Sporting events that should be on your bucket list

The first Little League World Series was held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 1947, and the event has grown in popularity ever since. The championship game was first televised in 1963, and in recent years, ESPN's involvement has seen coverage of the entire tournament increase. Still, there is plenty of small-town charm, and there's something especially pure about seeing players give up home runs and congratulate their opponents as they round the bases if the shot is particularly impressive. As fun as the games can be to watch, anyone that has been there in person will tell you that the experience is even better firsthand. 

As a Wing Bowl XVI (2008) attendee, I can tell you that it is...a spectacle. It's not for everyone, but the mix of a rowdy Philly crowd, a sloppy and at times disgusting eating contest and some antics in the stands that would make the more straight-laced among us blush combines to create an event that is equal parts contest and wild early-morning party. More than just about any other event on this list, Wing Bowl is something that can't really be described in words; it must be experienced to truly be appreciated.

For sheer dramatic tension, no sport can match a taut, well-played baseball game. Take that dynamic and add in the highest possible stakes in the form of a World Series, and you have a sporting event any fan should make an effort to experience. As a childhood Cleveland Indians fan, I was lucky enough to attend Game 3 of the 1997 World Series, at the time the longest nine-inning game in the history of the Fall Classic, and it remains a singular thrill.

For many golf fans, The Masters, at pristine Augusta National, is the holy grail of golf tournaments. There's certainly plenty of appeal there — and Augusta might be making an appearance later on — but The Open Championship represents a chance for fans to see a unique style of golf, on unique courses, with shots and hazards that can't be found anywhere else. Oh, and this all happens at the birthplace of the game. Whether it's St. Andrews, Carnoustie or any of the other Open courses, it doesn't really matter. The Open Championship is a must.

Will the experience in the stadium match watching at home with your friends, the commercials and the much cheaper beer and food? Maybe not. But the Super Bowl is so big that not taking in the spectacle at least once, or at least being in the host city even without a ticket, seems wrong. The overall experience might be better at home, but the energy of being there, especially if the game is good, is tough to beat in the sports world. Bonus points if the game is played in a warm weather city, like New Orleans, Miami or Los Angeles.

This is one of the few events that can be experienced as either a spectator or a participant. Which one you choose depends on whether you'd like to court death or disfigurement for no real reason. One American, Matthew Peter Tassio, died after being gored in 1995. But facing the bulls isn't the only risk during what is an approximately two-and-a-half minute sprint. Runners are at risk of piling up and getting trampled by other runners, or by slipping and falling and being crushed in close quarters. Still, the event, held annually in early July, has become a media and tourism spectacle, and a rite of passage for daredevils across the globe.

The U.S. Open and Australian Open have their unique qualities — the rowdy crowd in Flushing, Queens, and the intense heat of Melbourne in January — and the French Open is a total departure from the other Grand Slam tournaments. But Wimbledon is drenched in tradition, from the all-white dress code to the grass surface itself, to, of course, the royal family. Words and phrases like "fortnight" and "breakfast at Wimbledon" being well-known are a testament to the tournament's popularity in the United States. For tennis fans, and even sports fans in general, a summer trip to London is a must.

I told you it would be tough to exclude the Masters from this list. Ask anyone that's managed to score a ticket, one of the most difficult in sports, and they'll tell you that the experience exceeded their wildest dreams. The food and beer is cheap, the grounds almost unthinkably pristine, and despite what some might call draconian rules — like no running — the vibe on the grounds is almost mythical. The club has had some high-profile issues in recent years, but if you choose to put those aside or view them separately, and take in the tournament separately, it almost seems like a painting come to life.

The "Super Bowl of NASCAR" is still a huge event, despite auto racing in general being down in terms of television ratings and attendance. And for those who have never attended a race in person, it's the perfect place to get the full experience. I've never been to a race, but ask anyone who has, and they'll tell you that nothing compares and that television doesn't do the speed and power of the sport any true justice. For stock car racing fans, at least one trip to Daytona is a must.

All-Star Games? Largely overrated. Baseball's might well be the best of the bunch, but too often they fail to deliver the goods. Fans want to see the ball go over the fence, they want to see tape measure shots and larger-than-life feats, and only the Home Run Derby guarantees those things. The format has been tweaked to up the drama level, and it has worked. Bryce Harper thrilled the hometown crowd in this year's edition of the contest, and it once again managed to either mostly or completely overshadow the All-Star Game itself, even though this year's was pretty entertaining in its own right. 

