Its been nearly half a century since the term agony of defeat joined the lexicon of American sports.To this day, the phrase remains a broadcasting staple, whether its coverage of the Olympics or any number of sports. A Google search for agony of defeat returns nearly 500,000 results.With that in mind, we revisit the viral video that made an indelible mark on the sports world long before the era of social media -- the frightful ski jumping crash from the opening montage of ABCs Wide World of Sports.Fans of a certain age almost certainly remember the image of Slovenian athlete Vinko Bogataj wiping out on the takeoff ramp and hurtling toward a gallery of spectators. If youre too young to have seen it, here is a famed piece of sports history in 15 seconds:Bogataj, then 22 years old and competing for Yugoslavia, suffered a concussion and a broken ankle in a terrifying tumble at the 1970 World Ski Flying Championships in Oberstdorf, West Germany. It wasnt long before ABC began using the clip of the crash to accompany the phrase agony of defeat in the Wide World of Sports introduction. With that, Bogataj became famous in the United States -- quite literally by accident.ESPN.com recently caught up by phone with Bogataj, who only speaks a little English. His daughter Sandra translated the interview.Bogataj remembers the crash well -- windy conditions on an icy ramp. The aftermath? Not so much.It was bad weather, and he had to wait around 20 minutes before he got permission to start, Sandra said. He remembers that he couldnt see very good. The track was very bad, and just before he could jump, the snow or something grabbed his skis and he fell. From that moment, he doesnt remember anything.The fall occurred in March 1970, and Bogataj returned to training that June. Hes a fearless guy, Sandra said.In the ensuing years, unbeknownst to him, the fall became an iconic image in America. He didnt have a clue he was famous, Sandra said. That changed when ABC tracked him down in Slovenia and asked him to attend a ceremony in New York to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wide World of Sports in 1981.At the gala, Bogataj received the loudest ovation among a group that included some of the best-known athletes in the world. The moment became truly surreal for Bogataj when Muhammad Ali asked for his autograph. He later met Ali several more times and became friendly with the boxing legend.He didnt take [Ali] seriously that he wanted an autograph, because Muhammad Ali is a really famous guy, Sandra said. That was a special moment. Then he realized that he must be famous.Bogataj described his unlikely journey to fame in this 1997 video interview with Wide World of Sports.?Now 68, Bogataj lives in Lesce, Slovenia, with wife Liliana. Hes an award-winning artist, and his paintings have been exhibited in Europe and the United States. The Festival Bled 2016 is currently displaying his work at Bled Castle, an 11th-century tourist destination near his hometown.? Cheap Dodgers Jerseys Authentic . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Cheap Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. http://www.cheapdodgersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-fernando-valenzuela-jersey . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Cheap Babe Herman Jersey . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Cheap Sandy Koufax Jersey . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. USA Track and Field has cut an eight-year deal for NBC to present the federations key events on its main broadcast network, cable and digital platforms.The deal is considered groundbreaking for Olympic sports, many of which pay the networks production costs in exchange for the air time.The arrangement greatly reduces USATFs costs, which have reached nearly $2 million a year, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because financial details of the agreement were not public.The agreement calls for at least 18 hours of live coverage of USATF events, including national championships and the Prefontaine Classic, with at least eight of those hours on NBC. These events are in addition to the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Trials and Olympics.This is the latest in a series of moves that have dramatically increased NBCs presence in presenting Olympic sports. In 2010, the last year NBC presented Olympic sports only on weekends and on its main broadcast channel, it televised about 75 hours of Olympic sports, not counting the Games and trials. In 2016, NBC will exceed 1,300 hours on all its platforms.NBC has the contract to televise the Olympic Games in the United States through 2032.USATF CEO Max Siegel announced the NBC contract at his State of the Sport speech Thursday evening duriing a meeting in Orlando, Florida.ddddddddddddThis years biggest highlight: The 32 medals the U.S. team won at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. It was the most at a non-boycotted Olympics since 1932.On its Twitter feed, USATF said the federation provided more than $14 million in support to more than 700 elite athletes. From that amount, 28 athletes earned more than $100,000 and 111 athletes earned more than $38,000.Siegel also said the federation has brought in four new corporate partners in 2016 and 12 since 2013.I believe weve just scratched the surface as to where we can go, Siegel said during his presentation. We have grown equity in the sports marketplace.The new NBC contract also could free up money that could presumably trickle down to athletes.A big portion of the CEOs deal-making acumen will likely be determined over the long term, as the market determines whether Siegel made a good bet in 2014 when he signed a sponsorship contract with Nike that lasts through 2040 and is believed to be worth between $450 million and $500 million. Thats about four times annually what the USATF had been getting from Nike, though its hard to determine how those sponsorship deals might look in two decades. ' ' '