5 BOROUGH SPORTS

We resume the sports bucket list today.

In the first addition I went through the states of Alabama thru Colorado…today I continue from there…

University of Florida, The Swamp, Gainesville, Florida

One of the most legendary facilities in the country, and located in a small college city in Florida, The Swamp is college football. One of the other venues I’ve already been too, this facility is one of the best in the country. The Swamp is filled with passionate Gator fans who’ve come to expect great football to be played every year.

The stadium is very cool facility and I like the architecture of it alot. The crowd is great and always into the game. Playing games in Gainesville is not ideal in the early season though, as the weather does not often cooperate. Its hot and often rainy in September, but that never stops the crowd from showing up.

The town of Gainesville is surprisingly big, but still has the feel of a college town. Everything is centered around the university, but because its so big, the town reflects that.

The downtown area’s near the stadium are cool, and gamedays around the stadium are just like many of the premiere southern tailgating traditions. Overall, this is a trip I’ve now made multiple times and I’m very glad I did. A must for any college football fan.

Doak Campbell Stadium, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

The Doak is one of college football’s most legendary facilities and was a large part of the success of the Florida State Seminoles in their dominant stretch of football in the 1990’s. Traditions are a large part of the game, from the tailgating to the pregame tradition, and of course the famous warchant,  FSU has plenty of them.

Tallahassee is an interesting town and so is FSU’s campus. Both have their ups and their downs, but overall are fairly nice as a whole. The facilities on FSU’s campus are very good, and I really enjoyed the band playing in the baseball stadium before the game.

Overall, this is a trip well worth making and is one of the iconic scenes of all college football.

TPC Sawgrass, The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

One of the most famous Golf Courses in the World, TPC Sawgrass is actually on 30 years old. Its claim to fame is of course the 17th Hole and the island green. What makes this hole special is not just the fact that its basically surrounded my water, but so many other things. The hole is very short, only 140 or so yards, but makes professionals look silly year after year. Thousands of balls go into the water each year which has large alligators in it. Finally, the thing that makes this hole so exciting is the stadium like atmosphere of it. Surrounding the hole on three sides in a tremendous amount of seating, and even luxury boxes. There is not other hole is golf where you see a crowd like it.

The rest of the course is great too, and has quickly become the site of the richest golf event of all time, where the winner now takes home over 1.7 million Dollars. I have been the tournament once, but one day would love to take my chances at the course, and the 17th hole, which actually looks easier when you see it in person.

Augusta National Golf Club, The Masters, Augusta, Georgia

Keeping with the golf thing, if there is one course to rule them all, this might be it (or St. Andrew’s). The best manicured course in the world and the site of the greatest golf tournament each year, Augusta is golf at its finest. Each spring we get to see flowers and trees blooming in almost perfect weather, at a course which seems to be almost too perfect. There are so many iconic images from the course, and so many amazing moments have taken place there.

As you may imagine, I do play Golf, and this one course is where I’d like to visit the most. One day I’ll make it to the Masters, and I guarantee it will be amazing. In fact, I would give up golf for the rest of my life if I could play a round of Golf at Augusta on a perfect spring afternoon, that’s how much this course means to anyone in the game.

Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois

This is without a doubt one of the three most famous baseball stadiums of all time, and on any one baseball fans list of stadiums to visit. The stadium, like Fenway, is incredibly old now, but still stands strong. The most recognizable image of the park is its ivy covered walls. Built in a neighborhood, more than a city, the rooftops out to left field serve as places to also watch the game. It is tough for me to completely give a rundown of the stadium as I have not been there, but I plan on making a first trip to Chicago soon. The city of Chicago is one of the only iconic places in the country I have not visited, and I really look forward to it, especially considering its similarities to New York in many ways.

I hope that the Cubs don’t make the mistake and ever tear down Wrigley. While it is realistic that the ballpark won’t last in its condition forever, or much longer, they should go about it a different way. They can “renovate” the park, by keeping the iconic parts of it alive, while fixing up the stands and locker rooms, because the playing field is what is most important.

This entry was posted on May 16, 2011 at 2:55 pm and is filed under Bucket List. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.