AMERICA’S CUP
When it was important: From 1954 to 1961, yachting graced the cover of Sports Illustrated nine times. The New York Yacht Club’s 1983 loss of the Cup for the first time in 132 years was crucial to competition for the Cup extending worldwide.
Why it’s not now: Few can relate to owning yachts, let alone racing them, especially as technology and funding required to compete have eclipsed personalities such as Dennis Conner and Ted Turner.
DAVIS CUP
When it was important: The U.S. team had seven consecutive victories in the ’20s and took five straight from ’68-’72, but some of the most impressive years came when fiery John McEnroe racked up the best record of any American in the Davis Cup.
Why it’s not now: Since the ’70s, the top American talent hasn’t always played Davis Cup, weakening the U.S. team and putting a damper on enthusiasm for the event. The United States hasn’t won since 1995.
DRAKE RELAYS
When it was important: Between the ’50s and ’70s, the Drake Relays attracted the top talent of the time, making them the last leg of track’s triple crown with the Texas and Kansas Relays.
Why it’s not now: While the Drake Relays still post sellouts every year, track and field simply doesn’t have the same following in this country that it did 40 years ago.
GOLDEN GLOVES
When it was important: From the ’30s to the ’50s, the best boxers made their names at the Golden Gloves, especially in Chicago.
Why it’s not now: If the public doesn’t care about the heavyweight title, there’s little hope for promising but unknown boxers on the rise.
HAMBLETONIAN
When it was important: Harness racing’s premier event had its heights in the first years of the race in the late 1920s when its purse was more than $70,000, massive for the time.
Why it’s not now: Thoroughbred racing has taken over.
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING
When it was important: Think Ernest Hemingway–that’s boxing’s heyday. Even Mike Tyson couldn’t sustain the top tier of boxing–with or without a tattoo on his face.
Why it’s not now: With few “personalities” on the heavyweight scene since the retirement of Lennox Lewis, titles have have fallen into the hands of boxers like Chris Byrd and Lamon Brewster, not exactly pay-per-view names.
NBA SLAM-DUNK CONTEST
When it was important: After its 1984 introduction, the NBA Slam Dunk contest peaked quickly with Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins.
Why it’s not now: The Celtics’ Dee Brown pumped up his shoes in 1991, then the dunk contest jumped the shark.
POSTSEASON NIT
When it was important: Until 1952, teams could play in both the NIT and the NCAA. Even in 1970, the NCAA wasn’t the ultimate destination. That year, Marquette and Al McGuir declined an NCAA invitation to play in–and win–the NIT.
Why it’s not now: The NCAA tournament is the main event, leaving the postseason NIT a tournament of also-rans picked after the NCAA chooses its field of 65.
ROSE BOWL
When it was important: The Rose Bowl was the ultimate culmination of a football season for Big Ten and Pac-10 schools before 1998.
Why it’s not now: The Bowl Championship Series was supposed to bring clarity to the national title picture. Instead, it turned the “granddaddy of them all” into a game that matters only once every four years while stripping away the conference traditions.
U.S. AMATEUR
When it was important: The match-play contest was considered one of the four major American tournaments during its early years. It peaked when Bobby Jones took the title five times in seven years in the 1920s.
Why it’s not now: While the U.S. Amateur still might be a good place to look for up-and-coming talent in the golf community, the tournament no longer has the impact it once had.
