u/KrispyBeaverBoy

Elway made these remarks to his agent, Marvin Demoff after being selected by the Baltimore Colts first overall in the 1983 NFL Draft. He even threatened to play baseball for the NY Yankees, who had drafted him in the 1981 MLB draft--six spots ahead of future hall of famer Tony Gwynn.

All of this was documented on a season 2 episode of ESPN's 30 for 30: Elway to Marino.

Garbage collector. Talk about throwing away your career! (Pause for applause).

Elway would go on to win two Super Bowls at the end of his career after losing the first three he appeared in.

As for Marino--he played in only one during his second season--a loss to San Francisco.

Speaking of losses, Baltimore not only lost John Elway, but their entire franchise, which up and left in 1984. It wouldn't be until 1996 that the NFL returned to Charm City.

Raging Bull, a film detailing the events of Jake Lamotta's tumultuous life, opens with a particularly violent scene. Before the final round against fellow light heavyweight Jimmy Reeves , LaMotta's corner puts him on notice: knock the other guy out or you're losing the fight, Jake.

Lamotta charges out of the corner(as was his style) and proceeds to brutally batter his exhausted opponent, sending him to the mat four times before the final bell rung. Zach Morris must've made the rules, because you could be saved by the bell in those days, and Reeve's corner scrapes what was left of their fighter off the canvas as the fight mercifully ends.

In total, Reeves had taken five unplanned trips to the floor in the last two rounds courtesy of the Raging Bull. The referee announces the decision victory for Reeves amid a chorus of throaty boos and ensuing violence. The scene then fades as the organist dutifully rings out the National Anthem to restore order.

But was this all drummed up for cinematic effect? A dressed up, glorified version of a fight that would now be fit to open a Hollywood blockbuster?

On the contrary---this was all facts. Sometimes the source material is so strong that there needn't be any fabrication or embellishment made to the story when its translated to the silver screen.

The U.P. I, as appearing in the Troy Daily News, summed up the events nicely in their coverage the following day:

"An irate, howling mob of boxing fans stormed into the ring at the Cleveland arena last night to protest against the decision in favor of Jimmy Reeves of Cleveland in his 10 round fight against Jake Lamotta of New York. An organist helped quiet the riot by playing the Star Spangled Banner.

Lamotta, Italian-Jewish lightweight, smashed Reeves through the ropes and knocked him down five times in the final round. When the decision in favor of Reeves was announced, the fans began to boo and shout, and in short order had piled into the ring, pushing, yelling and gesturing at the officials.

Several fans surrounded boxing commissioners Tris Speaker (yes, that Tris Speaker) and Charley Bethel and started throwing punches. The police were unable to clear the ring or restore order of any sort until the organist swung into the National Anthem."

LaMotta's First Loss

The crowd of 8,500 lost their minds, and according to the Buffalo News the next day, "one angry ringsider rushed at the referee and struck him."

Boxrec's printed summary of the events paint a poetic portrait of the pugilists: "For seven rounds, Reeves pounded LaMotta from pillar to post. The situation changed dramatically in the last three rounds. In round nine Reeves went through the ropes for a nine-count. In the tenth he was down four times, twice from exhaustion and twice from LaMotta's punches."

LaMotta would lose again to Reeves, this time without the ensuing bedlam, before finally knocking him out for the win in 1943.

Later, Reeve's widow would sue the filmmakers for compensation after they used her late husband's image in the film. It all proved futile, as the 4.2 million dollar lawsuit was eventually dismissed.

Of all the sporting events that have occurred in your lifetime, which one still makes you shake your head in disbelief?