Slightly OT: What is the Best Sporting Event?

Submitted by Steve Breaston… on

Happy Friday to all! With a monumental sports weekend upon us (NFL Draft, Kentucky Derby, Mayweather/Pacquiao, NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, etc.), the question should be raised: what is the best event in sports? A singular bowl game? THE Bowl game? How about the Olympics? The FIFA World Cup? It doesn't have to be held yearly to be considered and the Hunger Games, although intriguing, aren't yet a real thing.

My vote is March Madness.

DISCUSS.

nmumike

May 1st, 2015 at 1:35 PM ^

I'm with the OP, march madness is awesome, but Michigan v OSU every year in football is something that always draws my full attention.




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Moe

May 1st, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^

But I'll bite.  I think there are two things going on here.  Best tournament, and best overall event.  March Madness is probably the best overall tournament, but I prefer the NHL playoffs when your team is in it.  A grueling 2 month playoff, with games every other day.  Overtimes where you can't sit still, and sickening game 7s.  

To me, best overall event was the Rose Bowl before the current playoff.  Beautiful scenery, amazing weather, and Michigan playing on New Years Day is tough to beat.  

Gobgoblue

May 1st, 2015 at 4:17 PM ^

There's just something about playoff hockey.  When the Red Wings are still in it, I don't miss a second.  Yet my roommate walked in on me watching the Preds/Hawks game last week and asked why I was watching.  I didn't really know.  

MichiganTeacher

May 1st, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^

Much as I hate FIFA, I've got to say the World Cup. Imagine how good it would be without FIFA. It brings the whole world together. The jubilation, the skill, the crowds, the color, the noise, the way an entire nation can be hanging on edge at the same time, it gets me. 

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

May 1st, 2015 at 2:20 PM ^

The problem with "imagine how it would be without FIFA" is that something has to organize the thing, and given the nature of the event and the money involved, whatever organizes it is just going to be that way, or at best, drift in that direction.

Better would be, "Imagine how it would be if human nature were such that ambitious powerful people weren't also corrupt pieces of shit," which would make a lot of other things better besides just the World Cup.

It's like when people say "I wish the NCAA would just go away."  College sports is going to be organized by something, and that something is going to be put together by the same people who run the NCAA.

MichiganTeacher

May 1st, 2015 at 3:06 PM ^

Pshaw. 

That's way too fatalistic, man. You don't think FIFA can be improved? The NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL are all light years better than FIFA. I'm just going to say it: the NCAA is better than FIFA. That's how bad FIFA is. If you don't think FIFA can improve then sheesh you must have a pretty miserable outlook on life.

Of course there will be some order. But it doesn't have to be FIFA. The world doesn't have to suck, man, and it often doesn't. Have a good weekend!

 

jmblue

May 1st, 2015 at 3:48 PM ^

You are comparing domestic leagues with a global organization.  Not apples to apples at all.  

A much more proper comparison for FIFA would be the IOC, which is about equally corrupt.

MichiganTeacher

May 1st, 2015 at 8:18 PM ^

MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS are all multinational leagues. There are many, many examples of multnational sporting leagues and businesses that are better managed than FIFA.

IOC and FIFA are far more different than IOC and the leagues I mentioned. The only thing the IOC has in common with FIFA is its level of corruption. Does the IOC oversee all its participating professional franchises? Hell, most of the players in Olympic soccer are overseen by FIFA at the club level, fergodsakes. I'd love to see IOC try to horn in on FIFA or the NBA. IOC would be slapped back to Samaranch's basement and only come out with Harry Reid glasses after a week.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

May 1st, 2015 at 3:48 PM ^

FIFA sucks because there is no oversight.  As long as there's no oversight and billions of dollars moving around, it is going to suck.  The major pro leagues in the US don't suck because there are laws governing their conduct and because at their core they're essentially a club of 30 or so rich guys whose gravy train relies on mostly upstanding conduct.  And even then they look for ways to boost the output of that gravy train even if it makes their product worse.

Of course FIFA can improve.  And I can get elected president of the US, technically speaking, once I reach the required age.  Now, ask yourself, who is going to make FIFA improve?  Who holds their gravy train by the balls to make it happen?  Of course the NCAA is better than FIFA - it too is governed by the laws of the US.  FIFA is governed by no laws but its own.

MichiganTeacher

May 1st, 2015 at 8:46 PM ^

But isn't FIFA governed by all kinds of laws? As we speak the IRS is shaking down CONCACAF for not adhering to US tax law. I'd also say that FIFA is subject to market laws. By which I mean, for example, that if FIFA puts out a bad enough product, people will walk.

I agree that a large improvement in FIFA in the short term is unlikely. But it's quite possible and reasonably likely in the long term. MLB underwent a significant ethical improvement over the course of the mid-20th century. So did the Big Ten. So did many other businesses and sporting leagues.

As the world goes through something like the process that the current First World went through in the 20th century, I think it's reasonable to expect that the developing world will experience the same results: more entertainment choices, better education, increased ability to coordinate and cooperate, increased opportunity for mobility - and the world's major league will follow ours, I think, in moral and ethical development to maintain its fanbase.

OccaM

May 1st, 2015 at 3:01 PM ^

Forgive my mislabeling lol. 

NHL and NBA playoffs are similar to me in that the first couple of rounds are kind of meh but things really ramp up in intensity later on. 

Obviously there may be exceptions like last year in the NBA etc. 

Canadian

May 1st, 2015 at 6:29 PM ^

How so? Up until this year if you were the higher seed in the conference you had home ice against the lowest seeded team in the conference. So the best team played the worst all the way through thus making upsets harder to come by.

And you want less upsets to make it more exciting??

NCMtnBlue

May 1st, 2015 at 2:27 PM ^

Then I remembered how terrible the USA was in the last Olympics - men & women.  It was truly painful to watch them.  I felt like I was watching a local rec league team competing against professionals.  I was rooting like crazy for them, but they just had no chance.

LJ

May 1st, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^

Michigan-OSU transcends all else for me.  Most other sporting events have certain moments where I am nervous.  The Game is another level -- Michigan NEEDS to win every single snap.  Every moment is precious and critical.

gjking

May 1st, 2015 at 2:35 PM ^

Golf is the worst, it makes me sad to see people getting all excited about the Masters. You realize that only a few thousand people in the world have the money/resources to play golf enough growing up to make it at the top level? Compare this to soccer or running where almost every human participates in the sport to some limited extent growing up and could eventually emerge on the world scene. If you want to see a severe filter to find the best of the best athletes on earth, golf is the absolute worst. Maybe swimming is worse?

Also, Golf is terrible for the environment. You have poor people in Compton getting their water resources cut off while rich people in Palm Springs have ultra-green golf courses.