Football, baseball, hockey and basketball are not allowed (including college versions)... what do you think is the best annual event in a non-major sport? It has to be annual because I said so; we are eliminating Olympics and World Cup because they get a little extra build up due to the rarity. Here's my top five:

* Kentucky Derby - I've been to a few of them in the infield, and it is a giant party that you can occassionaly win some money on. I'm sure some of you have been upstanding citizens and had seats in the stands. I like to go to the tunnel before they bring the horses over so I can say I was within 4 feet of the Derby winner (whoever it is.) Could also put the Breeders' Cup Classic in this, but probably not as big of an event you need to attend in person.

* Daytona 500 - Never been, but I hear this is quite the party as well. Kind of like the Derby, it isn't really a championship, but still looked at as the premiere event of the sport. Plus you're in Florida in February which is generally not a bad thing. The downside to me is that super speedway racing is not really as interesting as smaller tracks, but I imagine the other hoopla makes up for it. Could also put the Indy 500 here, but NASCAR seems to be more popular in the US.

* The Masters - Again I've never been, but would love to go. The course is beautiful on TV, and I imagine it is one of those things that is 20 times better to see in person. Lots of tradition; pimento cheese sandwiches, Arnold Palmer drinks, green jackets, etc. The fact you aren't allowed to call rough rough... Could also put The Open on here, but since that rotates every year, I am not sure it has the same prestige as The Masters.

* Running Of The Bulls - Kind of cheating to call this a sport, but this has to be pretty exciting to be at. I would never do it, but there's a certain satisfaction in seeing someone thrown about by a beast that weighs 2,000 pounds. Could also put the La Tomatina festival of throwing tomatoes at each other on here, but I think that is even less of a sport.

* World Curling Championship - Yeah, Canada is always a favorite, but it is a non-Olympic event that brings curling into the mainstream. At least in Canada. It is like taking shuffleboard and making it marginally more athletic. I could also put the World Professional Darts Championship on here, but there has been a split between the BDO and PDC making it a non-starter.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Wrestlemania

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The Monaco Gran Prix. Well at least if you've spent real time on the fast track like Dr. Ken.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Wrestlemania and Kentucky Derby for me.

Wimbledon.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

GOD FUCK THIS. Every single writeup of The Masters has this same stupid haughty bullshit like "but within this tradition lies the real tradition like no other, the subtle delicacy only a select few can truly enjoy: the delightful pimento cheese sandwich." So I'm thinking "well, this must be one good sandwich," but then I look it up and it's basically just pepper jack cheese spread and some mayonnaise on Wonder bread. And it's just like, oh, fuck you, that's not something to waste column inches about every year, that's something you slap together at 2 in the morning because you're hungry and can't sleep but you haven't been grocery shopping in a week and you're down to white bread and condiments. I hear "well, it's very affordable." Yeah, it'd better be, it's cheese and mayonnaise on white bread. Taco Bell is cheap too. Write about that. They let blacks go to Taco Bell.

I'd say Wimbledon or the Indianapolis 500.

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How do you feel about grits?

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

Masters. If only because it's the signal for spring leading into summer.

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There are also three women allowed to order there as well.

Wimbledon was a big miss on my part... Wrestlemania I have to put in the entertainment column and not so much the sports, but I do understand the love.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

/thread

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

In college in Atlanta I worked at Avis @ the airport. That weekend through Monday was crazy. Especially when the guys would bring back cars loaded with unopened bottles of scotch, HP12c calculators (which I needed)... and then dick extend salve.

I lost respect for Masters traveling 'fans' the first year I saw this, confirmed the second year.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Kentucky Derby is the only thing on the list that isn't a chore to watch. I'll go with that.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I've been to the Kentucky Derby, the Daytona 500, and the Indianapolis 500 when it meant something. All of them were great but none is as awesome as the Little Brown Jug in Delaware, Ohio. And that's not just because I'm a fan of harness racing. It's hard to find a more authentic slice of Americana.

Even the scheduling of the event is quirky as it takes place the third Thursday after Labor Day each year. The entire town of Delaware goes on holiday with businesses and schools closing on race day. A town with a population of 35,000 hosts a race that attracts about 50,000 people every year.



People sit in the same spot each year. I have friends that I have known for over twenty years who I only see once a year on the third Thursday after Labor Day. After the race many people chain lawn chairs to the fence around the track to reserve their spots for next year.



There is little separation between the crowd and the participants. The backstretch where the horses enter the track is loaded with drunken spectators and the horses often have to walk among them. It was surreal the first time I saw a $2 million horse hitched up and ready to race pause to sniff some sausages frying on a grill on his way to the track.

There are so many traditions associated with this race it would be hard for me to name them all. One of them is that after the race the winner and his connections walk in front of the grandstand with the groom and driver handing out roses from the blanket to ladies in the crowd.



This is the kind of event that is exciting even if you have no interest in the outcome or even in the sport itself.

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Don't take it personally.

If we're going Little Brown Jug then the Boston Marathon belongs on this list. It's run on Patriot's Day, the third Monday in April, a Mass state holiday. The Red Sox are always at home for a day game. I've both run it and spectated it. Either way, it's a party.

Wellesley College Scream Tunnel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gss2i7xFaHg

approx 4 min mark. "I got 50 kisses."

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"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

He said sport, not scripted entertainment.

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Masters is great, but the Ryder Cup is my choice.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

i honestly thought this was a sini post when i first glanced at it.

Wimbledon, Kentucky Derby, and the Masters.

I would agree, but the Ryder Cup is not an annual event.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

I'd say whenever the USWNT plays hockey .

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Oh God, fuck the Masters. I am amazed every year the brainwashed masses who insist on jerking off to meticulous landscaping every year.

Just go to your local botanical garden with a pimento cheese sandwich and a beer from home. Bring a recording of the Masters theme song with Jim Nantz whispering sweet nothings into your ear. It's the same fucking thing.

What a knobfest.

Bassmaster Classic you idiots.

I don't even like soccer but Champion's League tournament is the correct answer.

A tradition unlike any other

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

I hope your zubaz shrink in the dryer and they don't fit you anymore.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Kirkwood shits all over the Masters and then suggests that kicking a ball around is one of the best sporting events of the year?

You need some help, son.

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Don't forget all of the flopping.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Seriously. Watching the grass on the soccer field grow is more entertaining than the game.

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The thread states sport. A gathering of hobbyists does not qualify.

The Masters is so encaptivating you spent your time stuffing empty Masters cups in your pants to later pack in your carry-on.