IrishCanadian25
Going on 10 years with WrestleZone
Every year, certain events occur that we all, as fans of both sports AND entertainment, look forward to. Below, I have listed and described my top 10 of the year, and I welcome each of you to do the same, or to just comment on mine.
1. The Super Bowl. Let's face it, there is no bigger event in the entertainment world each year than the NFL Championship game. Consistently the highest TV rated event in the US and the vessel for many companies to break out MILLIONS, even BILLIONS of advertising dollars to post their best commericals, the Super Bowl is the top event of the year. The glamour of the half time show is always off the charts.
2. The Masters. Love it or hate it, this is the Super Bowl of Golf, and with Tiger Woods in the running every time he steps on the course, and with the idea that Phil Mickleson COULD play with him, this event is something that attractes even the biggest anti-golf people.
3. The Daytona 500. I HATE auto racing. But lots of smelly, beer swilling, inbred midwest and southern hicks LOVE this shit, and let's face it, the Daytona 500 is HUGE. Racing fans "gear-up" for this race more than any other.
4. WrestleMania. A first choice for many of us, but when you look at how many times the WWF/E has shattered indoor and outdoor venue attendance records at this event - even up against Super Bowls - PLUS the pay per view buy rates, this annual spectatcle of sports entertainment is a significant one.
5. The Kentucky Derby. A combination of rich white people, horse enthusiasts, and degenerate gamblers help make this legendary and venerable horse race a HUGE attraction each year. The event takes all day, the build up takes months, and the race itself - less than 2 minutes. Remember when you lost your virginity? Yep - THAT'S the Kentucky Derby.
6. The NFL Draft. Baseball and Hockey hardly even televise their draft. The NFL gets TWO DAYS on ESPN! I remember watching poor Brady Quinn slip lower and lower and the pain on his face as he tried not to show how much it bothered him. More than any other non-competitive event, the NFL draft is high on the list of significance.
7. The Final Four. This is the only situation in which "just getting there" is almost like a championship in itself, even if you lose the title game. Getting to the semi-finals in any other sport is still falling short, but in College Basketball, people still remember teams from the 1960's "being a Final Four team that year." This tournament OWNS the month of March, hands down.
8. Wimbledon. I love tennis, and while it's not a huge sporting event in the US, let me say this - the Brits KNOW how to do tennis! Whether it's the calm, polite gentleman with the microphone referring to Martina Hingis simply as "Miss Hingis" before asking the crowd "quiet, please, thank you..." or the pristine courts on which the juggernauts of tennis duke it out, there's no questioning the size of this 128-player tournament.
9. NCAA / BCS National Title Game. College Football has the most significant regular season of any major sport, because only two teams are granted the right to play in the ONE game to determine the national champion. Sometimes set against BCS controversy, sometimes consensus, this game is intense and a fitting end to a rigorous bowl season.
10. Tour de France. Let me tell you, this event is tetering on the edge of greatness and obscurity. So many doping scandals create questions in everyones minds as far as whether or not the winner is legit, but thanks to Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullirich, we know the event by now.
Honorable Mention - Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, World Series of Poker Final Table, UEFA European Championship Final, Indy 500, Iditarod, America's Cup Sailing Championship, NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Home Run Derby, McDonalds All-America Game, Boston Marathon.
These are only single, annual events. I did not include "The Stanley Cup Playoffs" because that can be 4-7 games long, same with the World Series and NBA Championship. I also did not include the Olympics or World Cup because those do not occur annually.
1. The Super Bowl. Let's face it, there is no bigger event in the entertainment world each year than the NFL Championship game. Consistently the highest TV rated event in the US and the vessel for many companies to break out MILLIONS, even BILLIONS of advertising dollars to post their best commericals, the Super Bowl is the top event of the year. The glamour of the half time show is always off the charts.
2. The Masters. Love it or hate it, this is the Super Bowl of Golf, and with Tiger Woods in the running every time he steps on the course, and with the idea that Phil Mickleson COULD play with him, this event is something that attractes even the biggest anti-golf people.
3. The Daytona 500. I HATE auto racing. But lots of smelly, beer swilling, inbred midwest and southern hicks LOVE this shit, and let's face it, the Daytona 500 is HUGE. Racing fans "gear-up" for this race more than any other.
4. WrestleMania. A first choice for many of us, but when you look at how many times the WWF/E has shattered indoor and outdoor venue attendance records at this event - even up against Super Bowls - PLUS the pay per view buy rates, this annual spectatcle of sports entertainment is a significant one.
5. The Kentucky Derby. A combination of rich white people, horse enthusiasts, and degenerate gamblers help make this legendary and venerable horse race a HUGE attraction each year. The event takes all day, the build up takes months, and the race itself - less than 2 minutes. Remember when you lost your virginity? Yep - THAT'S the Kentucky Derby.
6. The NFL Draft. Baseball and Hockey hardly even televise their draft. The NFL gets TWO DAYS on ESPN! I remember watching poor Brady Quinn slip lower and lower and the pain on his face as he tried not to show how much it bothered him. More than any other non-competitive event, the NFL draft is high on the list of significance.
7. The Final Four. This is the only situation in which "just getting there" is almost like a championship in itself, even if you lose the title game. Getting to the semi-finals in any other sport is still falling short, but in College Basketball, people still remember teams from the 1960's "being a Final Four team that year." This tournament OWNS the month of March, hands down.
8. Wimbledon. I love tennis, and while it's not a huge sporting event in the US, let me say this - the Brits KNOW how to do tennis! Whether it's the calm, polite gentleman with the microphone referring to Martina Hingis simply as "Miss Hingis" before asking the crowd "quiet, please, thank you..." or the pristine courts on which the juggernauts of tennis duke it out, there's no questioning the size of this 128-player tournament.
9. NCAA / BCS National Title Game. College Football has the most significant regular season of any major sport, because only two teams are granted the right to play in the ONE game to determine the national champion. Sometimes set against BCS controversy, sometimes consensus, this game is intense and a fitting end to a rigorous bowl season.
10. Tour de France. Let me tell you, this event is tetering on the edge of greatness and obscurity. So many doping scandals create questions in everyones minds as far as whether or not the winner is legit, but thanks to Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullirich, we know the event by now.
Honorable Mention - Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, World Series of Poker Final Table, UEFA European Championship Final, Indy 500, Iditarod, America's Cup Sailing Championship, NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Home Run Derby, McDonalds All-America Game, Boston Marathon.
These are only single, annual events. I did not include "The Stanley Cup Playoffs" because that can be 4-7 games long, same with the World Series and NBA Championship. I also did not include the Olympics or World Cup because those do not occur annually.