I've been an avid competitive sports enthusiast since I was a child, both as a fan and a participant. My participant days are long gone (with the possible exception of golf), but I still follow sports closely, primarily major college and professional team sports.
An offshoot of this interest is an interest in the stadiums in which these teams play. There was a time when I could name the stadium called home by every single professional team, and most major college teams. I wouldn't be able to do that anymore, mostly because teams now sell stadium naming rights that change regularly. But I'm still quite good at being able to see a stadium on TV and be able to name the home team.
I recently attended a Minnesota Vikings football day game at the relatively new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (I even got to be on the field the day prior for a charity event.) Such a neat stadium environment, with a translucent roof and enormous 'doors' that open at on end -- effectively being indoors but having the sun shine in and feeling fresh air.
This made me think about a 'bucket list' of other famous and/or unique sports venues in which I want to attend a game. I've already checked a few of these off of my list, but here are my top ten for now in alphabetical order:
Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX
Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC
Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles
Fenway Park in Boston
Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN
Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA (done)
Soldier Field in Chicago (done)
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (done)
Wrigley Field in Chicago (done)
Outside of the U.S., I'd also add Wembley Stadium in London. Unfortunately, there are also some great old stadiums that have been replaced with new ones I'm not as interested in seeing. Otherwise, I'd have included old Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY, and old Chicago Stadium in Chicago.
While my 'event' sports bucket list would of course include things like the Super Bowl, World Series, and The Masters, this stadium list would be fun to accomplish, too.
