The Game at the Big House: Top 10 "Must See" Live Sporting Event (USA Today)
Robert Tuchman, the author of The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live, included The Game among his top ten for a recent USA TODAY travel piece. It is one of only two college events (and the only football game) on the list:
- Tour de France (France)
- Chicago Cubs game (Wrigley Field)
- Ironman World Championship (Kona, HI)
- National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction (Cooperstown, NY)
- Michigan vs. Ohio State college football game (Ann Arbor, MI)
- US Open Tennis Tournament (Queens, NY)
- Midnight Madness at the University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY)
- Daytona 500 (Daytona Beach, FL)
- Montreal Canadiens v. Toronto Mapleleafs hockey game (Toronto, Canada)
- Nathan's Dog Eating Contest (Coney Island, NY)
The best part is that he makes it clear that people should see the game at the Big House. Sorry Brutus!
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/07/two-…
"Chicago Cubs game (Wrigley Field)"
Any cubs game? This is disturbingly out of place.
"It's not about seeing the Cubs," says Tuchman. "Rarely or never are they a good team. It's really about taking you back in time." The Chicago neighborhood stadium feels out of the 1920s, with spectators watching from surrounding rooftops and neighborhood bars packed with fans.
I stick by my statement. The Big House has been around almost as long and is much more awe-inspiring. But to crack the top 10 it has to be even more impressive, to house "The Game."
Just a Cubs game at Wrigley, really who cares. I can understand the top ranked baseball venue based off of his reasoning, but everything else in the top 10, or even 20, IMO smash that.
Nearly every event on the list can be questioned when you consider what events he left off (e.g., Wimbeldon, The Masters, Indy 500, Final Four, Superbowl).
This is simply his list of events he recommends people see live when taking into account the entire experience, including historic venues, crowds, rivalries, etc. I live in Chicago and his description of game day in Wrigleyville is spot on (though he should have made it a Cubs v. Cardinals game), but that is not why I posted the article. I just thought it was cool he listed The Game at all and then also made a point of saying to see it at the Big House.
FWIW, his list is actually a top 100, so I'm sure those other events are in there, but they just didn't make the top ten.
I fully understand you and did not miss the point.. but I still stick to my opinion.
Also FWIW, I wasn't referring to your post, but psychomatt's. It seemed from his post that he may have missed that this was just part of the top 100.
No, I haven't missed anything. It is his top ten taken from the entire 100 in his book:
Robert Tuchman, the author of The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live, helped narrow down the list to his favorite 10.
My bad. When you said "events he left off" I thought it implied that he completely left them off, which made me think you might have missed that it is actually a list of 100. Was just trying to help.
I know, that's why I replied to his post and not yours ;)
UNC vs. Duke at chappel Hill HAS to be on this list.
The Dean Dome is a huge, NBA-style arena. I'd rather watch that game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Wrigley Field itself is viewed amost as a holy experience for many baseball fans, and which game you attend doesn't really matter -- how many years will it be before the Cubs play a game of any real significance? ("There's always next year.")
Several of the author's picks aren't exactly amazing. I haven't been to a Cubs game, and am not particularly interested in baseball, but I'd rather see that than US Open Tennis or an Ironman. I could understand a big match at the US Open, or the Ironman when a close friend is racing, but those aren't' specified. I imagine an early round US Open match between two unseeded men could be really boring if you weren't into tennis.
You might reconsider the US Open if you ever went. A few years ago an acquaintance gave me Women's Final tix and it was amazing, and I'm not even a big tennis fan. At $800 per ticket it was the most expensive sporting event I've ever attended.
Serena won that year and she had the most muscular calves and thighs I have ever seen on a woman. Also, Will Ferrell sat behind me, so I got that going for me.
I hate to pick apart the list (just kidding, I love it), but wouldn't Michigan vs. Ohio State be in Columbus?
Michigan against OSU is a great scene regardless of venue, but I'd also add the Red River Rivalry, a big night game at LSU, and a Rose Bowl to any sports fan's list. I really want to see the LSU game--it seems kind of like base jumping, but without the parachute.
