Non revenue college sports, especially if the team is good.
College softball is 2 hours, fast paced, fun, and at Michigan the women will occasionally hit homers that land in the middle of the baseball field, startling the center fielder in the baseball game.
College soccer is also excellent- especially in a passionate rivalry.
I went to a game in my hometown once when back from college. This is many levels down in the hierarchy of the minor leagues, not directly affiliated with any NHL team. So you're seeing young guys not good enough for the AHL and old guys still chasing something. (RIP Elmira Jackals).
My Dad and I went to dinner beforehand, and showed up mid-way through the first period. Walked into the stadium and in the tunnel to the stands. A very friendly usher offered to help us find our seats. He looks at our tickets, turns around to lead us into the stands, and then stops and says "I can't seat you right now. There's a fight going on!"
We walked into a full out brawl right as the benches started to empty. Goalies skating out to center ice to meet each other. Backup goalies squaring off. Refs frantically going from scrum to scrum, failing to pull anyone off. Coaches jumping onto the ice and shuffle running over to try to help, and then getting dragged into the fight.
It took about 30 mins for the whole thing to settle. The refs escorted guys off one by one as they were able to peel them away. Then they huddled for a long to figure out what to do while the equipment managers had to go round picking up gloves, helmets, sticks, jerseys and other stuff.
They kicked damn near everyone out and the teams played the game 8 v 7 including goalies the rest of the way. Toward the end of the 2nd period, the players that were kicked out started trickling in and sitting in the section behind us and a shouting/shoving match between a few of the guys who still hadn't gotten it out of their system ensued until security came and escorted them out of the arena entirely.
Games where the result and the teams themselves are completely overshadowed by a surprise guest or event:
I happened to be at the Tennessee *men's* basketball game when Pat Summitt (RIP) ran out onto the court dressed up as a cheerleader and led everyone in the most rousing rendition of Rocky Top I have ever heard.
Oh man, reading this brought back great/terrible memories of RFK Stadium. The new facilities at Nationals Park and Audi Field are 1000 times "nicer" by any metric. But there aren't any feral racoons running around in the new places. What a dump, I loved it.
I have to agree with your takes, especially since they confirm my belief that my hometown of Toledo is a fantastic sports-watching city. Mud Hens games are a great way to spend a summer afternoon. Watching the now-defunct Storm in the dilapidated, perfectly named Toledo Sports Arena was everything minor league hockey should be - poorly lit close confines, atmosphere defined by stale smoke and beer aromas, and shouts of "Red ice!" from the opening face-off. The Walleye and their fancy new downtown arena are also a lot of fun.
Of course, the best sports experience in town is watching the Rockets at the Glass Bowl. My personal favorite was watching Bruce Gradkowski turn a 27-7 halftime deficit against hated rival BGSU into a thrilling 49-41 victory on their way to a MAC championship (the most important conference championship, according to the experts).
To your "a completely random game that you have absolutely no personal stake in", I'd add that it's significantly better if you don't fully understand the sport. Toronto hosted the 2015 Pan Am Games and the great thing about the Pan Am Games is that aside from the standard olympic sports they also have events like Roller Figure Skating or Basque Pelota or Water Skiing. It's also decidedly not the olympics because as long as Canada wasn't playing in the game you were buying tickets for, they were maybe $5 and nobody really cared if you went into a second game afterwards without a ticket.
Another top tier viewing experience, to add to your minor league baseball, is seeing an elite player against much worse competition. It can be "deGrom threw 41 pitches in three innings of work against the Palm Beach Cardinals, allowing just one baserunner on an error and striking out eight of the 10 batters he faced" or a guy trying to rehab his career signing a minor league deal for whatever reason and just lighting their opponents up. Doesn't have to be baseball, can just be any game where wins and losses seem off the table immediately, you're just watching to see what that guy can do.
On that note, Toronto had a pro Rugby League team in the English system from 2017-2020. The original owner was some Australian mining magnate who loved the game so much he was cool losing money to spread it to new places. He paid for a full team that was at least a tier above the league it was playing in their inaugural season. They went 20-1-1 in 22 games, and outscored the opposition by 950 points in those 22 games. The fans barely knew what was going on (rugby league's essentially a midway point between american football and rugby union) but would cheer for stupid things like trying to get players to kick the ball out of the stadium and hit a streetcar on the conversion attempts (which did happen, and was great when it did). The perfect sports viewing experience.
Best sports experience: Standing near the finish of a marathon. I cry, can't help it, watching the runners come in, knowing what they've been through - the long, lonely miles of training, the injuries, the fatigue, the courage. It's all there, and it's free.
