Best Days In Your Life As A Sports Fan

[RyanMcD29]

March 30th, 2013

 

I'm a senior at Syracuse. It's the final real binge watch of March Madness before the real world. Syracuse beat Indiana because Tom Crean couldn't figure out how to play against a 2-3 zone if his life depended on it, so Syracuse made it to the Elite 8 for the second year in a row. The game was in the afternoon slot. Great, right? Well, one issue.

 

One of my best friends played on the Princeton women's lacrosse team and when we graduated high school I promised I'd see her play, most likely when the Tigers went up to Cornell either my sophomore or senior year as unlike the men, there isn't a Princeton-Syracuse lacrosse rivalry in the women's game. Sophomore year her game at Cornell was the same day another one of my friends who plays lacrosse at Plattsburgh had a game at Oswego. Oswego is considerably easier to get to from Syracuse than Ithaca, especially when you didn't have a car. So needless to say I had this trip to Cornell planned out quite in advance. So of course the Princeton-Cornell women's lax game is scheduled after the men's game between Cornell and Dartmouth for 3 pm; Syracuse-Marquette for the trip to the Final Four at 4:30.

 

Well, good news as my friend allowed me to borrow his car and I headed down to Ithaca for the lacrosse doubleheader. Cornell blew out Dartmouth in the men's game which provided me some time to walk a bit around campus. Then it was time for the women's game. I was a bit jaded at women's lacrosse after Northwestern stall balled their way to a national title against Syracuse the year before with me in attendance, but this game made me enjoy the women's game again. Very close, exciting, fast paced game. And best yet, it was a game where my friend really stepped up and the Tigers defense locked down the Big Red at the end of the game. Princeton won so I was quite happy, and of course it was very special for the two of us to see each other after the game and it felt like a promised fulfilled.

 

The Syracuse-Marquette game started late in the 2nd half of the lacrosse game, so I threw it on my phone. Syracuse went on a big run to start the game and that was pretty much it for the scoring in that game. But then after the game at Cornell, I hurried into my (Syracuse) friend's car, had my list of AM stations in Ithaca, Cortland, and Syracuse carrying the game, and threw it on the radio. It was a frenzied drive back from Ithaca through NY 13 and the dreaded Dryden speed trap (no, the town is not named after Cornell hero Ken Dryden), then through downtown Cortland and onto I-81. Game hits halftime just as I get onto 81.

 

Make it back to my friends' apartment at the under-16 timeout and catch the rest of the game. Just like I do not care that the Islanders used Lou and Barry's anti-hockey to get themselves 3 periods and an overtime away from a Stanley Cup Final this year, I do not care that Syracuse-Marquette had the worst arena Elite 8 game of the decade. Syracuse's D was a machine that tournament and it was humming at full throttle this game.

 

The nervousness was starting to wear off and it was becoming clearer and clearer that this was finally happening. Freshman year the Orange were going to win it all if A.O. doesn't get hurt in the Big East Tournament. Junior year it was destined to be Syracuse-Kentucky for the title until Fab Melo ran into his issues. Senior year? I was giving up on their chances when I walked out of the Dome for the home finale. They looked shaky against DePaul and they were losing quite a lot of games the back end of Big East play. But they went on a roll their final Big East Tournament making it to the final against soon to be national champ Louisville, and then they carried it over to the Big Dance.

 

And then the clock ticked down, and Syracuse was going to their first Final Four in 10 years, and it just so happened to be in my senior year there! I'll never forget the scenes with all of us celebrating the win and then the drive back to main campus from south with all of frat row on Comstock Avenue becoming one big jubilation over the game. It lucked out to be one of those March days in Central New York where the weather was beautiful and in the 60s and not that late winter lake effect snow. And it just felt like the best day ever. Yes, it's a bit of a personal story day with connections to lifelong friends and the college you attend, but it really was the best day of my sports fandom life.

[CaliforniaGlowin]

Honestly?  This year.

