One of the best things about being an American sports fan is having the ability to select from a wide range of great events that cover so many different sports. From the World Series to the Masters, the Super Bowl and the Kentucky Derby, there is no shortage of fantastic shows. Getting tickets to these events can be expensive and difficult, but we’ve got that covered as we Americans make sure to televise every event. As many great events as there are to talk about, I’ll cover what I think is the most prestigious, unique, and fun.
The Kentucky Derby is an American tradition that captures the spirit and imagination of the public. Held every year since 1875, it is the longest running continuous sporting event in the US The Kentucky Derby traditions are one of the hallmarks of the event, as the mint juleps, hats, The costumes and singing of My Old Kentucky Home have almost become synonymous with horse racing for the general public. Churchill Downs is the most famous race track in the world and each year more than 150,000 racing fans travel to Louisville, Kentucky to be part of the excitement. The Bluegrass State has long had an excellent reputation as the place where thoroughbred champions are born and raised in hopes of one day making it to “Run for the Roses” on the first Saturday in May. The Kentucky Derby race itself lasts just over two minutes, but the excitement and excitement builds over months and it truly is one of our biggest events.
The Super Bowl doesn’t have a long tradition like the Kentucky Derby or the World Series, but it has gained a lot of ground in a short time. The first Super Bowl was played in 1967 and was originally a game conceived from a merger agreement between the NFL and the now-defunct AFL. As professional soccer began to compete with baseball as the nation’s most important sport, the NFL made a more concerted effort to promote this game as the one-day main event in all team sports. With the advent of television and Monday Night Football, the NFL became a marketing giant, and the Super Bowl gained popularity with each passing year. Not only is the game a big deal for fans, but people who don’t watch a football game during the regular season use it as a reason to meet up with friends and party. The promotion of the game has led to a week-long celebration in the host cities, while there are countless radio and television shows dedicated to breaking the big game. You could say that the Super Bowl has become a huge part of our economy, generating revenue for host cities, clothing manufacturers, and most importantly (well, if you’re a huge fan of stadium food) Party food distributors! The Super Bowl is watched by fans around the world, and while it remains uniquely American, it has transcended our borders and has become a global phenomenon.
Perhaps the most recent explosion of sports interest has been the NCAA basketball tournament. It began in 1939 as a way for colleges and universities that played basketball under the NCAA flag to crown a season champion. Only eight teams participated in the first few years, but over time it has evolved to have 16 teams, then 32, then 48 and up to 64. More recently four more teams were added to the tournament field and now we are on our feet. at 68. The event may have been popular with fans of the schools that participated in the tournament, but it was not until 1969 that it was televised in any meaningful way. As the era of sports on television began to explode, so did interest in the tournament. It was marketing that really got the ball rolling into what is now one of the most exciting times of the year. The tournament began to be called “March Madness” and all of a sudden, people who barely saw a game other than the one played by their favorite team started to enjoy basketball as a hobby or pastime. Office clusters started to spring up and people who hadn’t cared about basketball before were making predictions about who would win and local pubs started throwing “watch parties.” ESPN’s emergence as the host of NCAA regular-season games also bolstered interest, as fans were no longer relegated to local coverage of the teams. Now they could watch almost every team play from anywhere in the country. The NCAA tournament is now one of the top sporting events in the country, as it is impossible to go anywhere in the US during March without hearing people talk about the tournament.
There are other great American sporting events we could follow, such as the Masters Golf Tournament, the BCS Soccer Championship, the Indianapolis 500, and the World Series, but no sport captures the nation’s attention quite like the Kentucky Derby. the Super Bowl and the NCAA basketball tournament. Those events have transcended our shores and thrill fans around the world!