I went to George Mason and attended a bunch of games against VCU back when both schools were making tournament runs every year. Last head to head I attended, we won on a last second three. I apparently tried to fight an old VCU fan who came down to yell at our student section, despite having my right arm in an immovable brace after major shoulder surgery. I have no recollection of this and my friends who claim it happened are known liars (citation needed).
2. MLB team doing its first meaningful winning
Went to a ton of Nats games leading up to the first world series win. I had moved out of town by then but the years leading up to it were still exciting because we could all tell this was going to be a good team, we just weren't sure how good they could be.
3. NFL at home, but mostly for food
For years I'd host NFL games at my place and cook up a bunch of food. That's actually how I got to know my wife, who didn't care about football but would come to hang out and eat. These events were what I used to justify a huge TV, which is one of the first things that had to go after we got married. Not still bitter, why do you ask
You hit on a lot of them, the cold weather MLB playoff game is definitely a favorite. The one that I love that no longer exists is an NCAA hockey regional in your team's own building. Michigan hosted the Midwest Regional at Yost in both 2002 and 2003, and 2002 lead to "The Molly Incident" which has been handed down in story and song.
I visited Iowa City for the first time in 2017 the day they played the Buckeyes. I had no rooting interest, but watching everyone lose their minds as the Hawks put up 55 points out of nowhere was unforgettable.
The entirety of the 2013 Southern League (AA) Championship series. It would end up being my last full year in Birmingham, and the Barons had just opened a new downtown stadium. My buddy Will and I competed to see who could go to the most games. Both of us ended up in the high 20s. But the Barons were good that year, and won the championship. I was at every home game of the series, buying tickets to the next one on the way to the bike rack to get home. After they won it in 7 we went to the brewery all my friends worked at next door, and eventually the players brought the trophy over, and I snuck behind the bar to touch it.
Speaking of BYU, a random connection ... in 1972, I was on the freshman football team at the Air Force Academy. We played a game there and I remember the field and the stadium from the visitors side (which was basically nothing but the towering home side stands).
One of my teammates was a guy named Brian Billick, who was also in my math class. He left during or after our second semester freshman year. Later we heard he had transferred to BYU. Then, apparently, had some success coaching in the NFL before heading to the TV broadcast booth.
In addition to Brian, another classmate on that freshman team was Randy Spetman. He stayed to graduate and later came back to the Academy as a full colonel, serving as athletic director. He then moved on to Florida State as AD in 2008.
Just goes to show, you live long enough and pay attention, you find people from your past go on to do great things. :)
Very niche and specific, but: any time the home team makes a playoff run on the heels of a local tragedy. Putting aside all the other stuff about that team, but the Astros' 2017 WS run after Hurricane Harvey put the whole city under water made those playoff games electric in a way that can't be replicated.
Add to that the previously mentioned "bad team is finally good" aspect of that year, and those home games were loud and euphoric and cathartic in a way that I can't describe. Lots of hugging strangers. It was definitely too loud to hear a trash can.
See also: Saints after Katrina, BoSox after the marathon bombing, A&M beating Texas after the bonfire collapse (another one I got to be there for), etc.
One of my most enjoyable sporting experiences was ArenaBowl XXXI- the teams were 7-5 and 2-10 going into the playoffs, the 2-10 team won the whole thing, tickets were 8 bucks, Rob Base played halftime and they set off the confetti after the final play...but there was a flag, so they had to play an untimed down, in a two-score game, with confetti all over the Astroturf. No one was all that invested in the outcome, and the arena was like maaaybe half full. For a certain kind of person, it was perfection.
I also have a fondness for attending any football game in the snow- you end up there with the people that could only get tickets to this game and THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE IT WORK DAMMIT or the complete psychopaths that are generally more docile in the cold. Plus, weird weather games are always fun, and it's way better to be in the snow than a monsoon.
On a more positive note, the energy in a college town before a big game is so great. That town-wide buzz is so specifically college sports and I love it dearly. Getting out of class on a Tuesday night and walking past the RVs that are already setting up for Saturday is just so surreal and great. If you have a rooting interest or not, highly recommend going to a game like that, but in an actual college town.
- In Madison, WI, the absolute best sports bang for your buck was UW women's hockey: high-level play, devoted and involved fans, and I once got in to a game for the sum total of two canned goods. Deeply underappreciated sport. (I expect this is similar in Minneapolis and Ann Arbor.)
Actually, college hockey in general is a pretty good option, at least in Minnesota and Wisconsin where I've been to most of my games. Intense, intense student sections.
- I was a swimmer in high school, and going back to catch a meet over Christmas break my first two years of college (when I still had friends on the team) was a great experience.
Non revenue college sports, especially if the team is good.
College softball is 2 hours, fast paced, fun, and at Michigan the women will occasionally hit homers that land in the middle of the baseball field, startling the center fielder in the baseball game.
