The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live

THE IDEA FOR THIS BOOK came to me while I was attending the 2006 World Cup in Germany. I witnessed hundreds of thousands of people who had traveled from around the world to experience this great sporting event. Passion could be seen in their eyes and heard through their cheers. I have seen many live sports events in my time, but few have been able to match the type of raw energy and enthusiasm that was evident that summer in Europe. The actual matches were only a part of the experience. The pride that countrymen felt toward their team, the parties and revelry in the streets in celebrating a victory, and the liveliness and enthusiasm provided a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for me. I felt a need to share this type of live sports experience—not to mention ninety-nine others—in the very book you are reading.

When I first started researching this project, I found it amazing how people perceived the greatest sporting events to attend. No matter where they were from around the world, the discussion over great live sporting events would be filled with detailed recollections and fond memories. Lively debates ensued on the merits of what it would take to achieve a Top 100 recognition. “Why this one and not that one” or “You have to include this event; it’s incredible” would invariably be the responses I received. I learned just how passionate sports fans are about individual events, and discussing the merits for a “Top 100” inclusion brought out that zeal.

Working in the sports travel industry over the past ten years, I have had the rare opportunity to attend many of the events you will read about. I have gained an understanding of the “must sees,” “must stays,” and “must eats.” This list is not about my personal loyalties to any team or region of the world. Objectivity was paramount in determining each selection. In the end, it was about the energy of the event, not the number of people who attended it, the revenue it generated, or the television ratings it drew. One thing I am certain of is that you cannot quantify the experience of seeing any of these 100 events in person as opposed to from your couch.

This book is about going beyond the living room. What you see on television or read about in newspapers is nowhere close to the raw experience of actually being there. Today, the world is a smaller place and the opportunity to view these events via television and the Internet has never been easier. However, is the life of a sports fan lived in front of the television a life lived to its fullest? What about the experience of actually being there and seeing it all without the need for commentary or commercials? The sights. The sounds. The smells. The cultures that exist surrounding the event itself. Annual traditions, both formal and informal. There are so many nuances to a sporting event that occur away from the view of the camera or when the television is turned off.

Traveling to a sporting event makes the intangible tangible. People long for an interactive experience. What can be more exhilarating than inhaling the dust from the streets of Pamplona, Spain, while you frantically run from the bulls? You cannot get any more hands-on than walking the streets of Monaco immediately after the Grand Prix. How about being part of the electric crowd at Kentucky’s Midnight Madness? It is a great way to relive your youthful days and be a part of something so special.

Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to be at the Final Four in Lexington, Kentucky, when Villanova stunned Georgetown to win the NCAA championship in 1985? Did you ever dream that you could go back in time and experience Jesse Owens’s legendary performance at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin? My historical vantage point happened when the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup at Madison Square Garden in 1994 after a fifty-four-year dry spell. I will never forget the sight of a man holding up a sign that summed up every long-suffering fan who has had the opportunity to watch their team win a major event after years of trying: “Now I can die in peace.” The 100 events detailed in this book will provide you with a good start to your own personal bucket list.

Being at any one of these Top 100 sporting events is your chance to be a part of history. One day you might be able to tell your children and grand-children, “I was there when . . .” You can boast to your friends about the event itself while offering insight about a certain restaurant, the amenities of a nearby hotel, or the over-the-top friendliness of the locals.

Now, attending the sporting event itself is many times only part of the experience. There are many surprises around every corner of the world to greet you. The cities, small towns, and villages that host these events have their own unique attributes. From the hotel you stay in to the food you eat to the residents that greet you with a hearty pat on the back, each event provides its own memorable moments for a die-hard sports fan and a casual observer. The revelry of the French Quarter when a BCS championship game finds its way to New Orleans. Augusta’s small-town feel. A stroll through Krzyzewskiville prior to a Duke-UNC game. Feeling the bitter cold of Lambeau Field as you take your seat in the stands. Or something so simple as a young boy holding a basketball in one hand while taking his father’s hand in the other as he attends his first Indiana high school basketball state finals.

