http://wizbangsports.com/2008/04/whats_your_ultimate_sports_get.
If you could attend any sporting even in the world, which one would it be and why?
The Super Bowl? Game 7 of the World Series? The opening ceremonies of The Olympic Games? Camel racing in the United Arab Emirates?
For me, it took a while before I went 'Oh yeah, of course, that's the event I'd attend.' The event? The Masters at Augusta National for a number of reasons.
First, the course. We'll all have the pleasure of watching the tournament this weekend on ESPN and CBS, but how cool would it be to walk the fairways, smelling the pine straw and azaleas and taking in the emerald blues of Rae's Creek? Or hearing players' shots echoing through the trees. Of course, there's Amen Corner, where the tournament is often won or lost. And just getting a ticket into the Masters takes years.
But I think if I could plant my butt on any hole and watch for an extended period of time, it would have to be the par 3, 170-yard 16th hole--a testy little shot over water, especially with the weekend pin placements. Shots into those pin placements have to be precise. Too long and you're up on a tier putting downslope to the water; too short, you're in the drink; too right, and you face a curling and tricky putt; and too far left, you're likely in the drink. But a correctly struck shot with the right amount of spin and just high enough on the green will trickle right down and close to the hole. It is a hole of beauty and treachery.
There are the traditions, too. There's the Par 3 Tournament. The honorary starters. The caddies dressed in all-white caddie uniforms. The inclusion of amateurs, including pairing the current Masters Champion with the current U.S. Amateur Champion. Finally, there's the Green Jacket, where the winner of the tournament has the legendary Masters Green Jacket slipped on him by the previous year's winner.
Finally, there's the strict rule of no cameras or phones being allowed at the course during the tournament (though they are allowed during practice rounds and the par 3 tournament). If you're discovered using one on the course, you're gone for good. Never to walk back through the gates again. This, more than anything, let's you know you're truly walking in the most holy site in all of golf. Simply perfect.
So that's my dream sporting event. What's yours?
