Your sports bucket list

I have been to two Super Bowls and a Stanley Cup Finals game.

Super Bowls seem to be getting way more out of hand in terms of cost than they every have been, and that's saying a lot, but I will say for most of us here, if you can get to one and it doesn't kill you, I'd say do it.

After that from this list I'd nothing is on a bucket list perse, but a Masters would be great, and I am not even a huge golf guy, a World Series if my team were ever in it again, which might be unlikely in my lifetime, and I have always thought I'd end up at a Final Four some day. I have been to ever round of the NCAA tournament other than that multiple times and they've always been great fun.

Edit: The World Cup would also be awesome.

 

The first NHL game I went to was when Colorado won the Stanley Cup over the Panthers. Totally didn’t deserve to see that given that I’m not a hockey fan.

 

I've been thinking about this most of the afternoon before posting, and I've come to the conclusion that there isn't one. The older I get, the more distain I have for crowds and events. If I was a dyed in the wool fan of a particular team, obviously a Super Bowl, Game 7, etc. would be fabulous, but I'm not, so from a sporting perspective, I don't know that one of those events would be more meaningful to me than a random mid season game.
Seeing as how the US will not make one in my lifetime, I'd probably rather see a random Champions League final than a World Cup final. An FA Cup final at the old Wembley would have been awesome.
I love stadiums, but most newer ones and even top-level classic ones that have been renovated are sterile. Heck, I've been on the field at Neyland Stadium and Old Trafford, and I've turned laps in my personal truck at Bristol. Those times were memorable.
I'd like to go to a game at Dodger Stadium. I'd rather walk Augusta by myself on Wednesday morning before the Masters than I would be in attendance on Sunday.
I've been to races at Churchill Downs. I'd say the only reason the Derby is anything more than a random claiming race is people say it's a big deal. You can't see anything.
There's a dozen Formula 1 tracks I'd like to see a race at, but they no longer race at any of them. Monaco would be cool, but you can't see anything. Same with Indy. I've been to races at Daytona in both February and July, and the only reason one is supposedly better than the other is because of the hype. Same with races at Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, etc. I'd like to go to the US Nationals one time just because I've never been, but the racing isn't any better than any other dozens of national events I've been to.
Alpe d'Huez would be pretty cool.

 

An Aussie Grand Final would probably be at the top of my list. Close would be one of the big mountain stages of the Tour de France.

 

From the original list, #1 -- and especially if the Braves are involved.

But I was blessed to live my retroactive bucket list trip when I was 13, in the summer of 1995. My dad and I took a near two-week summer driving vacation from the Atlanta area that included the following:

- A couple days in Cooperstown, with a visit to the HOF and taking in a semi-pro ballgame at Doubleday Field, which to this day remains the only place I've every corralled a foul ball. Even to a kid, the village was gorgeous and the aura of the HOF was clear.
- From there, over to Springfield for the now former Basketball HOF. Also fun, but a bit dated as it was in its final years before moving to its new location.
- Then down to DC to, first and foremost, visit relatives, but to also take advantage of the opportunity I got to meet Red Auerbach for about an hour at his office in the District. His office was in the same building where one of my aunts worked in at the time. She knew of my sports fandom and asked me if I was interested in meeting Red. Even as a 12/13-year-old, I knew the importance of that opportunity. Even for a man pushing 80, he was incredibly cordial spending time with this 13-year-old kid (and my dad). I still remember his office was a treasure trove of pictures and memorabilia of Celtics lore. Our correspondence with him and his business partner over that year also included an autographed portrait, some Celtics swag, and a program from the last game at the Garden.
- Then, for good measure, a Triple-A Richmond Braves game, where my seat number was chosen to win a little handheld color TV.

My dad and I haven't always seen eye to eye since I've entered adulthood, but that trip was one that will live for me forever. Also had one trip to Ohio for the Football and Rock HOFs, and many up and down the Appalachians and Shenandoah Valley to various caverns and mini-golf courses.

 

I can see why. What a great, memorable trip!

 

One thing that would have been bucket list worthy is the Giants-Cardinals game at Rickwood Field this summer. I entered the ticket lottery (state residents only) but unsurprisingly did not get chosen. No biggie.

What I had planned on though was attending the minor league game that will also be that same week. I’ve been to 2-3 Rickwood Classics before and they are always fabulous. They haven’t had one since before Covid, and I’ve been anxious to see renovations. It’s always cost more than a regular Barons game, but we’re talking like maybe $15-$20.

Tickets this year start at $100. What a bunch of damn thieves. There’s nothing MLB can’t ruin.

 

This is a great story and reminded me that I would have suggested adding a Baseball HOF induction ceremony to Chef's list. It's technically free to get in, but it's getting more and more expensive to get there. A ticket in one of the seating areas and a couple nights free lodging somewhere within half an hour would make for a dream trip for a big baseball fan.

As for me, it's pretty easy...I'm a big baseball guy, but there is NOTHING as intense as playoff hockey in person. A World Series game is more intense than a regular season game, but the shell of the game is basically the same as it would be in April. The hooks are quicker than they used to be, but so are the hooks in the regular season. Playoff hockey, on the other hand, is played at such a different, unrecognizable and infinitely more intense level from the regular season. Everyone's focus is crystallized in a way that no other sport can match. Never seen a Stanley Cup Final game but damn, I can only imagine how intense that'd be. So that's my pick.

 

Couple more thoughts on this interesting thread.

-- I forgot about the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier and that would certainly be a worthwhile visit. I had it all set up back in the '90s when UCLA opened the NCAA basketball tournament against Eastern Michigan at Syracuse. My boss was on the trip and he thought it was a great idea. UCLA played on Friday, we were going to go to Cooperstown on Saturday. Best laid plans -- the Bruins lost. Boss said, "Let's get out of here" so he re-booked our plane tickets and we went home.
-- We took a family vacation to Europe 25 years ago. My wife has a cousin who owns a farm near Bordeaux in France and we stayed there for a week. The Tour de France was going on while we were there and it might have been worth the effort to see it. But thinking it over, you have to drive 2-3 hours to get to a viewing area and if you make it, you get to watch the race for about 10 seconds as the peloton goes past. Not worth it.

 

I’ve been to one nhl game…..Rangers-Avs 5-6 years ago. You see them on tv, and they’re fast. You see them in person, and they’re unbelievably fast.

 

As for things I haven't done but want to:

The Masters (I've always said, "I just want to cover one Masters")
French Open
Wimbledon
The Open Championship
A game at Dodger Stadium
Jump Around at Wisconsin (that'll be checked off in 2026 when Pitt plays at Madison)

 

Boy is that the truth. My disdain has reached the "Well, how much would you pay me to go to that?" stage

Let me sit on some outside court in Miami watching a couple of tennis pros battle with maybe a couple hundred people in the stands, and that'll top watching some U.S. Open final from the stratosphere of Ashe stadium.