Worst Sporting event you've attended???

Junior College Bowl Game
the Arena Bowl in Las Vegas

 

The worst game I ever went to as a reporter covering the game was arguably Maryland's men's basketball team's 101-50 laugher over the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I ended up trying to find an angle to craft an entertaining story out of a boring game.

The worst game I ever attended as a fan? Probably one of the Bowie Baysox games against the Trenton Thunder that was suspended after three innings because of rain. It just was an unpleasant experience that was only made better by rain delay chatter in the press box with the Baysox radio play by play guy and the other reporter covering the Baysox.

 

Drag boat racing. Last time I covered it, in the last race of the day, boat flipped over and capsized. Driver was OK, but I was just glad I had something to write about.

 

Any soccer game. Especially those where beer isn't available. Soccer is the only sport where the worse it is played, the more exciting it is to watch.

 

Saddest day as fan was Dodgers-Cardinals NLCS Game 4 in 1985. Lasorda lets Tom Niedenfuer pitch to Jack Clark. Bang, season over.
Second saddest: Dave Hemderson taking Donnie Moore deep in '86 with the Angels one strike from World Series.
Worst to cover, any high school girls basketball. Its only saving grace was being indoors and generally over in 2 hours.

 

A Sunday night Seahawks/Chiefs game at Arrowhead in '98 that was delayed an hour by a torrential downpour, the kind Forrest Gump called "fat rain." Beer sales ceased. Then Andre Rison torched Willie Williams and Jay Bellamy the second play after it was resumed. 17-6 final.

 

Probably an NBA game.

 

Far too many Notre Dame football games against elite opponents over the last mediocre decade, the worst probably being the USC game this past season - though at least I had the foresight to get good and drunk beforehand, so I don't really remember all the gory details.

 

Worst game I've covered? A baseball game where the college I was covering won by like 30 runs. It was sad after a while. Easy story, though.

Worst ever attended? (I'm an A's fan) Game 5, 2003 ALDS. That game pretty much solidified my hate for Red Sox fans.

 

Far too many Ivy League basketball games where the halftime score was 19-16.

Game 6 1993 NBA Finals. Game was in Chicago and when the Bulls didn't win on their home floor (they won it in Phoenix), it seemed like all the air had been let out of Chicago Stadium. I don't remember the game, just the letdown after.

 

Wow . . . for my team losing and wanting to cry, any number of early 1990s Raider games would fit the bill.

But for hype of the game, sheer excitement and passion of the crowd being unmatched by what was ultimately an historically middling game, the 1994 World Cup Final at the Rose Bowl takes the prize. I was rooting for Italy, to start with, and Brazil is the biggest, most annoying soccer bandwagon in the world.

0-0 tie, only two or three moments when it looked like somone might actually almost score, a hot day, standing on the field as a security member (those faux-military unis and purple berets they had us wear were the HEIGHT of fashion and comfort) . . . . the game goes to PKs, which end not with a dramatic accomplishment, but with one of the games' greats blowing his kick over the crossbar.

Great to be able to say I was at one of these things . . . . not so great a game itself.

(Cue smart alecks saying "what did you expect?!?! It's SOCCER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!")

 

Minnesota Vikings losing on the last play of the game against the Cardinals to make the playoffs. Christmas present to my brother and his two nephews as we flew to Phoenix the day of the game and flew back later that night. Brutal.