Writer: Beck Oldridge
There is perhaps no other day as exalted in the United States calendar as the 4th of July. It’s one of the few days when Americans gather as one to honor those before us whose sacrifices allow us to continue our sacred traditions. Comparatively, one of the greatest ways we galvanize around and strengthen our communities here and abroad is through sports. Whether one supports a dynasty or an underdog, anyone can find a place in the hallowed halls of fandom and feel part of a journey alongside their favorite athletes. This undying and sometimes militant reverence is an art.
Find me a single person who doesn’t know who Lionel Messi is or an American without a strong opinion on LeBron or Brady’s chokehold on sports culture for decades (please retire, Bron). Sports let us feel part of something beautiful and spectacular, no matter what else weighs on our daily lives. Few things are more inspiring than watching your team finally become champions after months, years, or even decades of waiting. It’s an art because there’s love, hate, sadness, euphoria, and betrayal—the emotions true art captures.
The 4th of July is a triumphant love letter to the pioneers of American society, including the athletes and the teams we love. Today, most Americans celebrate with parties, cookouts, bonfires, and fireworks—but sometimes there are moments when athletes transcended the physical world, accomplishing the impossible and etching their names into legend. Moments when we turn our heads from fireworks to our TVs and see red, white, and blue. For the athletes who carried the country on their shoulders on America’s proudest day, these are their greatest moments.
1910 – Jack Johnson’s Fight of the Century
In the last 50 years, boxing has slid into near irrelevance, starved of the personalities that once made it magnetic. Boxers used to have more swagger than anyone, with eyes worldwide fixated on them weeks before a punch. Many blame influencer culture and figures like Jake Paul who treat the sport like a joke, the rise of UFC—which is a barbaric, low-IQ excuse for fighting—or the lack of mainstream coverage.
Whatever the reason, boxing no longer holds the same allure. Fans remember Ali and Frazier’s “Fight of the Century” in 1971, but 60 years earlier, James Jeffries came out of retirement after six years to fight Jack Johnson in the original Fight of the Century. After a majestic 15 rounds, Johnson earned the TKO, retained his heavyweight title, and finally earned the respect that had eluded him. That 4th of July bout stood as boxing’s pinnacle for decades until Ali rewrote the rules at Madison Square Garden in 1971.
1914 – Harvard Rowers Shock the World
The Grand Challenge Cup is rowing’s oldest and most prestigious event, dominated by the English since 1839, winning 74 of the 75 editions before 1914. On the 4th of July, the rebellious American children rose again to defeat their jilted British parents. The Harvard Eight made history by becoming the first American crew to win, beating Union Boat Club by 1¼ lengths. Europe, though, was spiraling toward destruction—Maybe the most important event in human history took place just 24 days later. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, starting WWI.
For five years, no sport took place on the continent and one of the members of the Harvard 8 even died on the European Front. A month that began with a great American victory on the water was quickly overshadowed by the bloodshed that would decimate Europe, render 40 million dead, and change society forever. It reminds us to cherish victories while they last—because in 24 days, or an instant, everything can change.
1939 – Lou Gehrig’s Farewell
One of baseball’s most iconic moments wasn’t a game or a play but a speech by Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig. Two weeks before, Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS and forced to retire. The disease was then an obscure, cruel death sentence.
Between games of a July 4th doubleheader, Gehrig took the mic at Yankee Stadium: “For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break.
Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” He was lucky not because of his diagnosis, but because of the life he’d lived and the people he loved.
Facing a mysterious visage of death, he chose to celebrate life—a message we can all take notes from. Lou’s courage sparked awareness and funding for ALS and helped intertwine athletics and charity for medical research forever.
1980 – Nolan Ryan Hits 3,000 Strikeouts
No list is complete without an all-time baseball great doing something legendary on the 4th. And there is perhaps no greater pitcher than Nolan Ryan. Ryan was a player that didn’t need baseball training equipment and tools like a radar gun. He lived his life on the mound in a flow state like no other, no special gear or pitching trainer, he just needed his deadly arm and a few mind games. In 1980, while playing for the Houston Astros, Ryan became just the fourth player in MLB history to reach 3,000 strikeouts, fanning Reds center fielder César Gerónimo.