The Granddaddy of Them All is the oldest bowl game and unquestionably the most famous. It has decided national champions, been the setting for arguably the greatest game in college football history, modern or otherwise, between Texas and USC in 2006, and it continues to be a destination for college football fans year after year. The idyllic setting, typically beautiful weather and pageantry make the Rose Bowl a destination location for fans, sometimes regardless of whether or not their team is playing.

Forget the Final Four, which would qualify for me as one of the most overrated events in sports due to its staging in football stadiums and overwhelming crowd experience. The NCAA Tournament's opening weekend has everything a basketball junkie needs. The crowd energy is organic and features constantly shifting allegiances and upsets, and great games are almost a guarantee. The fact that games are played in arenas meant for basketball makes the in-person viewing experience much more pleasant than the Final Four. No one works on the first Thursday or Friday of the NCAA Tournament anyway, so take a few days off and go to games in the city nearest to you. 

The Run for the Roses is the most famous horse race in the world. The first jewel of the Triple Crown attracts luminaries from the sports and entertainment world and is just as much a social and fashion event as it is an athletic competition. Plus, there's the whole matter of the all-out party that takes place in the infield. So long as the weather holds, the Derby is a spectacle from start to finish — an entire day of races, mint juleps, fancy hats and, yes, cheap beer. It is also the only event on this list that my own parents advised me to attend before I got to be too old.

Rivalry games are interesting spectacles in and of themselves, but only one transcends the genre to become something more, and that is Army-Navy. The game itself has been very competitive the last few years, but it's about much, much more than what happens on the field. It is competition with intensity, but also tremendous respect, and one of the purest forms of sport left. Cadets yelling "beat Navy" while their midshipmen counterparts yell "beat Army" is as good as it gets. The other traditions, like always striving to "sing second," and the "prisoner exchange" make this a must-attend event: one that's about sports but also so much more.

Is college football's system of determining a champion flawed? Yes. Will people always complain about it, no matter what format? Also yes. Is the CFP National Championship Game still a bucket list sports event? You bet. The game has been scintillating the last few years, and going as an impartial observer means that you'll almost assuredly see two of the sport's most passionate fan bases, as well as a phenomenal contest. The game itself has an automatic "big game" feel, and for as long as Alabama is a powerhouse, it will always have something of a built-in villain. College football is far from perfect, but this game is a feather in its cap.

You might hate Boston sports teams, but the Beanpot — the annual tournament held over two days that pits the four major college hockey schools in Boston (Northeastern, Harvard, Boston University and Boston College) against each other — is a special event and very much unique. The crowds are insane, and while BU and BC have dominated the tournament, Northeastern and Harvard have never met in the final, and each team has won once in the last four seasons, including Northeastern breaking a 30-year drought earlier this year. It isn't the Frozen Four, but it might be better. 

Boxing is down from what it used to be, but for sheer spectacle and raucous energy, few things can match a hotly anticipated title fight in Sin City. If you've ever been in Vegas on a fight weekend, you can feel the electricity in the air as fans from all corners of the country and globe pour in to party, drink, get rowdy and cheer their favorites. The sport itself will never be what it once was, but when it comes to the "big event" vibe, boxing — and Vegas — still very much deliver the goods. 

How would you like to attend an event where the prize for the winning husband-wife team is the wife's weight in beer? That's exactly the reality at the Wife Carrying World Championships, held annually in Sonkajarvi, Finland since 1992. The event is exactly what the name suggests. The team that completes the obstacle course with the fastest time wins the event. I don't know about you, but that's good enough for me. 

Much like the Daytona 500 is a required event for NASCAR fans, a trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500 is a must for auto racing fans. The lure is the same as Daytona —tradition, the stakes and the field, always the best and most anticipated of the year. There's the chance for history at every Indy, and there's a bonus for fans: If you're into golf, you can extend your trip and play the Brickyard Crossing golf course, which features three holes in the infield.

"Uh, Chris, why is this on the list?" I know, I know. It seems out of place. I have three words for you: the 16th hole. That hole at the TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course is affectionately known as "The Coliseum" and is likely the rowdiest hole in golf. The atmosphere is like a football game, as the fans are known to jeer poor shots but go completely crazy for good ones. And if someone makes a hole-in-one, the decibel level gets cranked up to deafening. Tiger Woods once aced the 16th. The YouTube video is well worth your time. Enough said.

