Best Sports Events

[ugadevil]

As a sports fan, I'd say this is the best time of the year. We've got the Final Four, The Masters, the beginning of MLB, the NBA Playoffs...all in the span of a couple months of each other. I was looking for some pictures and stumbled across this list that someone made of 101 sporting events you should attend in your life. I'm not interested in all of them, but I thought most of them would be great things to attend. I've been fortunate enough to go to some of them, but I was wondering about everyone else. Any of these events really stick out to you? Any in particular that you're dying to go to? What's your favorite sports event that you have been to (other than a Duke game?

Here's the link to the list:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...525&type=story

[BlueDevilBaby]

I've not been so fortunate to attend a FF, a WS game or the Superbowl, but for me, it's been (apart from any Duke game) the Nats' home opener and a men's final at the US Open, as well as a number of night session at the U.S. Open (I worked at a clothing booth for a couple summers and was fortunate to be present for a lot of raucous night matches). Not really exciting, but it's all I have been able to manage up to now.

[colchar]

As a sports fan, I'd say this is the best time of the year. We've got the Final Four, The Masters, the beginning of MLB, the NBA Playoffs...all in the span of a couple months of each other. I was looking for some pictures and stumbled across this list that someone made of 101 sporting events you should attend in your life. I'm not interested in all of them, but I thought most of them would be great things to attend. I've been fortunate enough to go to some of them, but I was wondering about everyone else. Any of these events really stick out to you? Any in particular that you're dying to go to? What's your favorite sports event that you have been to (other than a Duke game?

Here's the link to the list:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...525&type=story

Any such list that does not include the Ryder Cup Matches is bogus in my opinion.

[ghost]

I would have to add a Nebraska Football game.
I took my husband and he said it was an experience of a lifetime for College football fans.

On game days, Memorial stadium is the 3rd largest "city" in the state. Add that to the fact that it's in Lincoln, the 2nd largest, and you get a town that's bleeding red. People drive in from all over the state and they park on I-80, where you can see the stadium. The whole town shuts down and all the downtown companies set up tailgates in their parking lot. The best thing is the fans. Guaranteed you will see a tailgating truck flying the opposing fan's flag in the middle of a sea of red. But it doesn't really matter who you are or who you root for, Husker fans welcome all. Also, I would say that like Duke basketball fans, I think Husker fans are some of the most intelligent when it comes to football rules and Husker history.

hmm... I think I need to schedule another trip back to watch ol' Bo P bring back the blackshirts.

[BlueintheFace]

I would have to add a Nebraska Football game.
I took my husband and he said it was an experience of a lifetime for College football fans.

On game days, Memorial stadium is the 3rd largest "city" in the state. Add that to the fact that it's in Lincoln, the 2nd largest, and you get a town that's bleeding red. People drive in from all over the state and they park on I-80, where you can see the stadium. The whole town shuts down and all the downtown companies set up tailgates in their parking lot. The best thing is the fans. Guaranteed you will see a tailgating truck flying the opposing fan's flag in the middle of a sea of red. But it doesn't really matter who you are or who you root for, Husker fans welcome all. Also, I would say that like Duke basketball fans, I think Husker fans are some of the most intelligent when it comes to football rules and Husker history.

hmm... I think I need to schedule another trip back to watch ol' Bo P bring back the blackshirts.

Depends when you go to the game... the mid 90's? great environment... last 5 years or so... not as much. I've been to games at OU, UT, Nebraska, Okla St., A&M, and even the big house, the horse shoe, and a few more... after all of that I have to give the tip of the hat to Aggies. I am blown away by how a mediocre program can have such amazing commitment and love for a football team. I think it is the best because the entire stadium (and i mean every single fan) is pretty much coordinated in a way that is unlike everywhere else in football. It may not be the loudest, but it is close. I think those kids in College Station simply have the best combo of noise and coordination in football... it just blows my mind.

[blazindw]

Stanley Cup Playoffs...I absolutely LOVE hockey, and it's at its greatest during the playoffs.