I hate to pick apart the list (just kidding, I love it), but wouldn't Michigan vs. Ohio State be in Columbus?
I always look at it as either:
- Home vs. Away
- Away at Home
I think this is the convention used on ESPN's bottom line as well.
I'm watching ESPN now. Mets vs. Giants just flashed, and a quick check on espn.com showed the Giants are at home.
The home team typically comes second.
Hmm.... fair enough. Like I said, I've always looked at it the other way, especially when it's in writing.
Are you seriously complaining? He said Michigan first but then added 'in Ann Arbor'. Adding that modifier means the order in which the teams are listed doesn't matter. The convention of listing the home team second is a shorthand - so that one doesn't also have to say where the game is being played. What he wrote is fine - you should just be happy as a UM fan that Michigan is listed first (people typically remember that which is listed first) and that he says the game should be seen in AA.
If thats the case, as one who is often snarky, I am certainly a pot calling a kettle black. I guess we all have to keep each other in line (as folks do to me).
I wonder if that might just be because baseball box scores always have the home team second since they play the bottom of the innings. Just a thought
Someday I will qualify for Ironman Kona. My high school cross country/track coach has done three Kona's. I just want to do one someday.
understanding how a competitive eating event could make that list... tsk tsk....
The list clearly needs some work. Swap out the Indy 500 for the Daytona 500, Wimbeldon for the US Open, The Masters for Nathan's. Those seem like absolutely necessary changes. And maybe a World Cup match (not a soccer fan, but something storied in Brazil or U.K??) for Midnight Madness.
I accidentally caught part of this event. It's really ridiculously packed and out of control. Really, the only advantage would be, walking toward Brighton and hanging at the beach. Lots of cute Ukranian/Russian girls there too.
Maple Leaf Garden was awesome and I was glad I got to see a game there.
Old Tiger Stadium was really cool I thought.
osu stadium did nothing for me but ND was pretty cool to see but it's not Michigan Stadium or the Rose Bowl.
All NFL stadiums pale in comparison to the college atmosphere IMO. Never been to a Super Bowl but I saw the Pats beat the Steelers in Pa in the AFC Champ. one year and even though it was a big game it's nothing compared to a college game.
Since I am here in Austin now I'm going to try to get to most of the TX schools and make my way over to see Kellen Jones play and maybe catch a bowl game or two before I get the hell out of here.
I went to ND, OSU, and PSU in 2006. I think I would rank the stadiums 1 Penn State, 2 OSU, 3 ND, as much as it hurts to put the shoe above anything, Notre Dame really didn't do much for me. Just a smaller version of the Big House.
I agree with the Tour de France, with one caveat: regular stages (where everyone starts at the same time and the first rider wins) are a lot more interesting to watch than time trials (where the riders go one at a time).
You will never feel more electricity from a hockey fan base than in Joe Louis Arena for a Wings playoff game. I went to see my first Stanley Cup playoff series in 2009 when the Wings played the Jackets in the first round and both games there were so incredible. I have never felt a more passionate and intense feeling at a hockey game than I felt at those two games. I love it so much. Any game at the Big House is a must see! Doesn't matter if it's Western Michigan or Ohio State! The intensity of over 100,000 strong all standing and cheering "The Victors" at once is one sight you will never forget. I can't wait to go back this year to experience it again!
You will never feel more electricity from a hockey fan base than in Joe Louis Arena for a Wings playoff game.
I take it you've been to other teams' arenas, so you can make an informed comparison?
The atmosphere had my born-and-bred Red Wing fan girlfriend singing Chelsea Dagger along with 22,000 other fans.
I'm surprised more hockey didn't top this list as well
They basically chose one event per sport. Unless it was a list of Canadian sports, hockey wouldn't deserve two spots. Speaking of which, the atmosphere at any Canadian NHL arena blows that at any U.S. arena out of the water. These people live, breathe and die hockey. Here it's not the same.
I would add Michigan vs. Michigan State in hockey, at Yost.
That game should be one of the must sees in all of sports this year! I'm so psyched to be there for it!
