''The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame...'' is a sports series that debuted in 2005 and aired on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic. The show ran from April 2005 to April 2007. The show was canceled when ESPN Classic phased out the production of original programs. Some episodes were planned but never completed.

Format

Hosted by Brian Kenny, the series examines controversial figures and events in the history of sports that featured figure(s) involved in the event later being labeled as a

scapegoat In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designate ...

. In each episode, the show defends the accused by presenting evidence to separate fact from fiction, and then explaining why the accused cannot be held accountable from experts and witnesses. Several reasons that didn't make the list (called "The Best of the Rest") are discussed first, followed by the actual top five reasons. The first episode aired in April 2005 and examined ''The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame

Steve Bartman The Steve Bartman incident was a controversial play that occurred during a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Florida Marlins on October 14, 2003, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2003 posts ...

for the Cubs'

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

playoff collapse''. Bartman was excoriated by Cubs fans as the reason for the Cubs' 8th inning collapse against the Florida Marlins in the sixth game of the

2003 National League Championship Series The 2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to 15 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qua ...

. He unwittingly became the focus of the derision of long-suffering Cubs fans and the butt of many jokes.

Schedule history

When the show moved to ESPN Classic late in 2005, the show debuted at 9 p.m. Eastern time. The following year, it was moved back to 10 p.m. In both cases, new episodes debuted on Tuesday and were repeated on Thursday. In late

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, ''The Top 5 Reasons...'' was pulled back to Thursdays only, with the RM Classic Car Auction shown on Tuesdays. Reruns continue to air from time to time; for example, the episode in which

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

is exonerated aired on August 8, 2007, one day after his 756th career Major League Baseball home run established the new record.

Seasonal overview

Season 1

After the first episode, the topics in the 1st season covered ''The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame...'' * Art Modell for moving the Browns to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

. *

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

for the breakup of the

Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. * John McEnroe for his repeated outbursts in tennis matches. *

Jerry Krause Jerome Richard Krause (April 6, 1939 – March 21, 2017) was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003. His tenure with the Bull ...

for the breakup of the

Bulls Bulls may refer to: *The plural of bull, an adult male bovine *Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District Sports *Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding *Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...

. *The Chicago White Sox for "throwing" the

1919 World Series The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. ...

(see Black Sox Scandal). * Wilt Chamberlain for losing to Bill Russell in seven of their eight playoff matchups. *The Portland Trail Blazers for

drafting Drafting or draughting may refer to: * Campdrafting, an Australian equestrian sport * Drafting (aerodynamics), slipstreaming * Drafting (writing), writing something that is likely to be amended * Technical drawing, the act and discipline of compo ...

Sam Bowie Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries ...

over

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

. *The U.S. golf team for its

1999 Ryder Cup The 33rd Ryder Cup, also known as the "Battle of Brookline", was held September 24–26, 1999, in the United States at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb southwest of Boston. The American team won the competition by a ma ...

celebration. *

Bill Buckner William Joseph Buckner (December 14, 1949 – May 27, 2019) was an American first baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams from through , most notably the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red ...

for the Red Sox losing the

1986 World Series The 1986 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1986 Major League Baseball season, 1986 season. The 83rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National Lea ...

. *Umpire Don Denkinger for the Cardinals losing the

1985 World Series The 1985 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1985 season. The 82nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals and the Na ...

. *

Harry Frazee Harry Herbert Frazee (June 29, 1880 – June 4, 1929) was an American theatrical agent, producer, and director, and owner of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox from 1916 to 1923. He is well known for selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yanke ...

for selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. *The

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

for trading Brett Favre. * Major League Baseball for continuing the lifetime ban of Pete Rose and thus making him ineligible for the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

. *

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

for losing to

Buster Douglas James "Buster" Douglas (born April 7, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1981 and 1999. He reigned as undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1990 after knocking out Mike Tyson to win the title. His win over ...

Season 2

In September 2005, a new line-up of episodes was created. Season 2 examined ''The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame...'': * Mitch Williams for the Phillies losing the

1993 World Series The 1993 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) season. The 90th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the defending World Series champion and American League (AL) champio ...

