chamberlain 76ers
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5. Wilt Chamberlain and The 20,000 Mistresses

Wilt Chamberlain 76ers
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Wilt Chamberlain is one of the greatest athletes in the 20th century, but one number really stands out in this Hall-of-Famer's career. In his autobiography, Chamberlain claimed to have slept with 20,000 different women.

4. Jimmy Hoffa's Dead Body Is Buried at Giants Stadium

Giants Stadium
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4. Jimmy Hoffa's Dead Body Is Buried at Giants Stadium

Giants Stadium
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On July 30, 1975, mobster Jimmy Hoffa was thought to be dead after mysteriously vanishing. Five years later, Hoffa was pronounced dead. In searching for his body, some believed that he was buried beneath the surface of Giants Stadium. The myth became so popular that the show Mythbusters made an episode out of the rumor.

3. The Frozen Envelope

Patrick Ewing Knicks
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3. The Frozen Envelope

Patrick Ewing Knicks
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The first-ever NBA Draft lottery in 1985 also came with controversy. The rumor goes that in order to make the league's top market (New York Knicks) competitive again, David Stern devised a plot to ensure they would get Patrick Ewing, one of the greatest college basketball players of all time. Rumors say that the Knicks' draft envelope was frozen so that Stern could easily find it for the No. 1 pick.

2. Michael Jordan's First Retirement Was Because Of a Gambling Ban

Michael Jordan Bulls
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2. Michael Jordan's First Retirement Was Because Of a Gambling Ban

Michael Jordan Bulls
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According to this urban legend, Michael Jordan's first retirement was not because of his father's death or burnout from the game, but rather because he was forced to by NBA commissioner David Stern. Jordan's gambling problem would have resulted in a year-long suspension, but he and Stern kept it a secret and used the retirement excuse to save face.

1. Delonte West and LeBron James' Mom

Delonte West LeBron James
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1. Delonte West and LeBron James' Mom

LeBron James Cavaliers
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In the summer of 2010, LeBron James bolted from Cleveland to take his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. While some people believe that he left to pursue more championships, many people blamed reserve guard Delonte West. The rumor is that West allegedly had an affair with LeBron's mom. After two championships and four Finals appearances in Miami, James is now back in Cleveland. This is easily the No. 1 urban legend of all time.

Brian Kalchik is a Detroit Lions writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

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