Top Ten Reasons Why We LOVE Sports: Day Eight

#3) The Commentators – Commentary has gone along with the game since the game’s origins.  There have been so many great voices over the years.  To me, these guys, and gals, bring the game to life.  I know some people don’t like the commentators, but they add something to the game if you ask me.  A great voice goes a long, long way. 

Let’s start with The Voice of God, John Facenda.  NFL Films sure as hell knew what they were doing when they brought him in.  Majestic, profound, simplistic.  “It starts with a whistle and ends with a gun.”  “The Autumn Wind is a raider, pillaging just for fun.  He'll knock you 'round and upside down, and laugh when he's conquered and won.”  “As the fourth period began, Denver’s determined offense still needed more restoration work from Norris Weese, what it got instead was a demolition job from the Doomsday Defense.”  It is truly incredible listening to the greatest voice football has ever known. 

Moving right along now.  Who doesn’t love the English commentary of a European futbol game?  “The ball flew straight into the goal, it looked like a frozen rope.”  I don’t know many English commentators, but Ian Darke is who I like best.  Since 2010 he has worked with ESPN, commentating to us silly, futbol-illiterate, Americans.  He did the 2010 FIFA World Cup and will do it again in 2014.  He also commentated the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Julie Foudy and that’s when I started to love his commentary.  Listen in futbol fans, Ian Darke is here to stay, thanks to ESPN.

The last commentator I chose to highlight in detail is someone who most of you will not know.  He announces the Glass City Marathon and the Sylvania Triathlon and Duathlon.  He is known by me simply as Announcer Bob which is okay.  There’s someone like him in every state and country.  We all have our favorite marathon announcers, if running is your forte.  You know the scene though.  Spectators line the end of the route leading to the finish line.  Every runner has their family waiting for them to get the picture of them breaking the imaginary finish tape.  The first placers cross the line, which is great, but the real show begins once the majority start rolling in.  Announcer Bob has his spotter who catches the runners’ numbers from 50 yards away.  He then looks up the number and announces the runners’ name and home town.  Announcer Bob then goes into detail about the runner and how they talked before the race or how he knows the family.  Sometimes he talks about the home town; like, “Where the heck is Island Plains, New York?  Good job Tom Smith!  Way to finish!”  Then there’s the races within the race.  The battles to the finish line.  “They’re neck and neck, toe for toe, right down the line!  Come on, folks, let’s hear it for these two fine competitors!”  The crowd goes wild and it’s too close to call.  Then, “Here comes Jane Smith and it appears she’s got some little ones right on her tail!  Congratulations Jane!  Great finish!”  If you have any idea what I'm talking about, then you know this is truly something spectacular to watch. 

Now time to finish things off.  I don’t have the time these commentators deserve to go in depth, so I’ll just throw them a mention to a few who are my favorites.  Pat Summerall and John Madden.  Brent Musburger, Brad Nessler, Beth Mowins.  Marv Albert and Reggie Miller.  Joe Buck, who does football and baseball.  I think he’s better doing baseball myself.  Bob Uecker.  Mike Tirico, who does just about everything.  Al Michaels, who commentated the 1980 Miracle on Ice and does Sunday Night Football for NBC now.  Those names were in no particular order and definitely deserve much, much more praising than I can give them here. 

Check in tomorrow for #2. 

Top Ten Reasons Why We LOVE Sports: Day Seven

#4) The Camaraderie – The whole point to play sports or watch sports is to have fun, right?  Okay, maybe not, but it’s a huge portion of the point, next to winning.  Merriam-Webster defines camaraderie as a spirit of friendly good-fellowship.  Basically, camaraderie is getting along very well with the people around you.  Fans getting along with fans. Players getting along with players, and coaches. 

To have camaraderie is something special.  You can’t find it growing on a tree or even on eBay.  No, it takes two or more people that just understand each other and, in the end, have a common goal.  For the fans, that goal is making sure they see the whole game and hopefully from a reasonable seat.  For the players and coaches it’s obviously winning the game and eventually winning championships.  At least that’s what we hope the players and coaches want to do, and that their not just in it for the money. 

What camaraderie really is though, pertaining to the sports world, is having the greatest time of your life.  Having fun.  A team of players competing week in and week out, playing the game they love with teammates they love even more.  It truly is one of the most perfect examples of camaraderie, next to America’s Military.  When it comes to the fans’ camaraderie, we all remember the first game our Dad took us to.  We all remember when Mom finally picked out a jersey for game days.  A memory I will always love is going to my hometown hockey team’s games with my Grandmother.  She loves hockey.  Not because it’s incredibly hard to skate and shoot a puck at the same time.  Not because of the scoring or the horn after the score.  No, it’s because of the fights.  That’s right, my Grandmother loves hockey because of the fights.  She loves seeing two opponents rip their gloves off and duke it out.  The camaraderie that is lost by those two opponents is surely gained by my Grandmother and I, and I couldn’t love it any more. 

So there you have it.  Camaraderie is #4.  Check in tomorrow for #3.

Top Ten Reasons Why We LOVE Sports: Day Six

#5) Making Noise – There are many types of noise.  There’s baby noise, car noise, dog barking at 3 AM noise, you’re annoying, why are you talking to me noise, I live next to the airport noise, and so much more.  What this article is about though is sports noise.  It’s the best noise around and everyone contributes. 

