A local columnist had this in the paper today (venues he has been to personally for a sporting event).
1. The Rose Bowl - A National Historical Landmark with a backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains and Southern California weather. This place has it all. I can't wait to get back on Labor Day.
2. Notre Dame Stadium - The facility itself isn't outstanding but the setting and tradition are. No place else has Touchdown Jesus.
3. Churchill Downs - Do yourself a favor and take in the Kentucky Derby once in your life.
4. Neyland Stadium - This isn't a homer call. Neyland should be on anyone's list.
5. Yankee Stadium - Even sitting through a two-hour rain delay to see the Mariners play was cool.
6. The Swamp - Next to Neyland, the best scene in the SEC.
7. Madison Square Garden - I've never seen a game of much consequence there but just sitting in the seats picturing Willis Reed limping in or Ali-Frazier is moving.
8. FedExForum - It's still new but what a fabulous venue for basketball, especially a UT-Memphis game. And Beale Street right outside the door.
9. Tiger Stadium - The one in Baton Rouge, and it's got to be a night game.
10. Freedom Hall - A second great venue in Louisville. Home to six Final Fours and a nifty 1980s overhaul.
11. Sanford Stadium - I could pick even more SEC football settings but I'll stop here, between the hedges.
12. The Pit - I've seen the Vols lose three times in Albuquerque. That long ramp from the locker room down to the playing floor makes visitors think they're descending into the netherworld. In a sense, they are, once the altitude and the home crowd kick in.
13. Orange Bowl - By 2003 it had seen better days but I'm glad I spent a few hours there before the wrecking ball arrived.
14. Bud Walton Arena - Better than Rupp. Great sight lines. Love the band marching in. (But watch out, Thompson-Boling is gaining ground all of a sudden.)
15. Dodger Stadium - I was surprised to see a huge rat on a spotless concourse. Still, it was a well-groomed rat.
16. Assembly Hall (Illinois) - Like SEC football, I've never seen a bad atmosphere for Big Ten basketball. Too bad Chief Illiniwek got retired by the PC police.
17. O'Connell Center - It's funky but the "Rowdy Reptile" students and the humidity make visitors sweat.
18. California Memorial Stadium - Where else can you see naked guys in trees up close and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance?
19. Pauley Pavilion - A Garden of Eden campus, all those banners, plus the UCLA cheerleaders.
20. Hayward Field - They don't call Eugene, Ore., "Track City" for nothing. It's the only place where a crowd of 10,000 cheers every lap and charts every discus throw. OK, you had to be there.
1. The Rose Bowl - A National Historical Landmark with a backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains and Southern California weather. This place has it all. I can't wait to get back on Labor Day.
2. Notre Dame Stadium - The facility itself isn't outstanding but the setting and tradition are. No place else has Touchdown Jesus.
3. Churchill Downs - Do yourself a favor and take in the Kentucky Derby once in your life.
4. Neyland Stadium - This isn't a homer call. Neyland should be on anyone's list.
5. Yankee Stadium - Even sitting through a two-hour rain delay to see the Mariners play was cool.
6. The Swamp - Next to Neyland, the best scene in the SEC.
7. Madison Square Garden - I've never seen a game of much consequence there but just sitting in the seats picturing Willis Reed limping in or Ali-Frazier is moving.
8. FedExForum - It's still new but what a fabulous venue for basketball, especially a UT-Memphis game. And Beale Street right outside the door.
9. Tiger Stadium - The one in Baton Rouge, and it's got to be a night game.
10. Freedom Hall - A second great venue in Louisville. Home to six Final Fours and a nifty 1980s overhaul.
11. Sanford Stadium - I could pick even more SEC football settings but I'll stop here, between the hedges.
12. The Pit - I've seen the Vols lose three times in Albuquerque. That long ramp from the locker room down to the playing floor makes visitors think they're descending into the netherworld. In a sense, they are, once the altitude and the home crowd kick in.
13. Orange Bowl - By 2003 it had seen better days but I'm glad I spent a few hours there before the wrecking ball arrived.
14. Bud Walton Arena - Better than Rupp. Great sight lines. Love the band marching in. (But watch out, Thompson-Boling is gaining ground all of a sudden.)
15. Dodger Stadium - I was surprised to see a huge rat on a spotless concourse. Still, it was a well-groomed rat.
16. Assembly Hall (Illinois) - Like SEC football, I've never seen a bad atmosphere for Big Ten basketball. Too bad Chief Illiniwek got retired by the PC police.
17. O'Connell Center - It's funky but the "Rowdy Reptile" students and the humidity make visitors sweat.
18. California Memorial Stadium - Where else can you see naked guys in trees up close and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance?
19. Pauley Pavilion - A Garden of Eden campus, all those banners, plus the UCLA cheerleaders.
20. Hayward Field - They don't call Eugene, Ore., "Track City" for nothing. It's the only place where a crowd of 10,000 cheers every lap and charts every discus throw. OK, you had to be there.
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