College soccer is also excellent- especially in a passionate rivalry.
Minor League Hockey - Validating your reasoning.
I went to a game in my hometown once when back from college. This is many levels down in the hierarchy of the minor leagues, not directly affiliated with any NHL team. So you're seeing young guys not good enough for the AHL and old guys still chasing something. (RIP Elmira Jackals).
My Dad and I went to dinner beforehand, and showed up mid-way through the first period. Walked into the stadium and in the tunnel to the stands. A very friendly usher offered to help us find our seats. He looks at our tickets, turns around to lead us into the stands, and then stops and says "I can't seat you right now. There's a fight going on!"
We walked into a full out brawl right as the benches started to empty. Goalies skating out to center ice to meet each other. Backup goalies squaring off. Refs frantically going from scrum to scrum, failing to pull anyone off. Coaches jumping onto the ice and shuffle running over to try to help, and then getting dragged into the fight.
It took about 30 mins for the whole thing to settle. The refs escorted guys off one by one as they were able to peel them away. Then they huddled for a long to figure out what to do while the equipment managers had to go round picking up gloves, helmets, sticks, jerseys and other stuff.
They kicked damn near everyone out and the teams played the game 8 v 7 including goalies the rest of the way. Toward the end of the 2nd period, the players that were kicked out started trickling in and sitting in the section behind us and a shouting/shoving match between a few of the guys who still hadn't gotten it out of their system ensued until security came and escorted them out of the arena entirely.
Games where the result and the teams themselves are completely overshadowed by a surprise guest or event:
I happened to be at the Tennessee *men's* basketball game when Pat Summitt (RIP) ran out onto the court dressed up as a cheerleader and led everyone in the most rousing rendition of Rocky Top I have ever heard.
Oh man, reading this brought back great/terrible memories of RFK Stadium. The new facilities at Nationals Park and Audi Field are 1000 times "nicer" by any metric. But there aren't any feral racoons running around in the new places. What a dump, I loved it.
I have to agree with your takes, especially since they confirm my belief that my hometown of Toledo is a fantastic sports-watching city. Mud Hens games are a great way to spend a summer afternoon. Watching the now-defunct Storm in the dilapidated, perfectly named Toledo Sports Arena was everything minor league hockey should be - poorly lit close confines, atmosphere defined by stale smoke and beer aromas, and shouts of "Red ice!" from the opening face-off. The Walleye and their fancy new downtown arena are also a lot of fun.
Of course, the best sports experience in town is watching the Rockets at the Glass Bowl. My personal favorite was watching Bruce Gradkowski turn a 27-7 halftime deficit against hated rival BGSU into a thrilling 49-41 victory on their way to a MAC championship (the most important conference championship, according to the experts).
To your "a completely random game that you have absolutely no personal stake in", I'd add that it's significantly better if you don't fully understand the sport. Toronto hosted the 2015 Pan Am Games and the great thing about the Pan Am Games is that aside from the standard olympic sports they also have events like Roller Figure Skating or Basque Pelota or Water Skiing. It's also decidedly not the olympics because as long as Canada wasn't playing in the game you were buying tickets for, they were maybe $5 and nobody really cared if you went into a second game afterwards without a ticket.
Another top tier viewing experience, to add to your minor league baseball, is seeing an elite player against much worse competition. It can be "deGrom threw 41 pitches in three innings of work against the Palm Beach Cardinals, allowing just one baserunner on an error and striking out eight of the 10 batters he faced" or a guy trying to rehab his career signing a minor league deal for whatever reason and just lighting their opponents up. Doesn't have to be baseball, can just be any game where wins and losses seem off the table immediately, you're just watching to see what that guy can do.
On that note, Toronto had a pro Rugby League team in the English system from 2017-2020. The original owner was some Australian mining magnate who loved the game so much he was cool losing money to spread it to new places. He paid for a full team that was at least a tier above the league it was playing in their inaugural season. They went 20-1-1 in 22 games, and outscored the opposition by 950 points in those 22 games. The fans barely knew what was going on (rugby league's essentially a midway point between american football and rugby union) but would cheer for stupid things like trying to get players to kick the ball out of the stadium and hit a streetcar on the conversion attempts (which did happen, and was great when it did). The perfect sports viewing experience.
Best sports experience: Standing near the finish of a marathon. I cry, can't help it, watching the runners come in, knowing what they've been through - the long, lonely miles of training, the injuries, the fatigue, the courage. It's all there, and it's free.
Hard to argue with your rankings.
1. College basketball with stakes.
I went to George Mason and attended a bunch of games against VCU back when both schools were making tournament runs every year. Last head to head I attended, we won on a last second three. I apparently tried to fight an old VCU fan who came down to yell at our student section, despite having my right arm in an immovable brace after major shoulder surgery. I have no recollection of this and my friends who claim it happened are known liars (citation needed).
