Tom Having watched the San Francisco 49ers (American Football), San Francisco Giants (Baseball), Portland Winterhawks (Ice Hockey), LA Lakers (Basketball) and LA Galaxy (Soccer), we have pretty much completed the US sporting experience (for obvious reasons, monster trucks and rodeos are not included in this list)!
If you’re visiting USA and are thinking of watching one of these sports, this might just be the guide for you 😉
1. American Football – National Football League (NFL)
We caught the San Francisco 49ers at the Levi’s Stadium and it was a BLAST!
Contrary to popular belief, American football is a really easy game to understand! All you have to understand is that each team gets 4 turns (known as “down”) to advance 10 yards. The distance is usually demarcated by imaginary lines (if you’re watching it on TV) or orange poles at the sidelines (if you’re watching live). If they fail to do so within 4 turns, it is the opposite team’s turn to attack. Think about it, if 200 million people watches football in America, it can’t be an insanely difficult game to comprehend right?
Of course, there will be “tricks” that teams deploy in crunch time to win games…Well, that is for another post in the future.
But for now, know that for all the US sports that we have watched “live”, we recommend American Football as the first choice. Yes, ahead of NBA. Why? For starters, the ticket prices are not as crazy as NBA. For the seat that we took, we were able to secure them for less than $100 bucks. But tickets against lower end teams go as low as $30 bucks. So it’s really a game for the masses.
As for the atmosphere? It is CRAZY! Especially when the home team is at 3rd down. People start standing up cheering and chanting. That’s what live games should be about right?
2. Soccer – Major League Soccer (MLS)
We caught the LA Galaxy at Stubhub Center and we’re recommending this game ahead of NBA (again!). However, this recommendation goes for LA Galaxy only! Because for $50, you’ll be able to catch the likes of Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane and Ashley Cole up close! Imagine the price you’ll have to pay to watch Liverpool or the Gunners at their home ground…
Also, the fan fare was fantastic! When Robbie Keane scored a goal, the commentator would say
“and the goal was scored by number 7, Robbie…” and the crowd would go
“Keane!”
“Robbie…”
“Keane!”
“Robbie…”
“Keane!”
and the commentator would say
“Thank you.”
and the crowd would go
“You’re welcome!”
Of course, seeing Gerrard win a penalty and Keane scoring that goal? Priceless!
Robbie Keane scores the penalty that Steven Gerrard created
3. Ice Hockey – National Hockey League (NHL)
Can you see the puck?!
Portland Winterhawks Celebration
We caught the https://2bearbear.com/catching-portland-winterhawks-action-burgerville-meal/. However, you may wish to know that Portland Winterhawks is just a junior team and not a NHL team. But they’re playing at a really high level (well at least to us ;). There’s all the strong plays that you’ll see in a typical hockey match; players slamming each other against the glass, fights resulting in penalties (aka sidelined for a few minutes) etc.
Also, if you’re a home fan, you’ll probably know how to cheer like one of the fans in the video above. The other reason that we really liked about ice hockey is the fast pace of the game. Sometimes, so fast that you’ll probably miss the puck which resulted in a goal. Try to see if you can spot the puck in the video above.
4. Basketball – National Basketball Association (NBA)
Cheerleaders of Sacramento Kings in action
We were so thrilled to have finally watched an NBA game (LA Lakers at Sleep Train Arena), with one of our favourite players, Kobe Bryant no less. However, we only ranked this experience fourth, because
– Tickets can be really expensive. Cheap tickets for single games go for more than $100 easily.
– LA Lakers lost
– Kobe was off form
Having watched the likes of Jordan (Bulls) and Kobe (Lakers) since young, it was indeed magical to have seen a legend live on the court. However, it is also heart-wrenching to see one of your favourite players miss an open drive or miss so many shots on the court.
Nonetheless, the half time show was awesome (rendition of “This is how we do it” by Montell Jordan) and the vibe within the stadium was unbelievable. However, the lost coupled with Kobe’s form did dampen the mood. So if you’re heading to watch Curry in action at Oakland, hold your expectations and you’ll have an amazing time!
5. Baseball – Major League Baseball (MLB)
We caught the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. However, besides the amazing views from the seats, the match was pretty boring.
Depending on the players, each match could take as long as 3 hours! There are no half time shows, no rests in between and action only happens when the players pitch. IF the batter misses, the action kinda stops and the whole cycle resets. The pitcher would then scan around to see if the opposition player “steals a base” before he actually pitches. You are probably bored by the description already.
Nonetheless, there are loads of fans (as you can see from the picture). Probably due to the intricacies of the game that we did not understand? Or the adrenaline rush when a batter hits that home run (especially when “all the bases are loaded” – meaning all the bases has a player on it)? If you’re a baseball fan, why not tell us in the comments section below?
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the US Sports Experience. If you’re looking forward to enjoying a US sports game and have no idea about what sports to catch, why not try out NFL like we have? If you have already done so, tell us more about your experiences in the comments section below!