[TillyGalore]

I've attended 5 of the events noted:

1. Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony - last year. Don't think the crowds will ever be that size again.
2. Boston Marathon - that is a cool event to watch. Wish I were there this year for BostonDevil.
3. Beanpot tourney - loved college hockey when I was in college and grad school in New England.
4. Little league game - okay so who hasn't.
5. Harlem Globetrotters - though that was eons ago

There are some events I'd like to attend, Duke/Carolina, WS - if the O's are playing, and a few others. If only I could win the lottery I could do all those things and a few others.

[ugadevil]

Any such list that does not include the Ryder Cup Matches is bogus in my opinion.

So you'd add that one to the list. Seems like a good call. Please, let's not get into a pi$$ing match about the credibility of the list. There were a few on there that I'd take off, but whatever. Have you been fortunate enough to go to a Ryder Cup?

[phaedrus]

Stanley Cup Playoffs...I absolutely LOVE hockey, and it's at its greatest during the playoffs.

Allez les habs!

[hurleyfor3]

ACC Tournament Friday.

[gw67]

Years ago, I had some business with one of the major railroads. We spent a day in Omaha and then drove to the western end of the state to visit their maintenance facility for a couple of days. It was one of the straightest highways I've ever driven with very little other than farms on both sides of the highway; that is except for the state capitol, Lincoln, which was a distance from the highway and rose from the flatlands out of nowhere. Of course, you could see the state capitol building but the football stadium was more impressive and overshadowed it. I can imagine that going to a college football game there is a real experience. Getting some of these high school phenoms from states like Florida, Texas and California to go to Lincoln for their college years must take a great sales pitch by the coaching staff.

gw67

[Channing]

I have had the good fortune of attending:

(1) Summer Olympics (when they were in Atlanta)
(2) World Series (game 6 in 1995!!!)
(3) Little 500 at IU (a ridiculously fun event - wish Duke had something like it)
(4) ACC Tournament
(5) Tailgating in the SEC - an unparalleled experience. Really a blast!
(6) Indy 500 (the event that got me hooked on racing --> 1994, won by Al Unser Jr)
(7) MLB Opening Day
(8) Courtside NBA game (even if it was the Hawks - still amazing to see how big those guys actually are)
(9) Daytona 500!!!!!!
(10) Midnight Madness (the one time they held it at Duke. I think it was called "Lights, Cameron, Action - a phrase also put on the poster that year, and creditable to yours truly, and the rest of my group from Sports Marketing Class)
(11) Camping out for tickets
(12)MNF
(13) Little League Game
(14) Harlem Globetrotters game.

I guess I have had a pretty good run - hope to cross off several more in the future, especially playing Pebble!

[gw67]

I've attended or taken part in ten of the listed events. All but three were in the Washington-Baltimore area. My biggest thrills were seeing the Orioles play the Reds in the World Series and Brooksie having an incredible game at third base and attending two U. S. Opens at Congressional. I attended the 97 Open with two of my sons but I will never forget the 1964 Open that I attended with my dad. This was a difficult period for the two of us and we had major differences of opinion re politics and lifestyle changes that were happening. Nevertheless, he got some tickets and invited me to attend with him. Not only did we love seeing Arnie, Jack and several other players up close but it was the first step in healing our relationship that had been good up to a few years prior.

Both the World Series and the Open were played during sunny days before PABA and I recall getting a sunburn both times.

gw67

[gvtucker]

Any such list that does not include the Ryder Cup Matches is bogus in my opinion.

Strongly disagree. The Ryder Cup makes for a horrid spectator sport. Think about it--there are only 8 groups on the course, and yet you have the same number of spectators as a normal golf tournament. Unless you're willing to fight and scrape continually for position, you have to just sit at one particular hole and watch.

It isn't fun at all.

After about a half hour of this, my friends and I went to a beer tent and watched the rest of the day on TV.

