March 21, 1980: In response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter announces that America would boycott the upcoming Olympics in Moscow. He had threatened it on January 20, the day of Super Bowl XIV (with the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Los Angeles Rams), and gave the Soviets a deadline for withdrawal. That date was March 21, and they did not withdraw. So, on this day, Carter made it official.
But, at the time, most Americans were furious. How dare the President mess with American sports? Especially given the great Winter Olympics that America had just staged at Lake Placid, New York, including the hockey team's Gold Medal and upset win over the Soviets? His popularity, having already taken hits due to the Iran Hostage Crisis and the declining economy, receded further.
I was 10 years old, and against the boycott at the time. I thought beating the Soviets, literally on their own turf, would send a better message than the boycott, like we did to the Nazis in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
The truth is, though, that Carter’s boycott did more to expose the Soviet Union as "an evil empire," to use Ronald Reagan's words, than anything Reagan ever did. It was the right thing to do.
Some of the finest American athletes of the era would not get to compete in the Olympics. Kurt Thomas was considered the finest male gymnast that America had yet produced. He had won Gold Medals at the 1978 and 1979 World Championships. He went into acting. Renaldo Nehemiah was a top hurdler, and had won a Gold Medal at the 1979 Pan American Games. He became one of the few track stars to make the adjustment to the NFL, helping the San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowl XIX. Mary Decker, the country's finest female middle-distance runner, was one of several who would have to wait until 1984 for a chance. In her case, it ended badly.
Canada joined the boycott. So did West Germany, although most of Europe did not. So did several South American and African nations. Muhammad Ali personally lobbied the Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Senegal to join. That's right: The U.S. federal government and Muhammad Ali, at such great odds as recently as 9 years earlier, were on the same side. Zaire, where Ali famously regained the Heavyweight Championship of the World from George Foreman, also joined.
Shockingly, given the current relationship between the two countries, Iran joined in America's boycott, as they feared a Soviet invasion as well. So did Pakistan, on the other side of Afghanistan. Israel and Egypt, 2 years after the signing of the Camp David Accord, both boycotted.
Japan and South Korea joined the boycott. In a rare moment of unity, both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China -- the Communist mainland and democratic Taiwan, respectively -- joined the boycott. "Red China" had split with the Soviets over Communist doctrine in the 1950s, and no longer followed Moscow's line.
Great Britain did not join the boycott, but made a gesture of protest during the Games' Opening Ceremony: During the Parade of Nations, their athletes did not march, and their participation consisted of one official holding an Olympic flag, not a Union Jack.
In 1984, with the Olympics scheduled for Los Angeles, the Soviet Union led a boycott of their Eastern European satellite nations. They claimed security concerns, but who was kidding who? It was retaliation. One Warsaw Pact nation, Romania, defied the boycott. Yugoslavia, never in the Warsaw Pact but officially still Communist at this point, also defied the boycott. China also sent their athletes. Just as the Soviets and the East Germans dominated the medal count in the 1980 Games, it was the Americans, the West Germans, and the Chinese who led the way in L.A.
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March 21, 1980 was a Friday. That night, the 3rd season of the CBS drama Dallas ended with the episode "A House Divided." It ended with the show's villain, John Ross Ewing Jr., played by Larry Hagman, shot in his office at the Ewing Oil Building in downtown Dallas. All Spring, Summer and Fall, people around America had 3 questions: Who will be elected President? When will the hostages be released? And Who shot J.R.? Anyway, I have a separate entry for this event.
That same day, Angelo Bruno, the leading organized crime figure in Philadelphia, was murdered. I have a separate entry fort this event.
That same day, Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho was born. So was Deryck Whibley, leader of the Canadian rock band Sum 41.
Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. There were 8 games played in the NBA:
* The New Jersey Nets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-99 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.
* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons, 108-95 at The Omni in Atlanta.
* The Denver Nuggets beat the Chicago Bulls, 134-128 in triple overtime at the Chicago Stadium.
* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Golden State Warriors, 121-93 at the Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center and Arena, or "The MECCA." Since 2014, it has been named the UW-Panther Arena.
* The San Antonio Spurs beat the Indiana Pacers, 116-109 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio. George Gervin scored 41 points.
* The Kansas City Kings beat the Utah Jazz, 102-98 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.
* The Phoenix Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 111-100 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.
* And the Seattle SuperSonics beat the San Diego Clippers, 107-104 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.
And there were 5 games played in the NHL:
* The New York Rangers lost to the Winnipeg Jets, 4-2 at the Winnipeg Arena.
* The Philadelphia Flyers and the Hartford Whalers played to a 5-5 tie at the Hartford Civic Center (now the PeoplesBank Arena).
* The Minnesota North Stars beat the Washington Capitals, 4-3 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.
* The Edmonton Oilers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 9-2 at the Northlands Coliseum. Wayne Gretzky had 3 goals and an assist.
* And the Detroit Red Wings beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2 at the Pacific Coliseum in Denver.
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