Sports fans compose a brotherhood and sisterhood. There is no greater camaraderie than sitting in a section of fans that bleed the same team colors. The team does well and it’s high-fives and hugs all around. When they lose, it’s time to shed a tear and curse the officials in unison. For a brief moment in time, boundaries that separate members of society disappear. Cultural differences become meaningless. There are no differences in ethnicity, income level, or age. We are united in cheering, jeering, and just enjoying the sporting event. This is the greatest gift of sports, its ability to bring people together. Nowhere is this more evident than at live sporting events.

Generating a list of the Top 100 sporting events was a challenging task. The list of omissions is much longer, if not endless. However, there are events that some of us look forward to every year, regardless of if they make my or any other Top 100 list. There are some that you cannot take your eyes off because of the athletic prowess of an up-and-coming basketball player competing at Rucker Park. Others, you cannot look away because you will be afraid to miss the moment a champion of gastronomical proportions stuffs that record-setting Nathan’s Famous hot dog down his (or her) gullet to take the mustard-colored title belt.

Today’s sports fan may welcome the inclusion of the Super Bowl and the Kentucky Derby on the list. They may question the addition of a baseball game at Rickwood Field or a Harlem Globetrotters show. Traditionalists will likely turn up their nose at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest while harrumphing at the Westminster Dog Show.

The entire list will not please everyone, but reading about the event may very well whet the appetite of even the most avowed skeptic. Again, this list is about the entire experience and not just the sporting event itself. In this book, you can find out the significance of the sporting event and the history behind it. Highly recommended hotels and quality restaurants will give you options to rest and eat before and after whatever event or events you choose to attend.

Planning a trip around a sporting event may seem daunting. This book will provide you with the knowledge to make it simple. You can find out how to buy tickets, which airports to fly into, the best hotels to stay in, the perfect restaurants to enjoy a meal at, and all the attractions you will need to see while in town. This book focuses on getting you to the event, instead of just providing a bunch of “best of” lists and various opinions on the events and the amenities.

Let your friends see the Eiffel Tower while you watch the French Open. Family members can delight in visiting Radio City Music Hall while you are in New York City to see the Golden Gloves championships at The Garden or a baseball game at Yankee Stadium. In Las Vegas, your spouse can gamble to their heart’s content. You have a UFC Match or the Pro Bull Riding Finals to attend.

London is for the London Marathon or Wimbledon. In Boston you should watch college hockey players battle for the Beanpot and stop off to see Paul Revere’s house if you have time. Football in Wisconsin? It is meant to be played in the snow, Packer-style, so you can laugh at the warmer-weather teams as they try to adjust to the elements. The Great White North can be just that, as you watch the Iditarod mushers mush like no one else.

Now, before you leap from where you are sitting, let’s define what it takes to make this exclusive list.

All the sporting competitions on the list were not created equal. Some are well funded while others struggle for sponsorship. Some have major network contracts so billions worldwide can watch the event on television while others cannot even make it to a public access station. Some enjoy fanatical followings with growing crowds attending every year while others attract a more niche market. Some require great athletic talent and skills while others require brute force. Some require a delicate touch while others mandate a strong stomach.

Some of the events were started on a wager while others were created based upon a rivalry. Some had to overcome financial problems and world wars to continue their honored tradition while others have enjoyed hundreds of successful and exciting years.

Yet, no matter the circumstances of their origins or the growth they have experienced, none of these sporting events ever fails to entertain and bring out the best in athletic competition.

As sports fans, we rabidly look forward to seeing the best and brightest battle it out. We roar in approval for the favorites as if they are family members or close friends. We boo the villains as if we were attending an old-time silent movie. With the advent of high-definition televisions and surround-sound systems, we can do all that while watching the event of our choice in the comfort of our home. We can invite friends and co-workers to join in on the happenings while enjoying fatty foods and libations. Yes, you can come close to the experience, but nothing can ever compare to simply being at one of these events. All of the events on this list in some way or another bring out a certain energy that makes for an experience that you just have to witness at least once in your lifetime.

Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the crowd responding to the crack of the bat that signifies a World Series game-winning home run or the roar following a kicker’s foot connecting with the pigskin of a football to complete a team’s successful comeback? You could be fortunate enough to sit next to a longtime, grizzled fan of a team or resident of the area, listening to story after story. You may be standing in a concession line of fans filled with excitement, anticipation, and conversation about the competition. Haven’t you ever wondered what goes on at an event before the cameras start rolling? There is so much more to each of these events than what you see on TV.