Top 10 Sports Press-Conference Moments

After Czech Tomas Berdych lost to Frenchman Gilles Simon in the fourth round at Wimbledon on July 6, a reporter asked him, "Do you feel in good shape going into the quarter-finals?"

Stunned, Berdych asked the reporter to repeat the question. The reporter obliged, only to have the moderator explain that Berdych lost. The question left Berdych wondering: "is he trying to make fun of me?"

This awkward exchange got us thinking about the best press-conference moments in sports. Here's the top 10:

Kyle Johnson
Created by Kyle Johnson (User Generated Content*)User Generated Content is not posted by anyone affiliated with, or on behalf of, Playbuzz.com.
On Jul 11, 2015
1

Playoffs? - Jim Mora Sr.

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Sometimes there is an event so powerful it changes a word. Jim Mora Sr.'s press conference in 2001, after losing to the San Francisco 49ers, is one of those events. Mora's epic response is only a few seconds, but it has transcended sports into pop culture. The highlight of the press conference is: "Ah — Playoffs? Don’t talk about — playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!" After that, the word "playoffs" has never sounded the same to us.

Bonus Mora Moment: When Mora coached the New Orleans Saints in 1996, the team dropped to 2-6 after losing to the Carolina Panthers. His post-game press conference was short, but not so sweet. "In the second half, we just got our ass totally kicked. We couldn’t do diddly poo offensively, we couldn’t make a first down, we couldn’t run the ball, we didn’t try to run the ball, we couldn’t complete a pass – we sucked."

2

Practice? - Allen Iverson

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In May of 2002, the Philadelphia 76ers were sent packing after the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Sixers' coach Larry Brown criticized Allen Iverson for missing practices. Iverson, a year removed from winning NBA MVP, responded in a lively press conference. The most indelible quote was, "We're sitting here, I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're in here talking about practice." A.I. went on to repeat the word "practice" 14 times. In June of 2015, Kent Babb, author of an Iverson biography alleged the guard was... um, inebriated during the classic rant. Cheers to A.I. for such a memorable moment.

3

You Play to Win the Game - Herman Edwards

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The New York Jets were mired in a 2-5 season in 2002 and coming off a loss to the Cleveland Browns. On the following Wednesday, a reporter from the New York Times asked Jets head coach Herman Edwards, "Do you talk to your team about not giving up on the season?" Setting up Edwards' legendary six-word response: "You play to win the game!" The rant served as a turning point for the Jets. New York finished the season 9-7 and made the playoffs, losing to the Oakland Raiders in the AFC divisional round.

4

They Are Who We Thought They Were - Dennis Green

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It was Monday Night Football. Dennis Green's Arizona Cardinals had a 20-0 halftime lead over the Chicago Bears, but the Bears rallied to win. Green wasn't pleased with his team squandering the six turnovers they forced and a 20-point lead. The highlights of Green's press conference are his solid podium whack and the legendary quote: "They are who we thought they were, and we let 'em off the hook!"

5

I'm a Man! I'm 40! - Mike Gundy

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Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy was livid about an article written about his quarterback. In his tirade, he covers parenting, the media, and society, but the press conference is best known for his quote: "Come after me. I'm a man! I'm 40!"

6

I Hope We F*cking Get Hotter Than Sh*t - Lee Elia (Warning: Contains profanity)

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After an abysmal start to the season in 1983 led to fans booing and heckling the Chicago Cubs, manager Lee Elia went on a profanity-filled rant that would make Tony Montana blush. Elia's outburst is probably the best pure rant on the list, but it is lacking that one quotable moment. Well, except for a few words George Carlin said you can't say on TV.

The Bryan Price Corollary: In April of 2015, Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price was outraged at the media (hmm, I see a pattern) about how its use of social media hurt the franchise. The result is an epic meltdown, with 77 f-bombs, that immediately drew comparison to Elia's rant.

7

Put That in Your F*cking Pipe and Smoke it - Hal McRae

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In the most violent outbursts on the list, Kansas City Royals manager Hal McRae snapped after a reporter second guessed some of the manager's decisions. McRae couldn't take anymore and hurled everything off his desk-- including his telephone. He kicked everyone out of his office and one reporter had blood dripping from his face. Perhaps the most interesting part of McRae's tantrum was the ending: "Put that in your f*cking pipe and smoke it!"

8

Get Some Facts, and Come Back and See Me - Jim Calhoun

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Maybe there are more well known press-conference moments in men's college basketball, but it's hard to find one more entertaining than this exchange between former UConn head coach and a reporter. Watch what happens when Calhoun, one of the greatest coaches in Big East history, is asked about his salary. The result is an epic showdown between Calhoun and the reporter, who insults his colleagues and the coach in the process.

9

Next! - Mike Ditka

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After NFL coaching legend Mike Ditka's New Orleans Saints limped to a 2-7 to start the season, a reporter asked about his quarterback situation after practice. The question prompted Ditka to yell "Next!" after the questions, sounding like Yev Kassem--"the Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld--or Taran Killam's character Jebidiah Atkinson from SNL. A reporter asked him, "Mike why are you in such a bad mood?" In classic Ditka form he said, "What do you care? If you were 2-7, you'd be in a bad mood too."

10

Game Face - Bobby Knight

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Former Indiana Hoosiers coach Bobby Knight had many great press-conference moments, but few showed his comedic side as well as this one, filmed at an NCAA regionals press conference in 1993. The reporters were treated to the hall of fame coach's comedy stylings when he explained he never used the term "game face" and didn't know what it looked like. Thankfully, he tried showing us.

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