[wumhenry]

The Americas Cup races, by the very nature of the beast, may be somewhat spectator-unfriendly, but I think it deserves listing ahead of some items in that list: e.g., the Wife Carrying World Championships.

[Stray Gator]

For me, the enjoyment of a sporting event depends on a number of variables, such as what's at stake (championship, bragging rights against rivals, prestige on a big stage, etc.), the enthusiasm and energy level of the crowd (the adrenaline element), the quality of the competitors, the friends or family members who accompany me to the event, the surrounding social experience, and even the weather. Applying those criteria, the same event doesn't always provide the same level of enjoyment from year to year. For example, I've had the good fortune to attend 8 Final Fours in which one or both of my schools (Duke and Florida) competed; but the 1999 Final Four in St. Pete was nowhere near as much fun as the 1991 Final Four and 2006 Final Four in Indy, or the 1992 Final Four and the 2001 Final Four in Minneapolis, or even the 2004 Final Four in San Antonio (despite the fact that my team lost in the semis). So even though I rate attending the Final Four as one of the Top 5 sporting experiences, I would need to qualify that by noting the influence of these factors.

I don't follow any professional sports, other than watching some NFL games with mild interest. In my world, the sports year lasts from the kickoff of college football in early September until they cut down the nets at the Final Four in early April. The intervening five months is like sitting in traffic or waiting for the theater lights to dim before they cue up the coming attractions.

Given that context, as a season ticket holder at both Duke and Florida, I feel as if I am blessed with the best of both worlds, because there's no better college basketball experience than a season of ACC games at Cameron followed by the ACC Tournament, and no better college football experience than a season of SEC games at The Swamp followed by the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta and/or a bowl game in January. In a good year, we also mix in some memorable road trips--for example, going to New York for a Duke game in the Garden or in the Meadowlands, or to Baton Rouge for the Florida-LSU game or to Knoxville for the Florida-Tennessee game. And in really good years, we get to follow one of our teams all the way to the Final Four and/or the BCS Championship Game. Lots of great memories.

Based on that background, I'd offer the following list of sporting events I've attended that I would say belong on a "must do before I die" agenda of dedicated college sports fans:

1. The Final Four -- Unlike the Super Bowl, this remains an event for true fans of the sport and their entire families, enhanced by the fact that the coaches convention is held in conjunction with it. (Hanging out in the lobby bar of the coaches' hotel is a special treat, because there's always someone knowledgeable--and occasionally someone recognizable--standing nearby who loves to talk college hoops). And if your team is in it, the adrenaline element is huge.

2. The BCS Championship Game -- If I had to identify my #1 favorite sporting event based on sheer gleeful enjoyment, it would be a tie between the 1991 Final Four in Indy and the 2006 Florida-Ohio State BCS Championship Game in Glendale/Phoenix. Maybe I should add to those factors listed above "seeing your team win a title when most everyone expected them to get trounced." My next favorite would be Florida beating rival FSU 52-20 in New Orleans for the 1996 college football crown. (Imagine Duke beating UNC by 20 points in the Final Four...) Of course, we also had to suffer through a painfully chilly night in Phoenix when Nebraska pummeled the Gators by a count of 62-24 in the '95 MNC game. Thank goodness the rest of the trip was fun.

3. The ACC Tournament -- Part of what makes this event special is the tradition and the fact that you see many of the same people there--and I'm talking about fans of other ACC schools that you've never spoken to yet find yourself having a "nodding recognition" with over the years. But mostly the enjoyment stems from the succession of hard-fought games over a four day period between teams playing good basketball.

4. The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party -- When the Gators and Dawgs gather beside the St. Johns River for this annual clash, the enthusiasm both on and off the field gives a whole new meaning to the word "spirited." The crowd is split down the middle, but each side makes enough noise to fill the entire stadium--and the players and fans alike always leave completely drained of energy.

5. UNC vs. Duke at Cameron -- In some years, this game goes to the top of the list. For right now, though, I'd have to rate the foregoing events higher.

