National Geographic made this top-10 list of their Top-10 Sporting Events, from their book The 10 Best of Everything. Have you been to any of these events?
Four of these made it to our 7 Wonders of the Sporting World (Events), though there are few on this list that were not even close to being part of the 7 Wonders. Polo at Palermo? Where did that come from? It certainly is not a well-known event. I can't argue too much with the others on the list.
The Top-10
- 24 hours of Le Mans — one of the world's best automobile race held annually in France.
- The Olympic Games — over two-weeks, athletes from countries of the world compete against each other in scores of different sports. There is a Summer and Winter version.
- FIFA World Cup Soccer — billions of people in countries all around the world drop everything to watch the top football player nations battle it out every four years to see who claims the title of World Cup soccer champion.
- The Super Bowl — the top team from the American Football Conference plays against the top team from the National Football Conference for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy
- The NBA Finals — The National Basketball Association's finals are a best of 7 series between the Eastern and Western conference champions.
- The Masters — One of the golf's majors, the Masters remains steeped in tradition and continuity, the winner is awarded the coveted green jacket. The setting at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, provides a lush, southern scenery that is unmatched at courses around the world.
- Polo at Palermo — Argentine polo is considered the best in the world, and the Argentine Open Championship is the top draw for the sport's best players and most knowledgeable fans.
- Wimbledon — Wimbledon at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club is one of the four tennis tournaments that make up the grand slam, with Wimbledon considered to be the most prestigious, largely because of its setting and surrounding pomp. It's the only major tournament played on a natural turf surface.
- World Series — The Fall Classic is more than a sporting event; it's a fixture on the American cultural landscape. To get to the baseball's world series, each of the 32 teams in the major leagues must endure a 162-game season, followed by three playoff rounds.
- The Grand National — the Grand National's steeplechase is the world's most renowned horse race. First held in 1839, the three-day meet is held at Britain's Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. The Grand National pits as many as 40 horses against each other on a 4.5-mile (7-kilometer) course replete with obstacles.
source: From the National Geographic book The 10 Best of Everything
Related Pages
- The final list of 7 Wonders of the Sporting World (Events)
- A discussion about the top must see sporting events
- Current World Events Calendar
- Multi-Sport Events (Games) Calendar
- Major Events List