Let's see, how to best describe this event? Well, a bunch of people whose sanity should probably be up for debate chase a nine-pound wheel of cheese down a steep hill near Gloucester in England. The wheel of cheese is given a one-second head start and can reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. The first person to reach the bottom of the hill wins. Does that sound ridiculous to you? Probably. However, watch the "highlights" online and tell me you don't want to be a spectator to the madness/carnage/absurdity. You know you want to. 

This could be the Winter Classic or the Stadium Series — what's important is that you get to a hockey game played somewhere other than an arena. Having been to a few, including a Chicago-Pittsburgh tilt that seemed like it was being played in a snow globe, I can tell you that for all the difficulty you might have following the puck, you'll make up for it in sheer excitement. Some say that the novelty of the concept has worn off, but the NHL's ratings and attendance for the games suggest otherwise. One piece of advice for the league: Keep the games in cold-weather cities. Los Angeles doesn't need outdoor hockey.

A common refrain from NBA haters is that no one plays defense; that the games lack intensity. A good NBA Finals game will dispel those notions quickly. In-person attendance is fantastic, but if you're lucky (or wealthy) enough to score courtside seats, the quickness, strength and athleticism of the players really comes to the fore. Basketball is the only major sport that allows its fans the chance to be literally inches away from the action, and the Finals, despite Golden State's recent dominance, are a definite bucket list item.

Soccer still hasn't caught on with many Americans, despite the growing popularity of the MLS and a serious rise in EPL interest stateside. That shouldn't dissuade you from catching a World Cup game in person. The chants from the crowd, the unceasing energy, the rhythm of the action and the ability to much better appreciate the relative danger of many of the scoring chances are just a few reasons why the World Cup — or any soccer match for that matter — is much better viewed in person.

The game itself is the definition of meaningless preseason football, though it always seems like the teams involved try to bust out a few trick plays. But the overall experience of Enshrinement Week is what this one is all about. The speeches are often excellent, the crowds enthusiastic in their support and the spectacle a perfect representation of the NFL itself. The game might be an afterthought, but the trappings that come with it make it well worth the pilgrimage for football fans.

Seems kind of generic, right? Go to any LSU home game in Death Valley under the lights, and your opinion will change. The Tigers aren't quite the powerhouse they used to be, but they're still very good and very tough to beat at home. The crowds have been loud enough for their noise and the vibration it causes to register as mild earthquakes, and the atmosphere is just about unmatched across all sports. A friend who had no prior allegiance to LSU once went to a game and in discussing his experience, he simply said, "I'm now an LSU fan."

If the late innings of a tied World Series game are the most tense times in sports, overtime in the Stanley Cup Final is a close second. Some would (possibly correctly) argue that OT in the Final should be first. Hockey is always better in person, and the drama, stakes, momentum swings and speed of the action make a Stanley Cup Final trip worth it, even if your favorite team isn't playing. The event is one that can easily whip up a previously neutral observer into an emotional frenzy. 

Upland, Indiana, is a completely unassuming town about an hour-and-a-half north of Indianapolis. It happens to be home to Taylor University, an NAIA school. The Friday before finals week, TU students dress up in costumes that range from absurd to preposterous and stay dead silent until the Trojans score their 10th point of the game. Then all hell breaks loose as fans storm the court and go crazy. Quite ironic, really, given Taylor's status as a Christian school. Videos of the tradition are easily found online, and the ritual is as bizarre as it is unique. Taylor is also the only school in the country that does this, so it's probably something worth seeing for yourself.

Critics of golf say that the game is too staid, too emotionless, too elitist. The Ryder Cup flies in the face of all those notions. It is rowdy, hypercompetitive and full of drama, bad blood, accusations of bad sportsmanship...and hurt feelings. It also features some of the most memorable moments in golf history. Whether you go across the pond or stay in the U.S., a trip to one of the courses prestigious enough to host this event, for which both the European and U.S. teams receive no money, will be well worth the price of admission.

It isn't sports, per se, but Wrestlemania is the peak of the sports entertainment calendar and is a spectacle with few peers. The matches don't always deliver, but when they do and the crowd is hot, you tend to forget that you're watching a scripted event. That's how good things can be. Being there in person can be a hit-or-miss proposition because seats are often incredibly far from the ring. But the energy of the entire experience, something that usually creates several other small-scale wrestling shows on the same weekend, makes it a must for pro wrestling fans.