MTV has a new series called The Buried Life, which asks the question, "What do you want to do before you die?" The guys got together and made their own bucket list of outrageous things that they hope to experience before they die. Watching this show has got me thinking about my very own bucket list, but in a slightly different context.
If you've been involved in sports at some point in your life, you have had those crazy visions or dreams that you're in a "Mecca" of sports on the grandest scale, experiencing something you once thought impossible. I can say that when I go to sleep at night, I still sometimes have these dreams and I always wake up, wishing they were true. I'm a sports fan that watches pretty much any type of sport, so I know there are several destinations I wish to visit in order to complete my bucket list.
1. Go to a Boston Red Sox game, sit on top of the Green Monster, and catch a Home Run Ball.
Yes, this one may seem a little extreme and next to impossible since I'm not a season ticket holder for the Red Sox, but I've always wanted to do this, ever since they installed seats there. A lot of round-trippers are hit there because the wall is so short in terms of distance from home plate, however it is a tall task to actually get the ball high enough over the wall. Being an O's fan, it may be hard to get into the heart of Red Sox nation and snag a ball, but "Impossible is nothing."
2. Watch a Soccer Match at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United.
This is the grandest of stages in terms of professional club soccer overseas. Manchester United is one of the most popular clubs in the world, has a global following, and is ran by the powerful Glazer family. They have been so successful in both the English premier league and also the UEFA championships;they have some of the best soccer players in the world, and have one of the most dedicated fan bases across all sports. Yes, it pretty much rains all the time in England, but if I could watch a game where legends like Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy have played, my life would feel complete.
3. Watch a Florida football game in the Swamp.
I'm a Florida Gators fan and even though I don't attend the University, it would be a tremendous experience to watch a college football game at not only a very prestigious football program, but in one of the hardest stadiums to play football in. I've been to my fair share of professional football games, yet I've never been to a Division One college football game, and I can't wait to draw comparisons to the atmospheres.
4. Watch an NCAA National Championship Basketball Game
Every time I watch college basketball, I always want to be at the game. The sense of pride the students have for their respective school makes me feel all giddy inside and I begin to imagine myself at the game. I want to be the one leading the chants, I want to be the one in the student section jumping until my calves give out. What better stage to do this than the National Championship game. Even if the teams involved aren't my favorites, just the fan festivities, and a great basketball game will be enough for me.
5. Attend a Stanley Cup Final game
Hockey is one of the most intense sports out there today, and there isn't quite anything like NHL Playoff hockey. Fans are waving towels like maniacs. The stadium normally is full of one of the home team's primary colors. Fans banging on the glass from the time the players step onto the ice, until the game begins. The first face-off commences, the stadium goes into chaos. The hits are harder, the saves are more acrobatic, the shots are more pinpoint, everything about the NHL playoffs is better. when there is a rivalry, like Alexander Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby in the series, it makes it so much more interesting because there are additional story lines that make the series more intriguing.
This is just a short list of what I want to do before I die, so what is yours?