What sporting event in history would you attend if you could?

Secretariat winning the Triple Crown. (all three races would be awesome to have been at)

Miracle on Ice

I might think of more.

 

Miracle on Ice game.

97 Masters, in the crowd following Tiger.

Final Regular Season Brewers game from last year, when they clinched a Playoff spot.

Ice Bowl.

 

I'll give a similar situation to show why I disagree with this way of thinking.

2004 College World Series: Clemson was 1 win away from the national title game. South Carolina our rival came out of the loser's bracket and had to beat us twice to advance to the title game. They did just that beating us in consecutive games by the scores 10-2 and 12-4. It was an epic choke on our part and USC had all the bragging rights.

However South Carolina lost the national title game to Texas and so they ending the year with the same result as us, no title. This took a lot of sting out of the loss. If they had brought home the championship, we would never here the end of it. Now we can say to them, "yeah you beat us but then y'all choked vs Texas, a team we would have beaten."

If they Red Sox had gone on to lose the World Series vs the Cardinals, it would take a lot of glory out of the comeback vs the Yankees. Yankee fans could have laughed at the inability of the Red Sox to win a title despite beating them and pointed to their several titles. But the winning of the world series was key as now Red Sox fans can say that their comeback over the Yankees led them to the world series title and hence broke the curse and now the Sox have 2 more recent titles than the Yankees do.

 

To put it another way, the Red Sox beating the Yankees was the climax of the story. Winning the title versus the Cardinals was just the epilogue.

 

The day Sweden clinched 3rd in the World Cup in US '94, the month before I was born.

 

Very good post, red. What you say makes sense, and perhaps the best analogy of all is the Miracle on Ice. Herb Brooks warned his players that if they lost to Finland, nobody would care about their victory over Russia. And it would have lost a lot of luster if they had in fact lost to Finland, so it's good that they went out and beat them.

I think for Sox fans, the most important part of the story was beating the Yankees, but only beating the Cardinals made it possible for the victory to stick and mean something.

 

Maybe when Inter won their first Italian title.

 

26 May 1989 - Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal.

In with the Gooners of course.

Last match of the season, and the title decider. Going into the game, Liverpool were 3 points ahead, with a 4 goal superior goal difference. Arsenal had scored more throughout the season, so needed to win by two (or more) goals to win the title.

Alan Smith scored in the 52nd minute to put Arsenal 1-0 up. Michael Thomas got the second goal in the third minute of injury time, to secure the title with literally the last kick of the season. Quite simply the greatest ever finish to a game of football.

 

Nonsense. 1999 CL final.

 

Would this be just to see Matthews?

For me, the 72 League Cup Final, the 72 FA cup final, just to abduct the guy in the White jacket who played the Arsenal player onside!

Also Matthews tribute game at the Old Vic, so many world stars there would have been unbelievable.

Away from my own team, the 66 World Cup final. Final day of the 05 Oval Ashes Test match.

I would have given anything to be at any of the Stoke home games last season

 

Yeah, I would have loved to have seen him live (and get his medal at last) but also Mortensen getting his hat-trick.

 

It is one thing that saddens me being a Stoke Fan that Stan never won anything with us, for all of his skill and longevity you would have though that we could have built a side around him to at least win something...

Fantastic player, but more so a great person.

 

1997/1998 AFL grand finals

2002, 2008 Wimbledon finals

1996 Atlanta 1500m swim final

 

I respectfully disagree. Yes the 1999 CL final had a dramatic finish (as did the 1979 FA Cup final, and countless other games) but as cup matches they are by there very nature one offs. What happens in one round doesn't affect the next, a 1-0 win is as valueable as a 4-0 win - both results see you progress (or win).

The Anfield match is different. Rather than a one off game this was the culmination of a 38 match season. The game was between the two teams who had been scrapping for the title. Just one more goal for either side at any point of the season would have dramatically changed the dynamics of the final match. Unlike a cup final, there was 10 months of football coming down to that one moment in the last few seconds of the whole season. In my opinion this makes it unique and why I called it the greatest ever finish.

 

2002 Wimbledon final? That was a beatdow.

 

A beatdown isn't necessarily bad from the "want to be there" perspective. Sure, most games you'd think of are the classics, the great finishes, stuff like that. But sometimes a beatdown can also be viewed as an incredible show of dominance, which can be worth it in another way.

 

My bad, I meant 2001, Ivanisevic v Rafter. Though 2002 was an Aussie victory so I couldn't really complain about that one either.

 

If I could:

-Fight between Marco Antonio Barrera Vs. Erik Morales I

-Fight between Irish Micky Ward Vs. Arturo Gatti I

-1983 Superbowl....I wish I could have watched the game live, and saw Marcus Allen's historic game.

-Andre Agassi Vs. Pete Sampras...any venue, any time, any tournament.

 

I must respectfully disagree with you sir! Coming from behind to score not only the tying goal in injury time but also the winner to capture the European Cup and in doing so achieving a historic treble, was far more than the culmination of a 38 game season. I'm not sure a better finish to a game of football or a season is possible.

 

This, for sure.

 

I have a few

1987 World Series Game 7 Twins Cardinals WS
1991 Game 6 and 7 Twins Braves WS
Vikings embarrasing the Packers in the NFL playoffs at Lambeau

 

I agree with many already listed.

Miracle on Ice

Federer-Nadal

Ice Bowl

Super Bowl I

One I haven't seen mentioned that I would have loved to have seen is the 1999 Ryder Cup. It was the largest comeback in Ryder Cup history and saw possibly the most controversial celebration in the history of golf.

Edit: Also wish I had been able to go to the 2008 Ryder Cup, which was in my home state, and saw the Americans, led by two Kentuckians, win back the cup on their home turf.

 

most of those already listed, for one.

going back in time to see bobby jones complete the grand slam. every tournament for that one (i see it as one event, honestly).

bobby jones at st andrews pretty much period.

go back and see old tom morris play.

francis ouimeit (SP?) beating harry vardon in the US Open as an amateur and in his early twenties.

any of the bulls finals with jordan, or any of 50+ point games, or really just getting to see jordan play at his peak.

the original dream team's olympics, or the most recent one.

 

The men's 100 fly at the Beijing Olympics. We all thought Phelps had lost his chance to beat Spitz... but nope.

 

Miracle on Ice