The Last Time the US Hosted the World Cup, One of the Weirdest Nights in Sports History

Live sports remain one of the last unifying elements in the American zeitgeist, the only things where friends and families gather around the TV and build a community around them. Anyway broadcasting services and YouTube broke the viewership and changed our habits, for the most part, people still tune in to watch events like the World Cup and The NBA Finals live in a large network.

I World Cup it feels inevitable this year, bigger in scale than ever — more teams, more media — but it reminds me of the last time the US hosted the tournament, back in 1994. Not because of what happened on the field, but because of what happened the day the tournament started, as we were all gathered on television to sing.

June 17 was the day of the opening ceremony of the 1994 World Cup. President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, arguably two of the most famous people in the world in 1994, were there. It was also the night of game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Houston Rockets and the New York Knicks (I hate to remind you, but the Knicks lost in seven). That day he also saw Ken Griffey Jr. tying one of Babe Ruth’s home run records when the Seattle Mariners played the Kansas City Royals. And Arnold Palmer played his last round at the US Open.

I won’t remember much of this, except for the fact that one of my favorite documentaries in ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, simply titled June 17, 1994, is a wonderful reminder of how big that day was in sports history… our eyes.

I know you know this, but as a refresher, Simpson’s wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman had been found murdered five days earlier, and OJ Simpson had become the prime suspect. He is expected to surrender to the police on June 17. Simpson was never seen, and after several hours of missing, he was declared a fugitive.

Then, later that night, he led police on a low-speed chase around Los Angeles for nearly two hours in a white Ford Bronco driven by his friend Al Cowlings. During much of the chase, Simpson threatened to kill himself and held a gun to his head, before returning home and surrendering. The New York Times reported that 95 million people, 67% of all US households, watched the chase. It aired across ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, protecting whatever sports coverage fans were watching.

For those of us who lived back then, we all probably have the “where were you during the OJ chase?” issue, although it is not something that often comes up in conversation today. And honestly, if it wasn’t for the title of this documentary, I definitely wouldn’t even remember the day it happened. But I can’t help but remember it all so well now that the World Cup is back in the US and the Knicks are back in the NBA Finals.

On June 17, 1994, it was directed by Brett Morgen, covering all the televised news of the day and the news surrounding the Simpson case, which culminated in one of the most difficult moments ever caught on live television. What would have already been an amazing day in sports history, and certainly would have taken on a celebratory tone, was completely overshadowed by the drama of another athlete off the field.

The film’s detailed chronological narrative allows the tension of both sporting events and Simpson’s actions to unfold in real time. Most of us remember the chase, but what led up to it, as the film reminds us, involved hours of uncertainty and a growing sense of dread that this might end in more tragedy. All the excitement surrounding the big sporting events that take place this week and month is exciting, but it’s almost as if it’s triggered a mental memory, bringing me back to that day 32 years ago.

Whether you were alive to witness that day or not, the film is a must-see, told almost entirely through live TV and news footage, and it captures many of the feelings and emotions of the time perfectly.

June 17, 1994, available now ESPN Unlimited and continue NetflixHowever, strangely, it is leaving Netflix on June 16.