Part of the crowd, you’re standing in a full bar of sports fans, beer in their hands, staring at a screen. It would have been nice to watch the game from the stadium, but being here in a sea of fans, isn’t so bad either.
Batter up.
It’s your team’s last chance to win the World Series. Bottom of the ninth, two outs, two men on bases, the score is zero to one in their favor, and this is the seventh and final game of a tied series. It’s the fourth guy in the line up, so you’re hopeful, but still clenching a bottle and grabbing onto the stranger next to you with each swing.
He comes out swinging and misses.
Strike one.
He holds back on the next one.
Ball.
Only gets a piece of the following and it pops up into the crowd behind him.
Foul ball. Strike two.
The batter walks away and has a few hard swings to the side. He comes back to the plate, grinds his feet into the sand and squints his eyes at the pitcher.
Boom.
Players on base are sprinting. One is coming home and the second is rounding third. The ball hits the top of the wall between left and midfield and is in play. The second player comes into home as the heavy hitter who put this play into action, falls into second base.
World Series Champions!
The entire bar shakes and people erupt into the streets, chanting, jumping up and down, and hugging strangers.
All you can think is thank God I was in the city to experience this.
It could be any sport, any team, anywhere in the world. But, as a fan, all that matters is that you’re part of the action. Of course, the city that homes your team’s home field is just THAT places where you want to be. But it turns out a few cities in the USA are particularly interesting to watch sports events.
1. San Francisco
With the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series in 2012 and 2010 and the 49ers making a Super Bowl appearance in 2013, we’d say that San Francisco is in a rooting hotspot these days.
Besides being winners, San Francisco is an incredible city to watch sports, whether at the stadium or in a bar. With a temperate weather throughout the year, you can bet those suckers wearing cheese hats and five coats in Green Bay are jealous. Plus, people can catch fly balls from kayaks from McCovey Cove during Giants’ games.
Even if you can’t get tickets to the game, you will find comfort in the fact that most SF bars serve the foods and drinks that make the fame of the Bay area.
2. Boston
Boston is one of those cities that live and die for their sports teams. This is where legends, like Bobby Orr, were made, and where curses, like that of the Bambino, are shattered.
Win or lose, Bostonians love their teams. Luckily, they’ve not done much of the latter in the past decade. Boston teams have won seven championships since the year 2000 and made plenty more appearances in various championship games.
Boston is home to one of baseball’s historical stadiums, Fenway Park. Fans come out in full force -regardless of the cold New England weather – to see their winning Patriots play. Go to any bar in Boston, comes game day, you’ll be warmly embraced or severely abused depending on your jersey. Either way, it will be an experience.
3. Philadelphia
Eternal underdogs, Philadelphia teams haven’t won as often in recent years as they used to. They always seem to come close. What they lack in rings, they make up for in heart or fury, depending on the day.
These are the fans who threw snowballs at Santa Claus, boo pretty much every player who walks onto their fields, and nearly burned down the city in 2008 when their prized Phillies brought home a World Series Championship.
This is the city where Smokin’ Joe Frazier trained, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single basketball game (though the game was in Hershey, PA), and where a bartender became an Eagle. And yes, this is where the famous Rocky steps are. It’s a city full of fighters, maybe that’s why people think their fans are so harsh.
It may sound like a scary place to visit on game day, but the feeling you get seeing every bar, stadium lot and side corner packed with people screaming is unique on the American sports scene. Afterall, this is the city of brotherly love.
4. New York
Few cities can compete with New York’s sporting history. Home to the Yankees, Knicks, and Giants, of course the empire city had to make this list.
This is where Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Patrick Ewing made history. Plus, they have more than one team to cheer for in football, hockey and baseball.
Beyond that, a city as international as New York City is a great place to watch world sports of all sorts. There are plenty of bars dedicated to English football, rugby and more.
5. Dallas
What’s left of the Cowboys that ruled the 90s with three Super Bowls is the best stadium in the USA and world renowned cheerleaders.
The Cowboys Stadium, built in 2009 and located just outside Dallas in Arlington, is the third largest in the NFL (85,000 seats). It has the world’s largest column free interior and the fourth largest HD video screen in the world.
Though the Cowboys have fallen behind in championships, other teams in the city are holding up. The Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Championship in 2011.
Is your team’s city missing from our list. Tell us why it should be one here below. Let’s talk about it in the comment box below and on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Google +