Dodgers WS champs

Macon Bacon league champs

Miami Heat were almost NBA champs

Coastal Carolina co-conference champs, undefeated season

Seahawks and Rams fighting for playoffs

Brooklyn Nets stars are finally playing together

 

I've never had so many good teams at one time.  And all in a upside down year!

[infrared41]

2 minutes ago, CaliforniaGlowin said:

I've never had so many good teams at one time.

 

First you gotta have a lot of teams and you seem to have checked that box and then some. Can't say I've run across many Seahawks/Rams fans or Heat/Nets fans. 

[JayMac]

18 hours ago, infrared41 said:

 

First you gotta have a lot of teams and you seem to have checked that box and then some. Can't say I've run across many Seahawks/Rams fans or Heat/Nets fans. 

Yes I have to call a foul on being a Seahawks AND Rams fan!

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I've had a pretty good run lately, with my favorite soccer team winning a title in 2019 (Sounders), my favorite basketball team in 2020 (Lakers), and the two football teams I follow -- Seattle and Buffalo -- both being either good or very good these last two seasons. Having suffered through bad Bills teams the better part of 20 years, the best you can hope for as a sports fan is for your team to matter. And right now, all of my teams do.

 

But as far as greatest day, it has to be game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. To me, it's the greatest championship game of all time, with some of the greatest championship moments, and a cathartic title for both LeBron James and the city of Cleveland. Coming back from 3-1 is legendary, and doing it against a 73-win team even more so.

[Kooky01]

1. 11/1/2017 - Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. Yes, I know the Astros cheated but it was still awesome to see a team you've basically been a fan of all your life win their first championship. Game 2 and Game 5 were pretty fun, but that didn't give the 'Stros the title. Houston didn't want to win the World Series, they NEEDED to win the World Series after Harvey and they did (sorry not sorry Dodger fans, it's still officially our title)

 

2. 6/12/2011 - Game 6 2011 NBA Finals. The Mavs cinderella run that year instantlly made me a basketball fan. It was my familys first year living in DFW and the energy was just electric. Never seen a city come alive like that. 

 

3. 1/4/2020 - Titans vs Patriots AFC Wild Card. Beating the Patriots in Foxboro in Brady's last game as a Pat? Heck Yeah!

 

4. 9/4/2020 and 9/14/2020 - Stars series clinching OT wins vs Colorado and Vegas respectively. 

[JerseyJimmy]

I don't have one.

 

what, the 2015 Mets winning the NLCS only to immediately prolapse in the WS? the Isles forcing game 7 only to do absolutely nothing in said game 7? Coastal going 12-0 only to get virus'd out of an outright conference title and refball'd out of their undefeated season/first bowl win against Liberty of all schools?

 

I don't have fond memories of these moments because I can only think about how they led to nothing. the only NY teams allowed to win titles are the ones I didn't pick. even the Tiger-Cats, the CFL team I only tangentially support, haven't won a Grey Cup since I was two years old - and this is a league where the average drought between titles is, what, five years?

 

so, really, my only options are Melo-era Syracuse's national title I can only barely remember or Coastal's College World Series championship. we're resorting to college baseball here. it's that bad.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

13 hours ago, JerseyJimmy said:

I don't have fond memories of these moments because I can only think about how they led to nothing.

 

A couple of years ago, back on the first page of this thread, I wrote that there were three contenders for the best moment of my life as a sports fan. But eventually I realised that the single best moment amongst those three was Chris Chambliss's pennant-winning home run in 1976. This, despite the fact that the Yankees went on to lose that year's World Series. The Chambliss homer is the only moment that can move me to tears, and so it outranks any moment associated with the World Series victories of the following two years.

 

The point here is that a season that does not result in the overall championship has not "led to nothing". The thrills experienced during the ride are still precious.

 

Now, one might retort that I have the luxury of feeling that way, on account of my team having gone all the way in the following two seasons; and I acknowledge the validity of that point. Still, when I look back on my childhood, I can honestly say that nothing made me happier at the time than the dramatic pennant win of 1976. The subsequent World Series loss sure was disappointing (even a bit embarrassing, as it was a sweep); but this did not negate the joy of the magnificent moment of the Chambliss blast.

