The 20 best things in sports: Part 1

As we contemplate college football’s place in the larger picture of American sports, we rank the top 20 things in sports. The list includes sporting events, fan experiences and random parts of the game itself. In Part 1, we’ll get through No. 20-11.

This is one man’s list, so feel free to criticize and debate in the comment sections.

20. World Cup

I’m not exactly your typical soccer fan, but I’ll admit I got into the U.S. games in the recent World Cup. You can’t pay me enough to watch a soccer match that didn’t have the U.S. team playing, but the American team’s attempts at winning some big games were dramatic and quite entertaining. I was pretty much glued to my television during the games; heck, I was even shouting at my TV during dramatic parts of the games. For a soccer game? Yep.

I’m not buying into the idea that soccer is becoming the next big thing in this country, because frankly, we hear it every four years during the World Cup, then nobody talks about soccer once the event is over. But, soccer is definitely growing. We just got an MLS team in Orlando, so I’ll check it out.

Kudos to the United States Men’s team for a good performance in the most recent World Cup. I was in on it, and most people I know were as well. We’ll see what the future holds for my relationship with soccer.

19. The BCS/Playoff Rankings

I love rankings in college football. It is one of the unique elements of the sport. Most of it is nothing more than a way to fill radio shows and television programs, but it’s part of the sport, and I’m all about it.

Until this year, the BCS rankings got the most attention. The controversy of the weekly poll typically involved complaints about the system and talk of computer polls. This year, the controversy switched from computers and formulas to a selection committee itself, and if anything, the controversy increased. Of course the selection committee didn’t help itself with the regular shake up of teams from week to week (mostly TCU), but hey, it added to the drama.

The selection process of postseason participants is a big part of what makes college football… college football.

18. US Open (Tennis)

Like soccer, tennis isn’t on my radar much, but over the years, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the U.S. Open which takes place in Queens in New York City. Arthur Ashe Stadium is definitely part of the draw, and it’s one of those stadiums on my bucket list that I’ve yet to check off (but very much look forward to doing so).

I became hooked on the event during the great finals matches involving guys like Sampras, Roddick and Federer. Agassi’s improbable run to the finals in 2005 was also fantastic.

In 2015, I find myself almost completely checked out of tennis as a sport. But, I still tune in to the U.S. Open when it rolls around each year.

17. Boston Marathon

Even before the recent events at the Boston Marathon, it is one of the biggest events in the country every year. While the New York Marathon gets much of the public attention, the Boston Marathon for many runners is considered the more important event. The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon event going back to before 1900. It is also one of the six World Marathon Majors.

Of course for folks not into marathons, the bombings in 2013 near the finish line of the Boston Marathon catapulted the event to the forefront of sports. Despite the tragedy, the event is bigger than ever as the participation bounced back strongly for the 2014 race.

The Boston Marathon will remain a staple of American sports for years to come.

16. Bristol

Bristol Motor Speedway located in Bristol, Tenn., is one of the largest sport venues in the world, housing over 160,000 people. The track is short, but due to high banking, the cars go faster at Bristol than most short tracks. As such, you get plenty of “paint swapping.” Cars bumping and wrecking is almost inevitable. Most fans know the race from excellent shots of the venue at night, under the lights with its grandstands that circle the entire track.

For most of us sports fans that don’t follow racing closely, I’ll pick and choose races to attend. Bristol is at the top of the list.

15. World’s Largest Cocktail Party

Full Disclosure: I’m a Florida fan. Maybe that fact puts this event higher on my list than yours, but I like to think it also qualifies me to discuss it.

The Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville, Fla., known as the World’s Largest Cocktail Party, is a great football rivalry and one heck of a party all rolled into one wild weekend. Whether it is the hundreds of RVs that pack the lots, the fire-code breaking masses that hit Jacksonville’s Landing on the Friday and Saturday nights or the game itself, it’s hard to find a better weekend packed full of football and fun.

I’ve witnessed all kinds of wild stuff at Florida-Georgia: men in their 40s brawling in an upscale hotel lobby, college kids on golf-cart joy-rides in the middle of the night with golf carts that didn’t belong to them, hundreds of arrests and, oh yeah, some outstanding football games. As a young man attending the event, I slept in my car on two different years, on the floor of a hotel once and just chose not to sleep at all another time. It’s just that kind of weekend.

14. An Auction Style Fantasy Draft

I believe I once heard ESPN’s Bill Simmons say that being in a fantasy league that doesn’t do an auction draft is like having sex with your wife while using a condom. I’m not sure what to make of that analogy, but I found it funny. I think what Simmons was trying to say is that if you’re playing fantasy football or baseball and not doing an auction draft, you’re missing out!

At this stage in my life, I basically only play fantasy sports for the auction draft itself. Once the draft is over, the best part of the whole season is over. I tolerate the remainder of the process, but it’s really about just staying in the league in order to get to next year’s auction draft.

If you’ve experienced an auction draft, you know how fun it can be. In every draft, you always have each of the following… First, you have the guy who blows most of his budget on a huge name right in the beginning. In the beginning, there’s tons of money thrown at the big names and one guy always spends too much putting his team in jeopardy for the sake of a single player. Second, you always have the guy who thinks he’s smarter than everyone and ends the draft with something like $30 in unused funds. Being patient can work, but eventually you’ve got to spend your money. Ending the draft with money is basically the same as the Denver Broncos saying, “No player needed. I’m good” with one of their picks in the NFL Draft.

Personally, I prefer fantasy baseball, but football certainly works as well. Regardless of the sport, an auction style draft is a must.

13. NBA Trade Deadline

Maybe I’m falling victim to some recency bias here, but the NBA trade deadline is quite an exciting time in sports. Trades are typically much less frequent in the NFL compared to the NBA, and frankly, nobody younger than 50 cares about the MLB trade deadline. Some years it might be an entitled superstar demanding a trade; other years it is General Managers trading people like they’re trading shares of Walmart. It’s quite fascinating.

The 2015 NBA trade deadline just passed, and it was nothing short of bananas. A 50-year old Kevin Garnett returned to Minnesota. Pat Riley pulled a fast one to land coveted Goran Dragic from Phoenix. Andre Miller went from Washington to Sacramento. Portland picked up Aaron Afflalo. Michael Carter-Williams went to Milwaukee. Brandon Knight went to Phoenix. OKC landed Enes Canter. And much more.

Good teams got better. Bad teams got worse. Some teams go hard for the playoffs while others go hard for losses. What’s not to love?

12. NFL Draft

If you were ranking these events based on the media coverage, the NFL Draft would be much higher. But frankly, I think the NFL Draft is somewhat overrated based on how much coverage it gets. Most sports fans experience some significant draft fatigue by the time the actual event rolls around. Whether it is McShay’s Mock Draft 47.0 or the endless comparison between the top two QBs (Mariota vs. Winston this year), it can be exhausting if you tune into sports radio or ESPN television on a regular basis.

With that said, The draft itself is quite entertaining. Trading picks and players is quite common even at the top of the first round, and it is always fun to see where some of your favorite SEC stars end up. The first round of the draft in prime time is a must watch.

11. The Masters

Question: How do you get a group of grown men to discuss how beautiful flowers are? Answer: You turn on The Masters.

The Masters is the golf event that even non-golf fans tune in to watch. The introduction of HD television has taken the event to another level as an at-home watch. The coverage, the scenery, and yes, the golf are all top notch.

I can still remember exactly where I was when Phil Mickelson hit this putt:

How many moments in sports can you say that about?

Stay tuned for the top ten…