Wish I Was There - Best Sporting Events To Attend

As the NHL season is over, and the NBA’s is winding down, baseball is grabbing its place as summer’s star. However, this year the real summer sporting action is elsewhere. As is every four years, this time around summer is about the big, national stages of the sporting world. First and foremost the upcoming London Olympics, but also Euro 2012, which kicked off last week.

Whenever such big events roll by, I often find myself in a “I wish I was there” mode. As I am rather slow to execute on my wishes, I usually let obvious chances to actually go to such events slip through my fingers. So, with that in mind, I’d thought I’d put down in writing a wish list of sporting events I’ve never been too, but really want to go to. Maybe when it’s cemented into internet eternity, I’ll run out of excuses and actually start working on checking these off. In no particular order, here is my bucket list.

1. The Olympics
The Olympics seem fun to attend because of the non stop sporting atmosphere. Plus there is always something to attend, people from different places to talk to and meet, and athletes hanging around (in my mind, anyway, they hang out with the fans).

2. Wimbledon
While we are on the subject of things associated with London… I’m not the biggest tennis fan in the world, but when you take something with such a rich history, and place it in one of my favorite cities in the world, it just seems like a blast to attend. Classy, elegant and entertaining.

3. NFL and NBA Games
I’m almost ashamed to admit that I never got to see either of these leagues’ games in person. Mostly do to living half way around the world. When I am in the US my top priority is and was to go to Fenway Park, and there is only so much cash you can shell out… Of course I’d like to attend these because there is nothing like seeing the best leagues and players at work. Out of all things on this list, this is the one that is most likely to happen, and the easiest to make happen.

4. Spring Training
I have this idea about how when I’m retired or just got really rich and don’t have to work any more, I’ll hang out in Florida for the entire month of March and do nothing but watch meaningless baseball games. Some thing about it has a certain calming feeling, like it’s the ultimate meeting point of fun, rest, vacation and sport.

5. Boston, October 2004.
Okay, so it’s probably a little late to get to that one. But this is, and might forever be, my number 1, ‘wish I was there’. For years I was sure that whenever the Red Sox make it to the World Series, I will so be there, no matter what. But when it finally happened, life and reality kicked in, and I didn’t make it to Boston. So although I watched it all live, from afar, I wasn’t there for the Yankees series, the breaking of the curse or the rolling rally. If I could only go back… But back to the here and now, I do hope that one day, I’ll get to be in a city while a local team is making a championship run. Preferably Boston, of course, but anywhere other than NY or LA could do the trick. I’d just really like to experience what it would be like when an entire city is crazed with a local team winning it all.

As a sports fan I can enjoy pretty much any event. Others that are not on this list but would definitely be cool to go to: FIFA World Cup, NHL game, college football and basketball games, Indy 500, Daytona, any championship game in any sports (the Super Bowl isn’t on the list just because it’s so obvious and also maybe too rich for my money). So yea, basically anything. Except golf.