The decade of the 1990s was the decade of technology. The sporting world and their stars made it into everyone’s home instantaneously and sports fans did not have to wait until the morning newspaper to see the results from the before or to read about their favoring sporting event, team or player. By the click of a mouse and with high-speed technology, the sporting news made it into fans home almost as fast as it happened. Fans lighted their homes with sports-themed lighting décor. In addition, television reached out to Americans 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the start and growth of cable television and 24 hour news, sports, and entertainment channels. American, as well, enjoyed a decade of relative peace and prosperity and the economy did skyrocket on the heels of dotcom and technology-related stocks. However, this did lead to some challenges in the sporting world.
With this economic spur, athletes began wanting more. They were able to move more freely amongst teams who would pay them the most money and a team’s success was often judged on how much money the owners spent to get the best players than on the player’s themselves. Fans began rooting for the uniform rather than the athletes themselves since athletes switched teams in a blink of an eye.
Michael Jordan became one of the wealthiest athletes with his endorsements and sneaker. This sparked even high school and underclassman college athletes wanting to get in the act of making money. More kids than ever left school early to play professional sports. And, for the first time ever, the World Series was cancelled to the argument over how to spend the billions of dollars sports owners were so-call hoarding for themselves.
Scandal also hit both athletes and Americans. The decade saw former football runner, O.J. Simpson, running form the law and former boxer, Michael Tyson raging inside a jail cell. You saw President Clinton fight against Monica Lewinsky. This brought to light racial issues still remaining in the sporting world. The fuss over Tiger Woods in golf world reminded us of how golf was mainly a games played by white. But, on the other hand, Americans of all colors celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the baseball’s great Jackie Robinson. In addition, women began proving themselves in sports with Olympic medals in softball, soccer and volleyball and the United States women’s soccer team 2 World Cup Championships – one even on US soil.
And, as American began looking into the next century and the challenges that might occur, they, as they have always done, turned to sports and athletes for inspiration and courage. They found this in cycling’s great Lance Armstrong, who won the grueling Tour de France after surviving cancer and when one-handed baseball pitcher Jim Abbott threw for a no-hitter in baseball.
Show your passion for sports by displaying sports memorabilia in your home. You can also add sports lamps and accessories to provide that illuminating light while showing off your team spirit and loyalty.