 

When I retired from following current baseball after the 1996 season, I also retired from being a Yankee fan. And I am glad I did, because I find that I have no affinity with current-day Yankee fans, who generally have the attitude that a season that does not end with a world championship is a failure. I cannot abide such a total denial of the rich texture of the fan experience. 

 

Please do not be like today's artless and goony Yankee fans. While every supporter wants his or her team to go all the way, it's never an all-or-nothing type of thing, and there is much beauty to be had along the way.

 

Magical moments are in no way tarnished by subsequent disappointing events. So I say to relish every moment that moves you, accepting each one as an unlikely gift from the Universe.

[Glover]

12 hours ago, JerseyJimmy said:

I don't have one.

 

what, the 2015 Mets winning the NLCS only to immediately prolapse in the WS? the Isles forcing game 7 only to do absolutely nothing in said game 7? Coastal going 12-0 only to get virus'd out of an outright conference title and refball'd out of their undefeated season/first bowl win against Liberty of all schools?

 

I don't have fond memories of these moments because I can only think about how they led to nothing. the only NY teams allowed to win titles are the ones I didn't pick. even the Tiger-Cats, the CFL team I only tangentially support, haven't won a Grey Cup since I was two years old - and this is a league where the average drought between titles is, what, five years?

 

so, really, my only options are Melo-era Syracuse's national title I can only barely remember or Coastal's College World Series championship. we're resorting to college baseball here. it's that bad.

This is depressing.  You're still allowed to look back fondly on teams that were fun to watch, or big moments that had you jumping out of your seat cheering. One of the best sport moments of my life was seeing the Browns win a playoff game, against their rival and ending a 17-year winless drought at Heinz Field on top of it all. I obviously wish they could have won the next game too, but I still watch highlights of that wild card game to this day and it still makes me smile. I'll be watching highlights of that game for the rest of my life and reliving how I felt that night. 

[Sport]

There's 30+ teams in every league so the vast majority of the time you're not going to watch your teams win it all. The best sports day of my life is a first round playoff win. Take your victories when they come. 

[Magnus]

My best moments as a sports fan:

Pro leagues:
NHL:  Game 5 of 2010 Eastern Conference Final
MLB: Game 6 of 1993 World Series
NBA: Game 6 of 2019 NBA Finals, Game 7 of Raptors-Sixers Series (2019)
CFL: 2004, 2012, 2017 Grey Cups
NFL: Super Bowls 42, 45, 46, and 52

Olympics: 2002/20210 Gold Medal Ice Hockey Games (both women's and men's games)
Donovan Bailey's 1996 gold medal - 100 m

Intramural sports: Watching my buddy's flag football team win their local league championship
(I know, lame - but it was a special moment for us)

[CS85]

NHL:

• 2 goals in 17 seconds
• Seabrook's game 7 dagger against Detroit

MLB:

• Montero's grand slam in the 8th inning, game 1 of NLCS against Dodgers
• Cubs winning the world series in game 7

NBA:

• Pacers beating the Knicks to make the finals in 2000

NFL:

• 2001 Bears, Mike Brown pick-sixes to beat the 49ers and Browns
• pretty much the entire 2001 Bears season before the Eagles game
• the 2006 Bears entire season through the kickoff return against the Colts; the rest I choose not to remember

 

 

[CaliforniaGlowin]

Today:

#22 Tennessee MBB beat #3 Kansas!!!

LIU Hockey beat Ohio State.  First win against a ranked opponent.

Kraken beat Golden Knights, now 2nd in Pacific.

Kings beat Sharks (would have liked the Sharks get the win in their first RR game though).

Boise State beat Utah State, 8-0 in conf play.

Eastern Michigan beat Central Michigan.

Southern MBB beat Loyola MD.

USF MBB beat St. Francis, only their 2nd win of the season.

Hornets beat Wolves by 2 in Hornets city uni debut

Heat beat Wizards by 3.