[DukeDude]

Here are the ones I have been to on the espn list.
5. NCAA subregional
6. Spring training
12. Rose Bowl
19. Duke-North Carolina basketball game
20. The Stanley Cup playoffs
24. ACC basketball tournament
53. Golden Gloves tournament
64. Camp out for tickets (any event).
75. Racing at Saratoga
91. Little League game

I have also been to a final four (1991!) which should have been on the list. There is something very special about seeing really important basketball games being played in a football arena.

If I could pick any event to attend just one time, it would be the Masters.

[Rich]

In no particular order, I was at the following:

• Stanley Cup Playoffs & Finals (including when the Islanders won their last Cup over Edmonton in early 80's)
  
• Indy 500 (I know nothing about racing, but was in Indianapolis on Memorial Day weekend)
  
• US Open Finals (Connors vs. Borg)
  
• Numerous NBA Playoffs and Finals Games including Michael Jordan's shot to beat Utah in Salt Lake City before his first retirement (I used to work for the NBA)
  
• A number of NBA All-Star Games
  
• The PGA Golf Tournament at Baltusrol (Mickelson won, but I was there on Friday)
  
• World Cup soccer game in Washington, DC (Belgium v. Saudi Arabia -- if you ever have a chance to see a World Cup game, I highly recommend it. The national pride exhibited by the fans is truly spectacular!)

[weezie]

ACC Tournament Friday.

For sure... a whole day, WHOLE DAY, of nothing but the hoops.

But, the World Series and any game 7 in baseball, hoops or hockey are pretty swell, too.

[gvtucker]

After reading through the list, it makes me appreciate how fortunate I've been:

1. Summer Olympics--watching track and field was particularly enjoyable in Atlanta.

2. World Cup--Stoichkov was amazing in Chicago.

5. NCAA subregional--Creighton's upset of Florida stands out in my memory.

7. NFC Conference championship--Bears/Niners back in the late 80's, I think. Dang it was cold.

13. NBA Finals--I had season tickets for the Bulls throughout the Jordan years.

15. Red Sox-Yankees--a great time in Boston, overrated in New York.

17. Michigan-Ohio State--I was there about 20 years ago, but now I have no memory at all of the game I saw.

20. Stanley Cup playoffs--Saw the Hurricanes' run of a couple of years ago, which was great. But I still have never heard a stadium get as loud as old Chicago Stadium did when the Blackhawks made the Stanley Cup final.

22. Cubs game in the Wrigley bleachers--This doesn't belong on the list.

24. ACC basketball tournament--A really great time. In my personal top 5, maybe #1 depending on the year.

27. Tailgating at the SEC--I've been to Athens, GA, Tuscaloosa, AL, Starkville, MS, Auburn, AL, Fayetteville, AR, and Oxford, MS. College football is one of my favorite spectator sports, and SEC football is the best of it.

29. A game at Rucker Park--There was a point in my life that I always brought high tops, shorts, and a t shirt with me for all business road trips, for just such opportunities.

30. US Open tennis--I've been a few times. Connors/Haarhuis was probably the best match I ever saw.

36. Boston Marathon--the entire metro Boston area shows up (excluding the few thousands that have Red Sox tickets that morning), and it is a great time.

42. An NBA game from courtside--I've been to a Bulls' game in old Chicago Stadium (awesome) and a Hawks game at the Phillips' Center (less than awesome).

61. Maui Invitational--went this past year. It was fun. It probably makes it a lot more fun to see Duke win it, which means that Duke fans have a lot of fun there.

73. Beanpot college hockey--College hockey was so great in the Boston area that I had no interest in paying the high price for NHL games, and the Beanpot is the best of college hockey there.

91. Little League game--C'mon now. That's on this list?

100. Globetrotters game--first little league, now this. I guess they're desperate at the bottom of the list.

Nowhere on the list, but should be--Penn Relays. Chicago City League basketball championship. Texas state 5A high school football championship. Head of the Charles rowing in Boston.

go here to add to this conversation.

-jk