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Mount Everest of FAIL
Published by MoonDog on February 24, 2009
Over the past several weeks you’ve seen ESPN present the Mt. Rushmore of Sports, where each state in the union is represented by some of the greatest sports figures of all time.
I thought I’d take the opposite view and present the person I believe best represents spectacular failure, at least in my lifetime.
No one, and I mean no one embodies failure like Vinko Bogataj. Who the hell is Vinko Bogataj you ask?
He’s the man that brought about the symbol of failure – “the agony of defeat,” the man we watched every Saturday afternoon during the opening credits of ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
Bogataj (pronounced Bo-ga-tie) was born in 1950 in the tiny eastern European nation of Slovenia. Bogataj was competing at the Ski Jumping World Championships in Oberstdorf, West Germany (now Germany) on March 21, 1970.
Midway down the ramp on his third jump, Bogataj lost his balance and tumbled out of control off the end of the ramp, crashing through a wooden fence. While the crash appeared horrific, Bogatajs’ only injury was a mild concussion.
Had a film crew from Wide World of Sports not been on hand to record the event, we may never have seen what became the symbol of ultimate failure.
Wide World of Sports featured a narration by the legendary Jim McKay during the opening credits. Over the span of the show’s run, the clips used to represent “the thrill of victory” were revised countless times, but the clip of Bogataj’s crash remained until Wide World of Sports came to an end.
Without even knowing it, Bogataj had become an American icon of sorts, symbolizing failure in dramatic fashion. Bogataj was invited to attend the show’s 30th anniversary celebration in 1991 and was surprised to find more famous athletes in attendance asking for his autograph.
One such autograph seeker was none other than Muhammad Ali.
Some years later, while en route to an interview with ABC’s Terry Gannon, Bogataj was involved in a minor automobile accident. Afterwards, Bogataj quipped, “Every time I’m on ABC, I crash.”
Today, Bogataj lives a quiet and uneventful life in his native Slovenia, along with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys woodcarving and painting, a far cry from his ski jumping days and even further from that fateful day in 1970 that became the symbol of failure.
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Tagged with: ABC Wide World of Sports, ESPN, Jim McKay, MoonDog, Mt. Rushmore of Sports, Muhammad Ali, Ski Jumping, Slovenia, Terry Gannon, The Agony of Defeat, Video, Vinko Bogataj
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