re: Biggest sports deaths

It just goes to show crazy the 60s were. In a 4 year stretch, Malcolm X, RFK, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, and Jim Morrison all died. If we make it 6 years, we’ve got the defining death of American history between Lincoln and 9/11.

But the event that would be the most insane in sports today hasn’t even been mentioned yet. In 1949 the entire Torino soccer team died in a plane crash except for an injured starter and the back-up goalkeeper. This was the dominant team in the world following World War II, with the team winning three straight titles and it’s squad forming the base of the national team.

Also had the founder of the biggest Italian newspaper that is still huge today, covering the team playing a charity game.

In recent years we’ve had the deaths of the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team as well as Chapocoense in Brazil but those weren’t as prominent in the world stage.