Sports Leagues Upload Classic Games During COVID-19 Pandemic

As COVID-19 continues to ravage the globe, nearly every aspect of modern media has been put on hold for the near future. This is especially disappointing for American sports fans who have been indefinitely denied of March Madness and potentially the remainder of the NBA and NHL seasons. In an effort to keep fans somewhat engaged during this unprecedented hiatus, some of the premier American leagues have opened free on-demand streaming services and aired select games on their official YouTube channels. This is an attempt to guide the masses of deprived fans through this chaotic time to the promised land of high-quality sports content.

NBA

Warriors @ Thunder 2/27/2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I33o9UnUe1A

This masterpiece of a game is as entertaining as it is important on a historical level. The storytelling aspect of sports is on full display in this regular season matchup that feels weirdly ominous upon rewatch as many of the flashy sequences foreshadow the events that took place the following summer. Outside of context, this game features a prime Stephen Curry at the peak of his unanimous MVP season battling perennial scoring machine and future teammate Kevin Durant. The atmosphere of an Oklahoma City Thunder home game is intimidating as it is, but the presence of the greatest regular season team of all time in the Golden State Warriors pushes the crowd into another stratosphere. Diehard NBA fan or not, everyone can find something to appreciate in this dramatic showcase of basketball’s biggest stars.

NHL

Rangers @ Penguins 12/31/1988 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjQFZ-xoi-o

The hockey world was not prepared on the night of December 31,1988 when Mario Lemieux scored 5 goals in 5 different ways against the New York Rangers. The then 23 year old’s offensive onslaught stunned the league and built a legacy in the sport that rivals the likes of Wayne Gretsky and Bobby Orr. Casual sports fans will be astonished at the seamless merge of aggression and poise that Lemeiux displays against a decent Rangers team. Hockey fans view this game as an encapsulation of one of the first breakout stars from the somewhat obscure hockey culture into the American mainstream.

NFL

Chiefs @ Rams 11/19/2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTyk2Hngugw

When the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams took the field in 2018, they both sported their best records in the millenium and were perpetually shown on every highlight reel imaginable. Their regular season showdown did not disappoint. The two teams scored a combined 105 points in a four quarter slugfest on Monday Night Football in what could be called the greatest game in NFL history. Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes launched heart-stopping bombs down the field from beginning to end and set the tone for a game that slams down the gas pedal and doesn’t let up until the last whistle. Don’t let the 54-51 final score turn you away from a game that includes three defensive touchdowns and an all-time performance from the Rams’ defensive line. Despite the excellent play from both sides, the most impressive aspect of this game is that it caused my mom (who often vocalizes her distaste of football) to be locked in to the TV for the closing minutes of an NFL game.

MLB

Red Sox @ Yankees 9/25/2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItUkCSR_YWE

The Boston Red Sox entered a packed Yankee Stadium to face Hall of Famer Derek Jeter in the last game of his career. The excited yet somber energy of the night continued to build until the 9th inning with Jeter hitting a walkoff single to both end his career and win the game. The raw emotions expressed by the team are what sports fans dream of. Before this game, I thought that those kinds of fairytale endings only happen in movies and in hindsight I was right. But at least for one fateful night in New York, fairytales were real.

In the midst of these wild times we live in, all of our conventional forms of entertainment have either been heavily altered or cancelled altogether. However, we can all find solace in the beauty of sports no matter the chaos surrounding it.

Image Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports