sorry bikers, but the Tour de France should not be up there.
World Series, Super Bowl??? Where are they
check out Rick Reilly's Number 4 entry...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/colum...ick&id=4327329
sorry bikers, but the Tour de France should not be up there.
World Series, Super Bowl??? Where are they
Its a high complement indeed when only Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby and the Masters beats you out!
1) Duke-UNC @ Cameron
2) Real Madrid- Barcelona @ the Bernabau
3) Il Palio
4) Masters
5) World Cup Final
6) All Blacks vs Australia
7) Super Bowl
8) Kentucky Derby
9) Wimbledon
10) Olympics
Left off the list:
BCS championship: can't pick a game that doesn't actually choose an undisputed champion
Stanley Cup/ NBA Finals/ World Series- Series can be great or terrible. Sweeps are boring. Game 7's are great but never guaranteed.
NCAA Championship: The venues ruin the atmosphere.
Ultimately I chose events and not just games... it's all about the atmosphere and experience. I'm sure I missed a few things...
I have...several times. Whether it's in the thin air of the Alps, during a sprint at the end of a 130 mile-long stage, or out in the countryside sitting by the roadside drinking wine while nibbling on some fromage et saucisson, it's a wonderful experience. But most especially, being on the Champs Elysées for the final sprint is absolutely amazing.
Pedaling in the neighborhood of 2000 miles in three weeks at an average speed of just under 30 mph, up and down mountains, in blistering heat, or soaking rain and sometimes even snow, these guys are athletes! Plus the strategy and mind games are just as intriguing as any other sport. But perhaps what sets the Tour so high in the list is its accessibility. Anyone, no matter how rich or poor, can see it. Just stand by the side of the road and watch them whiz by. It's a very egalitarian sport.
I won't say "nothing compares to it" because there are many great sporting events, but don't be so dismissive. It is one of great events in the world of sports.
The Carolina at Duke game deserves its ranking. If there were one above it that I would pull out, it would be the Kentucky Derby (but then I've never been there).
Of course, Reilly is really describing the best "events" in sports, not the best sports contests. Note that every one of his descriptions is about what goes on associated with the event, not necessarily the event itself. If it were for consistency of high level of performance, thrill of the contest, uncertainty about the outcome, and sheer athletic effort, then the Carolina-Duke game at Cameron would be ranked higher.... IMHO. ;-)
Grey Devil
The World Cup final has no fixed location. I was about to defend the linked list for that reason, but Reilly screws it up anyway, mixing fixed locations (Cameron, Fenway, etc.) with events that can take place anywhere (Home Run Derby, Ryder Cup). I know his goal here is to distinguish live experiences from televised ones, but without a constant setting, a particular live event can feel so variable.
So yes, I agree; like 99% of lists on the Internet, this one is highly suspect.
umm...no football?
It's just one man's opinion. Obviously we'd all have a different list. I personally wouldn't have football on my list, because I don't think it's as exciting live as hoops, ice hockey, or soccer. But if you had football on your list, I'd respect it.
I've never been to the Kentucky Derby or the Tour de France, but I can imagine that they might be strong enough to keep some other big time events off of my list.
It seems like this is a highly subjective list and there are probably 40-50 strong candidates that could make the final 10.
The Indianapolis 500 at the "Brickyard" isn't what it used to be during the Foyt, Rutherford, etc. era with Jackie Stewart making the call, but is still an awesome event and site.
One man's opinion - Football stinks live. It is a made for television sport. I have never been to a football game (I have been to a few types of games, VA-Tech in early September, New England in January and South Bend Indiana in late October )where I honestly wouldn't have enjoyed the game more if I could have transported the group of us to a plush basement with a 60 inch HD screen, a kegerator and grilled food.
Years ago friends of mine who were engineers bought 8 seats from the Boston Garden when they tore it down. They mounted them in on platforms you could climb up onto. They put couches underneath the platform and it half surrounded a big screen tv. Saturdays and Sundays were the best in that house. 10 15 people in the warmth of the house.
Why spend 200+ bucks on a ticket and end up cold, and surrounded by drunk morons. At least at that house the drunk morons were my buddies.
Last edited by Spret42; 07-17-2009 at 12:14 PM.
Agree with Grey Devil: "But most especially, being on the Champs Elysées for the final sprint is absolutely amazing." The Tour deserves a spot. And the view of the final sprint from Place de la Concorde is spectacular.
He's obviously never been to a World Cup. The entire month is a party and all the matches are great - not just the final as far as atmosphere.
Another man's opinion -- the best sporting events I've attended in my life have been college football and college basketball games, particularly those in which one of my alma maters (Duke or Florida) was competing for a championship. The first college football game I ever attended was the 1958 Orange Bowl, which pitted Duke against Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners--and it made me a college football fan for life. Ironically, the last college football game I attended was also in South Florida, and also involved Oklahoma--but this time against my other school. ;>)
I've been fortunate enough to attend 8 Final Fours (5 of which were won either by Duke or UF) and 4 college football "national championship" games (3 of which were won by UF--still hoping to see Duke get to one in my lifetime). As a season ticket holder for Duke basketball and Gator football, I have the good fortune of experiencing what I (with admitted bias) consider to be the most exciting college basketball and college football environments anywhere. I also have travelled to see the Gators play at, among other sites, LSU and Tennessee--two other outstanding venues for experiencing the color, pageantry, and passion of college football. While recognizing and respecting that others may have different opinions, and that it makes a huge difference when your own team is competing, I can say that for me, the UNC at Duke game is no better than the BCS Championship Game for generating a sense of anticipation, sustained crowd energy, and pure adrenaline-pumping, gut-wrenching excitement. And I'll trade the comforts of watching on TV for the pregame tailgates any day!
Last edited by Stray Gator; 07-17-2009 at 01:15 PM.
I understand the pulse pounding stuff with regard to southern college football. And I certainly understand it if you are watching a team in which you are emotionally invested. That stuff tends to only last through the first 15 minutes for me, eventually I calm down, come down off the emotional high and want to simply watch the game with one or two people that I can converse with, both about the game and other things. The ability to use the bathroom in private is another huge plus for me.
The single biggest thing I don't like about live football is that it is so difficult to see anything with a football game. Massive stadiums, half the action occuring on the completely other side of the stadium. The game just lends itself to the ability of television to bring you closer to what is happening.
Nowadays with 45 high definition cameras filming from every conceivable direction, providing instant replays, football is just better on television. The production value of football on TV makes it almost a no-brainer for me. Add in DVR and it is a complete no-brainer.
But that is just me.
an aside - My father-in-law went to Notre Dame in the 1960's, saw the Ara Parseghian teams. Those games in those days before the modern TV production values must have been something. I would love to have been like my father growing up 10 blocks from the Polo Grounds in the 1950's. In those days you must have felt like you were seeing what so few could see. Now I watch a football game in the stadium and wonder what everyone at home is seeing that I am missing.
Last edited by Spret42; 07-17-2009 at 01:57 PM.
I can't get on board with this. There are many benefits to watching a game at home on the couch, but it can't compare to (a) grilling out in the parking lot, drinking beers and watching the early games on a TV in a friend's car, (b) the thunder of a fly-over to kick off a Charger's game at the Q, (c) celebrating with strangers on big plays, and (d) the entire stadium going crazy in an overtime playoff win.
I was at the Charger's win over Indy last year in the playoffs (somewhere roughly in the vicinity of where Chris Chambers (#89) is pointing in the picture below). When Darren Sproles scored the winning touchdown, the stadium erupted in a way that rivaled Cameron. It was the biggest home win in Charger's history, and there is no way that watching it on TV would have been as good.
But what if you could enjoy all the benefits of gameday at the stadium--including pregame and postgame partying with a whole bunch of friends and family members (and, sometimes, a few high-spirited visiting fans)--experience the sights and sounds and sensations of live action that broadcast TV simply cannot capture, and still watch the plays in HD on huge screens? Check this out...
http://www.gatorvision.tv/newMediaPl...949&oemid=6500
It's never been greater to be a Florida Gator!
I don't live in Indiana, am not a car racing fan, and realize that the glory days of Indy have passed. However, I'll echo Reddevil in saying that the Indianapolis 500 is an amazing event. The word that comes to mind is "spectacle." It is a day-long event (what with the traffic and the 7.3 miles you'll have to walk to get to your seat), and you'll need earplugs or you'll for sure go deaf. But all in all, I had as much fun the time I went to Indy as I did at any other sporting event.
Yeah, I kind of figured I would be in the minority on this. I have never been much of a tailgate person and being a northern kid means playoff football is 20-30 degrees with wind not San Diego and Florida.
Duke Rev - I would still love to see Indy or Daytona live. So much of auto racing is lost on tv. The sheer sound and velocity of it. I would love to see that.
The Masters, the US Open center court as well. And I really want to see the English Premier League.
No doubt, there's a dramatic atmospheric difference between college football up north and college football in the SEC. When the weather is pleasant, and the scenery is spectacular, and the campus is teeming with spirited tailgaters, and the "juices" are flowing, and the fight songs fill the air, and the stadium is packed with wildly enthusiastic fans, well...it's just one gigantic all-day outdoor party that people of all ages can enjoy.