5 Sporting Events Ruined by the Weather

Even on the best of days, Mother Nature gets the best of us. From sporting events to weddings, to weekend getaways to week-long vacations, it really boils down to how she's feeling and where you happen to be when she's feeling it.. So if you had to guess, you can bet your dollar that today it's raining. And it has been, for the past 40 or so hours, wiping out any kind of outdoor activity I had in mind including covering the second game of the IBL Playoffs between the Kitchener Panthers and the Brantford Red Sox..

Thar she blows. Rained out and still raining. So let's look at 5 sporting events ruined by the weather!

5. EXTRA! EXTRA! World Series is Rained Out!

Sad, but true. One of the most mystifying championships in American history, the aptly titled 'World Series' has struck out with Mother Nature on more than one at-bat. Since 1903, there's been some inclement weather, most recently Game 6 between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals in October 2011. 20 World Series games have been postponed due to rain, and one game between Boston and Pittsburgh was even delayed early in the century due to cold!



4. Driving at the Car Wash

Motorsports is one of the fastest, most adrenaline inducing sports on the planet. With Formula1 cars hitting top speeds of 200 mph on straight lanes., rain, lightning and hail are just not suitable for the streets. At the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, an expected storm was to hit midway through the race. However by the 19th lap it started to rain and by the 28th lap it was torrential downpour. The safety car pulled out to provide some assistance but at the 33rd lap the event was red-flagged. By the time the rain had ceased it was deemed too dark to complete the race and no further action was taken. For the first time in the 54 year history of the Daytona 500, the February 2012 race was postponed due to severe rain. After shortening the track and making several adjustments to start times the race was held the on a Monday.

3. Monday Night Misery

Some of the toughest guys around play in the NFL. They'll play through anything; snow, hail, rain, wind and even a combination of all the above, but they won't play through lightning. Phew! But when I say anything (other than lightning), I mean it! On a Monday night late in the 2007 the Miami Dolphins paid a visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It had been raining for days, the Dolphins were 0-11 and the sand the crew used to try to absorb the rain turned the field into an obstacle course. With lightning forcing the players off the field for the pre-game warmup, it showed in their performance when the game ended 3-0 to the Steelers. Scoreless the entire game, only Jeff Reed was able to put up a field goal with 17 seconds remaining. It is to this day the lowest scoring MNF game.

2. When the Pitch is a Pool

Soccer players regularly endure rain during their matches. Some venues are covered, some have retractable roofs, others are out in the open. Either way Italian soccer standings are taken very seriously, and in a sport where the scoring is even lower than the country's birth rate, Mama Nature can't go spoiling the party. Oh wait, the can do whatever she wants! Take Juventus in 1999 for example... it was the last day of the Serie A season and it became a controversy on whether to play or not. The game ensued and Juventus lost to Perugia 1-0. They went on to lose the Scudello (top prize!) to Lazio in memorable fashion.

1. Warm Winter Olympics

If you're going to host the Winter Olympics, it better be cold! Eight years in the making it's too bad Mother Nature didn't completely decide to show up to the party when Vancouver had the rights to the biggest tournament in winter sports. From the half covered hill tops to the overcast skies, the 2010 showing is recorded as the warmest games to date. Typically below freezing, downtown Vancouver averaged 7.1 degrees Celcius or 44.8 degrees Farenheit while Cypress Mountain, home to the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events was plagued with snow drought. With snow machines on full blast, knowing in advance the conditions weren't to par meant the performances were up for scrutiny, an event that caused many spectators to refund their tickets.

Hopefully the weather subsides and next week things will be rocking! Enjoy the weekend,


xoxo,