I went to a college gymnastics meet last night. During the meet, Nebraska senior Janelle Giblin scored a perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars.
Even though Nebraska is a top ten team, it was quite unexpected – the 10.0 was Nebraska’s first in any event since 2011, and only the second in school history on bars.
It was also pretty cool to witness; one of those things that as a sports fan I’ll be able to claim for the rest of my life.
The perfect 10 got me thinking: what other accomplishments and feats should every sports fan aspire to see? A sports fan’s bucket list, if you will.
I’m not talking about sporting events you want to attend (Super Bowl, The Masters, Olympics, Game 7, etc.), but the moments and feats that every sports fan should hope to witness.
My sports fan bucket list is broken out by sport. I’m going to try to limit this list to the universally known items (a walk-off home run) and avoid the obscure, once in a blue moon events (like the one point safety in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl).
Feel free to leave any other suggestions in the comments.
Baseball
- Walk-off home run
- No hitter or perfect game.
- Batter hits for the cycle.
- A triple play.*
*A personal aside: back in the mid-90s, I went to a Royals – A’s game with some buddies. In the top of the 3rd inning, I headed to concession stands when Oakland was batting (as a lifelong Royals fan, I wanted to watch the Royals bat).
While in line, I heard a loud roar from the KC crowd. I returned to my seat to learn that the Royals had just turned a 5-4-3 triple play. My friends who saw it were, of course, the ones that didn’t care about baseball. They knew they had witnessed something special, while I, the baseball fan, had unwittingly traded a once in a lifetime opportunity for a hotdog and a Coke.
I am still very bitter about this.
Basketball
- A triple-double.
- Game winning buzzer beater from well beyond three-point range.
Hockey
- A hat trick.
- Goal scored by a goalie.
Football*
*I really struggled coming up with bucket list worthy football items. What I came up with were more about the game than individual performances, which is not what this list is about.
Sure, game winning field goals can be exciting, but they can also be rather automatic and generic. I’ve seen some amazing individual accomplishments (a 300 yard rusher, a 500 yard passer, a receiver who had 400 yards in a game) but those are more arbitrary numbers than true bucket list items. Regardless, here is what I came up with:
- A tear down the goal posts win.
- A back and forth, multiple overtime game (high school or college)
- A touchdown involving three or more players touching the ball (trick plays, multiple laterals, etc.).
Other Sports
- A perfect 10 in gymnastics
- Hole in one or a double eagle (witnessing one, not hitting it).
- A world’s record in any Olympic event (track & field, swimming, etc., but not necessarily AT the Olympics)
- A 300 game in bowling
What items are on your sports fan bucket list?
Feit Can Write 