From the coach yelling at the players, to the QB or PG calling out the play, to the fans in the stands, to the band, and even the humming from the Goodyear blimp.  It all adds up to turn into something great.  Making noise is just so darned fun!  There’s no way you can disagree with me either, because as a sports fan, you expect there to be loud noises and to make your own loud noises when you go to a game.  A touchdown is scored: fans cheer ecstatically.  The home team has a 2 point lead with little time in the fourth quarter of a basketball game: home fans shout “DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE!”.  You’re at an international futbol game:  Vuvuzelas are all you can hear.  Go to any hockey game: there is at least one instance where somebody yells “HIT SOMEBODY!”. 

And there’s the on field noise.  The defense yelling “pass, pass”.  The offense getting the play call from the sideline.  The chatter coming from trainers who don’t have anything to do.  The whistle of the ref.  The bounce of the basketball.  The collision of pads.  The squeak of sneakers.  The boot of a football or futbol.  The ping of the baseball as is comes off the bat.  The puck slamming and ricocheting off the glass.  All those sounds are part of why we love sports.  It all just seems to make sense.  If those noises don’t happen, it doesn’t seem real.

They do happen though.  And whether or not you’re making noise because your team is winning or losing, or you’re doing it because you hate the other team, or maybe you’re just like any other red blooded sports fan and love to make noise.  It’s all okay, all accepted.  So go ahead, make some noise people.

Check in tomorrow for #4.

Top Ten Reasons Why We LOVE Sports: Day Five

#6) The Food – As American’s, we consume a lot of freaking food.  As humans, we consume a lot of freaking food.  We all love food.  Most of the time, food loves us.  As a sports fan, I am not a stinkin’ vegetarian.  That’s just unethical to me.  Don’t get me wrong, I love veggies, as long as they’re smothered in cheese or on my hot dog or burger.  This could be higher on the list of Top Ten Reasons Why We Love Sports, but I choose to put it here at #6 and here’s why.

If you like eating food, you like to eat all the time.  When game day arrives, for me, it’s all about what kind of food do we have.  Whether I'm watching the game at home, at a sports bar, or from the stands, it’s all about the food.  The food starts off all the festivities.  Make sure the nachos are out of the oven before the game starts.  Make sure we got some thick, chunky, spicy salsa.  Do we have enough charcoal to make it through three plus hours of tailgating?  All this and more is why the food is #6.  It’s only the start of great things to come, in particular, the game.

Of course, once the game starts, everyone is most likely full and bloated from eating one too many chili dogs or because they finished off an entire bag of Doritos JACKED.  It’s understandable though.   You can’t watch the game on an empty stomach.  That’s why when halftime or the middle of the fifth inning roll around, you’re ready for more food.  If you’re eating at a stadium, let me tell you, there are certainly some good, good eats there.  Anything involving pretzel bread is like Heaven on Earth.  If it comes with grilled onions, always ask for extra.  And if it happens to be covered in chili, don’t be a wimp and eat it with a knife and fork, not even a Spork.  You man up, or woman up, and eat that sucker with your bare hands!  Just make sure you don’t spill anything down the front of your jersey. 

Now time for my favorite stadium food.  You can get these at probably every single stadium in the United States.  MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, high school, heck, even little league games.  They all have that crappy hot dog.  You know the one I'm talking about.  It comes out of a giant vat of dogs and wrapped in a piece of aluminum foil.  The bun is soggy and you have to pay for the toppings.  Instead of paying for cheese though, you go the free route and slather a gallon of mustard on that dog and you eat it like it’s the best damn hot dog you’ve ever had.  But let’s face it, that is the best damn hot dog.  That hot dog is what makes the game that much more special.

Check in tomorrow for #5. 

Top Ten Reasons Why We LOVE Sports: Day Four

#7) The Stadiums – I am an Ohio State fan.  Ohio State is in the Big Ten and huge stadiums go along with the Big Ten.  I love football stadiums.  100,000 plus people in one place watching a football game, regardless of what the weather is like, is just fantastic.  The beauty of some of the more recent stadiums that have been built is pretty great too.  Look at Cowboys Stadium, now known as AT&T Stadium.  And it’s obvious that the stadium is important to the front office because of these new stadiums being built.  Also, all the upgrades that every stadium gets.  It seems like every single college football season there’s at least ten stadiums that have been overhauled to fit more fans or got a shiny new jumbotron. 

This story isn’t just about football though.  Let’s look at probably the greatest stadium ever built: Circus Maximus.  It was the first super stadium and rightfully so.  Nearly a half mile long and almost 400 feet wide, Maximus held 150,000 people and could have reached a capacity of 250,000.  It was built in Ancient Rome, which explains why it was built.  Ancient Romans loved a good show as evidenced by the Colosseum, another great stadium.  I think it’s fair to say that we have followed in Roman footsteps when it comes to building stadiums.

Football stadiums, check.  Ancient Rome’s stadiums, check.  What else is left?  How about NASCAR?  I'm not a NASCAR fan, but they sure know how to flock people in there.  Who’s ever idea it was to have the motorhome parking in the infield for NASCAR stadiums was a genius.  Those baseball stadiums.  Some of them are the most b-e-a-utiful things I have ever seen.  How about those futbol stadiums?  The stadiums they construct just for the FIFA world cup, they are incredible.  A stadium built for a single event lasting for only 4 ½ weeks?  If that’s not stadium love, I don’t know what is.

Everything that goes along with these great stadiums just adds to the experience.  I mean, the food, the noise, the announcers, they make the stadiums even better.  By the way, one of those is #6, so check in tomorrow to see which one it is.