Wrigley Field is, indeed, a "shrine." I would heartly recommend that any ardent baseball fan who can make it there go at least once. When I talk to other people who have attended games at multiple MLB parks, they almost all say that Fenway and Wrigley are worthy of reverence: even those who hate the Bosox or the Cubs.
I guess I should feel good that I have made it to three of their top ten, with multiple visits to "The Game" and Daytona as the other two. Then again, any "top ten" list with the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on it is suspect at best and invalid at worst.
tonight, Nick Swisher, who grew up with a dad playing for the Cubs and who himself played for the White Sox (and A's) just concluded his press conference by saying "every day I thank my lucky stars because this is baseball heaven" about playing in Yankee Stadium.
Even the new Yankee Stadium is a goose bumps inducing place. You cant be a serious baseball fan and not have made it to a game at Yankee Stadium
... but the the New Yankee Stadium has to build its own history. You can't just tear down the House that Ruth Built and put up a new one. The history doesn't transfer. What if the Yankees moved to Portland? Are you saying whatever stadium they built would have the history of Ruth and Mays and ... (way too many to list)?
I have been to several games at the old Yankee Stadium, a couple at Fenway (including my first) and over 100 at Wrigley. They are/were all special in their own way.
You have to experience the NY Yankee fans, that is part of the charm of seeing them play at home. And, of course, just thinking of all the players who had walked the field and filled the dugout is unreal. But 2 out of 3 of those things are now gone. I am sure the new stadium is nice, but it is not the same. It was a disgrace that they tore it down. It would be -- and this is not an exaggeration -- as if they decided to tear down the Big House and build a new one instead of renovating it. Steinbrenner has a long legacy of positive impact on the Yankees. That decision will always be a black mark to me.
Fenway and Wrigley are very, very similar in many ways. The Wrigley bleachers are better and so is the bar scene around the stadium (Wrigleyville v. Back Bay). And there is nothing like the Waveland and Sheffield rooftops overlooking Wrigley. Wrigley gets the nod IMO.
that while the new Yankee Stadium resembles its predecessor, it does not resemble the stadium where Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio played. Yankee Stadium underwent a massive reconfiguration in the early 1970s that basically amounted to building a new stadium on top of the old site. The real Yankee Stadium has been lost for decades.
I don't see how Wrigley is any more special than Fenway...over even the old Tiger Stadium before it was torn down.
Personally, with respect to M football I feel that the Rose Bowl is more of a must do experience. We play OSU at home every other year and pretty much all of us have been to at least one of those games...but the Rose Bowl may only come once every five years or so (and it can be much longer than that between Rose Bowl victories). For me, that's the real pinnacle of experience for M fans. Then again, for outsiders, I guess I could understand how the OSU-M game in and of itself might be an unusual treat.
Some other thoughts on events that I'm surprised wouldn't make a top ten: Wimbledon, Kentucky Derby, early rounds of NCAA tournament and the Olympics. I'd also expect something really overlooked, like maybe a ski-jumping championship in Scandinavia, could be a really awesome event.
I grew up in Michigan and watched games at old Tiger Stadium all the time. No comparison to Wrigley (except the hot dogs; Tiger Stadium always had the best dogs).
Tiger Stadium and Wrigley were so different, I don't see how you could compare them. I liked Wrigley, but I couldn't believe how small it was. I loved how Tiger Stadium was double-decked all around. The overhang in right (outfielders would drop back looking for the fly ball and then get confused as it disappeared into the seats), the roof in left (only three players ever cleared it) and the monster centerfield . . . I miss those.
All the new stadiums seem to be following the basic Wrigley blueprint, with only one deck in the outfield so people can have a view of the surroundings. The massive "fortresses" like Tiger Stadium have been lost. (And of course, the new stadiums always have green seats. I miss the blue paint. You could always tell when a baseball card photo was taken at Tiger Stadium.)
- World Cup match
- Wimbledon
- Wrigley Field
- Madison Square Garden
- Red Wings/Tigers playoff game
- A Lakers game in LA
- Fenway Park
- The Big House and the Rose Bowl
- The Indy 500, Bristol night race
- NCAA Tourney
- Kentucky Derby