Despite Ryan’s achievements, the Astros actually lost 8-1, just to add icing to the cake. In his career Ryan averaged nearly 7 innings per game and made it to 3000 in only 427 games—one of the sport’s most impressive stats. Even more mind-blowing? He went on to pass Walter Johnson’s record in 1983 and racked up a total of 5,714 strikeouts—still the most ever. Second place? Randy Johnson, with 839 fewer. Nolan Ryan, so often overlooked, should be revered as one of the greatest pitchers of all time—but no one overlooked him that day. His arm was feared, and mercy was rarely part of his game.
1981 – McEnroe vs. Borg: Fire and Ice (Photo: LA Times)
John McEnroe defeated Björn Borg after losing to him the year prior to claim his first Wimbledon championship and third Grand Slam title. It was a legendary clash of fire and ice—Borg: meticulous, calm, revered; McEnroe: raw, arrogant, impatient, loved and hated for his savage tennis skills and tantrums alike. McEnroe was the textbook definition of a hothead—people who lived through his prime can’t recall a tournament where he didn’t break a racket or yell “You cannot be serious?” at least once. Borg, experienced and precise, knew how to dismantle McEnroe’s chaos, but Borg was aging and knew
McEnroe was too good to contain forever.
On that oddly sunny English 4th—perhaps nature’s quiet protest against Britain—McEnroe finally ended Borg’s five-title streak at Wimbledon, winning 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in one of the longest, most famous matches ever. The crowd, so used to booing him, actually cheered him on. McEnroe finally silenced his doubters, tamed his anger, and honed in his ludicrous tennis chops. McEnroe would win 3 Wimbledon titles and 7 Grand Slams in total, forever a captivating figure who's on-court tantrums and breathtaking skill made him must-watch TV—an American hero of passion and perfectly imperfect brilliance.
1984 – Richard Petty’s 200th Win with Reagan Watching
Few things are more American than NASCAR—except maybe butter on a stick at a county fair or old guys feeling the need to bring a speed gun to an MLB game. Add the Firecracker 400 with Ronald Reagan in attendance, and you have the greatest American party ever. This was Richard Petty’s final win—his 200th. Nicknamed “The King” and the inspiration for Strip Weathers in Pixar’s Cars, Petty still holds the all-time wins record, 7 championships, and 7 Daytona 500 wins. Winning on the 4th was a fitting final triumph for one of racing’s greatest.
1994 – The U.S. Faces Brazil in World Cup Glory (Photo: NY Times)
Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, soccer (or football, globally) was one of the most popular sports in the U.S., especially on the East Coast. Bustling immigrant-rich cities like Boston, New York, Charlotte, and Philadelphia were alive with European newcomers—Irish fleeing the British, Russians fleeing revolution, Italians escaping corruption—bringing their traditions, religions, and love of the beautiful game. We were so good back then that we placed third at the first World Cup in 1930, only losing to eventual champs Uruguay. Unfortunately, the Great Depression and the rise of basketball and American football meant soccer basically vanished for decades. From the end of the 30’s until the 70’s, soccer essentially fell from one of the most respected sports in the country into the nether regions of obscure and misunderstood games that Americans didn’t really care about.
Fast forward to 1994: soccer was demanding attention again and the U.S. won in their
first bid to host the World Cup—a badge of pride and a chance to make history on home soil. We were ranked 27th and dropped into a brutal group with Romania, Switzerland, and Colombia—ranked 7th, 12th, and 17th, respectively. But on American soil, the underdog spirit showed up like never before. We drew with Switzerland, then stunned Colombia
with a 2-1 win that advanced us to face Brazil on—you guessed it—the Fourth of July. Facing Brazil, the world’s single greatest soccer nation in history and FIFA’s number 1 for 11 of the 12 years following the World Cup in 94’, was a test like no other. Though we lost 1-0, we didn’t roll over; we made the Brazilians sweat and showed the world that American soccer was worth taking seriously again. The US proved that the venerable Brazilians were beatable. As a matter of fact, until the final at the Rose Bowl, in which Brazil beat Italy on penalties after 120 minutes (and gave us one of the most famous photos in the history of sports: “The man who died standing”), the Americans were their closest match.