. * Ralph Branca for the

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

losing the

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

pennant (see "The Shot Heard 'Round the World"). *The Edmonton Oilers for trading Wayne Gretzky. * Mike Ditka for Walter Payton not scoring in a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

. *The BCS for the lack of a playoff in Division I-A

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

. * Terrell Owens for his over-the-top celebrations. * Earnest Byner for the Browns'

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

playoff loss (see

The Fumble ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

). *

Dan Marino Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and be ...

for never winning a

. * Scott Norwood for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

losing Super Bowl XXV. (See Wide Right.) *'' Sports Illustrated'' magazine for publishing a Swimsuit Issue. *

Bob Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-ti ...

for his repeated outbursts. * Fred Brown for Georgetown's loss to North Carolina in the 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship NCAA Final. * Georgetown for losing to Villanova in the 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship NCAA Final. * Chris Webber for Michigan's loss to North Carolina in the 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship NCAA Final. * George Steinbrenner for the economic divide in Major League Baseball. (The

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

would win the

2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Leag ...

10 years after the episode aired.) * Jose Canseco for revealing the extent of

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

use Use may refer to: * Use (law), an obligation on a person to whom property has been conveyed * Use (liturgy), a special form of Roman Catholic ritual adopted for use in a particular diocese * Use–mention distinction, the distinction between using ...

in baseball.

Season 3

Season 3 examined ''The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame...'' *

for trying to play baseball. * Charles Barkley for saying, "I am not a

role model A role model is a person whose behaviour, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term ''role model'' is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who hypothesized that individuals compare themselves ...

." * Walter O'Malley for moving the

from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. * Greg Norman for not winning more

majors Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989)Majors in is an American actor. He rose to prominence after starring in the independent feature film ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019). In 2020, he garnered wider notice for portraying ...

. * Len Bias's death for the demise of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. (This was often referred as the "Curse of Len Bias" in Boston, at least until the Celtics won the 2008 NBA title.) * Dennis Rodman for being a bad boy. * Marvin Hagler for losing to Sugar Ray Leonard in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

. * Anna Kournikova for never winning a singles tennis title. *The NCAA for not paying athletes. *

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...

for losing to

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

. (See " Rumble in the Jungle.") *

for being Barry Bonds. (The

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

would end its string of 20 consecutive losing seasons in 2013.) *Steroids for the home run explosion. *The Minnesota Vikings for trading for

Herschel Walker Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia. ...

. *

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...

for never winning the Big One. (He ''did'' win at the end of the 2006 NFL season and Super Bowl 50 in the 2015-2016 season, but both were ''after'' this episode aired.) * Pete Carroll for

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

losing to Texas in the

2006 Rose Bowl The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, was an American college football bowl game that served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured ...

. * Jerry Jones for the demise of the Cowboys. *Hardcore NASCAR fans for hating Jeff Gordon. * Grady Little for the Red Sox losing the

2003 ALCS The 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was played between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees from October 8 to 16, 2003. The Yankees won the series four games to three to advance to the World Series, where they lost in six ...

. *The New York Yankees for losing a 3-0 lead to the Boston Red Sox in the

2004 ALCS The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season, and the right to play in the 2004 World Series. A rematch of the 2003 American League Champions ...

. * Bobby Cox for the repeated postseason losses of the Atlanta Braves. * Bode Miller for not living up to the hype. *

Matt Leinart Matthew Stephen Leinart (born May 11, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at USC, where he won the Heisman Trophy and ...

for returning for his senior season at

Season 4

The following programs aired in Season 4: *The Referees for Miami losing the

2003 Fiesta Bowl The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game that was the designated Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season, taking place on January 3, 2003 at Sun Devil Sta ...

*The

for losing four consecutive Super Bowls *

John Carlos John Wesley Carlos (born June 5, 1945) is an American former track and field athlete and professional American football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he displayed the Black Power sal ...

and

Tommie Smith Tommie C. Smith (born June 6, 1944) is an American former track and field, track and field athlete and former wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold me ...

for the Black Power Salute * Phi Slama Jama for not winning an NCAA Championship * UNLV for losing to Duke in the 1991 Final Four

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... 2005 American television series debuts 2007 American television series endings ESPN Classic original programming ESPN2 original programming American sports television series English-language television shows