It’s a very important anniversary on February 26, 2020.
Eight years ago, star bowler Pete Weber won his fifth U.S. Open with a championship-clinching strike and celebrated with one of the wildest catchphrases ever uttered: “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? I AM!”
Did it make sense? No! Does it matter? An emphatic NO! It’s a trash-talking statement for the ages, a twisty zen koan that you don’t need to unpack to know what he’s saying.
But what’s the story behind that moment that happened eight years ago one Wednesday? Here’s Weber himself explaining what happened (and first, of course, here’s the infamous clip):
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? I AM!"
8 years ago today, a legendary moment was born. pic.twitter.com/2d0IuzlprM
— ESPN (@espn) February 26, 2020
“Being caught up in the moment of throwing the strike and being as excited as I was, I had a kid rooting against me during the match, and he was doing it loud enough for me to hear. And it kind of made me mad, and people know, don’t make me mad on TV, ’cause I’ll just get better. But what I really wanted to say was, ‘Who do you think you are rooting against me? I’m the man of this tournament!’ That’s what I really wanted to say.”
So that was aimed at a fan! I didn’t know that until this anniversary.
[jwplayer 8CplNszB-q2aasYxh]