Interesting Fact: During the U.S.’s 2-1 win vs. Colombia, Andrés Escobar’s own goal led to his murder in Medellín by infamous drug lords, the Gallon brothers, who lost gambling money on the match. They blamed Escobar for the loss—though the own goal came in the 34th minute, and Colombia didn’t score until the 90th minute when it was already 2-0 and too late.
2004 – Meg Mallon’s U.S. Open Masterclass
The final round of the Women’s U.S. Open fell on the 4th of July, and fans witnessed Meg Mallon’s incredible, underrated performance. Facing Annika Sörenstam, one of the sport’s greatest, Mallon shot a 6-under 65 to win by two strokes. Tied three strokes back entering the final day, Mallon outscored the leader Jennifer Rosales by 10 strokes, recording the lowest final round by a champion in the tournament’s 76-year history—an Independence Day miracle in her home state of Massachusetts.
2009 – Serena Tops Venus at Wimbledon
On the 4th of July 2009, Serena Williams defeated two-time defending champ Venus Williams—her own sister—in a rematch of the previous year’s Wimbledon final, 7–6, 6–2. Anyone who knows the sports and knows the Williams sisters understands that watching one GOAT is rare—watching two, both American, both at their peak, and they’re siblings? It’s like catching lightning in a bottle on a cloudless day. Serena vs. Venus wasn’t just a tennis match; it was a clash of two generational icons whose sibling rivalry
captivated the entire world.
The win ended Venus’s dream of a three-peat and added Grand Slam number 11 to Serena’s growing lore. And the match had extra weight—Serena came in nursing injuries but still dismantled her sister with trademark power and precision. Serena and Venus would clash in 9 Grand Slam finals over the course of their careers—Serena
winning 7 of them—cementing them as two of the greatest ever in any sport. On Independence Day, Serena reminded everyone that the American dream sometimes runs in the family.
2011 – Garmin-Cervélo Shocks the Tour de France
The Tour de France was already rolling across the French countryside—American riders chasing glory on foreign roads, just like Greg LeMond once did when he broke through Europe’s old guard in the 80s. In 2011, it wasn’t LeMond or cycling’s fallen angel, Lance Armstrong stealing headlines but a new generation: Garmin-Cervélo, the scrappy American team that stunned the European establishment by winning the team time trial on Stage 2.
For U.S. fans watching on an early July morning, it was a throwback to the days when American cyclists were underdogs with something to prove—trying to crack a sport that didn’t want them. On Independence Day that year, Tyler Farrar, Garmin’s American sprinter, made the moment even sweeter: he outsprinted the world’s fastest men in Stage 3, crossing the line with tears in his eyes and pointing to the sky in tribute to his friend Wouter Weylandt, who’d died just months before.
It was a win soaked in emotion—American grit and European tragedy colliding on the roads of Brittany. For one fleeting Fourth of July, the red, white, and blue jersey was at the front of the peloton again and for only the 6th time in history, proving that an American kid on a bike could still shock the world—just as LeMond did, just as Armstrong did before the myth fell apart. With the country celebrating its independence, Americans watched optimistically—and the French in bitterness—as Farrar took the day’s stage and gained respect from the sport’s global audience in storybook fashion.
A Day for Champions, A Legacy for Generations
From the boxing ring to the soccer pitch, from the racetrack to the grass courts of Wimbledon, the 4th of July has produced moments that transcend sport. These stories remind us that greatness doesn’t just happen—it’s earned, often on the biggest stage, with the whole country watching.
So, this Independence Day, while the fireworks fly, take a moment to celebrate not just freedom—but the athletes who gave us these unforgettable flashes of American excellence.