2. MLB team doing its first meaningful winning
Went to a ton of Nats games leading up to the first world series win. I had moved out of town by then but the years leading up to it were still exciting because we could all tell this was going to be a good team, we just weren't sure how good they could be.
3. NFL at home, but mostly for food
For years I'd host NFL games at my place and cook up a bunch of food. That's actually how I got to know my wife, who didn't care about football but would come to hang out and eat. These events were what I used to justify a huge TV, which is one of the first things that had to go after we got married. Not still bitter, why do you ask
You hit on a lot of them, the cold weather MLB playoff game is definitely a favorite. The one that I love that no longer exists is an NCAA hockey regional in your team's own building. Michigan hosted the Midwest Regional at Yost in both 2002 and 2003, and 2002 lead to "The Molly Incident" which has been handed down in story and song.
https://mgoblog.com/diaries/ten-years-later-2002-regionals-molly-and-greatest-weekend-yost-history
The 2002 NCAA Regional is why schools are no longer allowed to host regionals in their own arena. (This may not be true, but it feels true.)
I visited Iowa City for the first time in 2017 the day they played the Buckeyes. I had no rooting interest, but watching everyone lose their minds as the Hawks put up 55 points out of nowhere was unforgettable.
The entirety of the 2013 Southern League (AA) Championship series. It would end up being my last full year in Birmingham, and the Barons had just opened a new downtown stadium. My buddy Will and I competed to see who could go to the most games. Both of us ended up in the high 20s. But the Barons were good that year, and won the championship. I was at every home game of the series, buying tickets to the next one on the way to the bike rack to get home. After they won it in 7 we went to the brewery all my friends worked at next door, and eventually the players brought the trophy over, and I snuck behind the bar to touch it.
Speaking of BYU, a random connection ... in 1972, I was on the freshman football team at the Air Force Academy. We played a game there and I remember the field and the stadium from the visitors side (which was basically nothing but the towering home side stands).
One of my teammates was a guy named Brian Billick, who was also in my math class. He left during or after our second semester freshman year. Later we heard he had transferred to BYU. Then, apparently, had some success coaching in the NFL before heading to the TV broadcast booth.
In addition to Brian, another classmate on that freshman team was Randy Spetman. He stayed to graduate and later came back to the Academy as a full colonel, serving as athletic director. He then moved on to Florida State as AD in 2008.
Just goes to show, you live long enough and pay attention, you find people from your past go on to do great things. :)
You know, in the history of modern writing, you just can't beat A Kalamazoo Kumite
Very niche and specific, but: any time the home team makes a playoff run on the heels of a local tragedy. Putting aside all the other stuff about that team, but the Astros' 2017 WS run after Hurricane Harvey put the whole city under water made those playoff games electric in a way that can't be replicated.
Add to that the previously mentioned "bad team is finally good" aspect of that year, and those home games were loud and euphoric and cathartic in a way that I can't describe. Lots of hugging strangers. It was definitely too loud to hear a trash can.
See also: Saints after Katrina, BoSox after the marathon bombing, A&M beating Texas after the bonfire collapse (another one I got to be there for), etc.
One of my most enjoyable sporting experiences was ArenaBowl XXXI- the teams were 7-5 and 2-10 going into the playoffs, the 2-10 team won the whole thing, tickets were 8 bucks, Rob Base played halftime and they set off the confetti after the final play...but there was a flag, so they had to play an untimed down, in a two-score game, with confetti all over the Astroturf. No one was all that invested in the outcome, and the arena was like maaaybe half full. For a certain kind of person, it was perfection.
I also have a fondness for attending any football game in the snow- you end up there with the people that could only get tickets to this game and THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE IT WORK DAMMIT or the complete psychopaths that are generally more docile in the cold. Plus, weird weather games are always fun, and it's way better to be in the snow than a monsoon.
On a more positive note, the energy in a college town before a big game is so great. That town-wide buzz is so specifically college sports and I love it dearly. Getting out of class on a Tuesday night and walking past the RVs that are already setting up for Saturday is just so surreal and great. If you have a rooting interest or not, highly recommend going to a game like that, but in an actual college town.
- In Madison, WI, the absolute best sports bang for your buck was UW women's hockey: high-level play, devoted and involved fans, and I once got in to a game for the sum total of two canned goods. Deeply underappreciated sport. (I expect this is similar in Minneapolis and Ann Arbor.)
Actually, college hockey in general is a pretty good option, at least in Minnesota and Wisconsin where I've been to most of my games. Intense, intense student sections.
- I was a swimmer in high school, and going back to catch a meet over Christmas break my first two years of college (when I still had friends on the team) was a great experience.