There’s always been something about sports and making lists.
For sports fans in areas like Boston, New York or Philadelphia, it’s easy to get so consumed by local teams and the four major sports that it’s easy to forget that the world of sports is vast and far-reaching.
In “The Sports Bucket List,” former Sports Illustrated writers Rob Fleder and Steve Hoffman hop from continent to continent, from sport to sport you didn’t even know was a sport, highlighting the things sports fans should aspire to witness in their lifetime.
Some are obvious, like seeing Michigan play Ohio State in the Big House, seeing the Belmont Stakes or a Red Sox game at Fenday. Others are much less so.
“There’s Elephant polo in Nepal,” Fleder told Metro. “We actually did a story about it at Sports Illustrated and it stuck in my mind and Steve Hoffman’s mind and we always thought that would be a cool thing to do and we went back to that. It was one of those things by virtue of SI that I even came across. That’s out there on the far edge of possibility. And then there are the much more predictable ones on the list, the Super Bowl, great events and stadiums.”
Their book compiles a list of 101 things a sports fan should attempt to do in his or her lifetime. Some are games, some are rivalries, some are annual events and some are less annual events. Some are hallowed grounds, like Hershey Arena where Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, and some are places of ethos and myth like Doubleday field in Cooperstown, NY.
“There are historical things and then the things that are happening now and are only going to be happening for so long,” Fleder said, “and thats in the nature of the bucket list thing. The clock is always ticking and if you want to see LeBron James play you better get with it.”
Several items appear from Boston, New York and Philly:
Boston:
The Green Monster
UConn Women’s Basketball
NCAA Lacrosse Final Four
The Boston Marathon
Wars Between the States
Pawtucket Sox at McCoy Field
New York:
The Belmont Stakes
Monument Park, Yankee Stadium
U.S. Open Outer Courts
Empire State Run Up
Football at West Point
Doubleday Field
Philadelphia:
The Little League World Series
Hershey Arena
To see the rest of the list, “The Sports Bucket List” is available is available now at HC.com and wherever books are sold.
