Playing a professional sport is an insane feat in and of itself. Going to watch one is nothing short of a moving experience. Some games go above and beyond the others. Whether through luck or pure skill, these are events that attendees will remember for the rest of their lives.
The No-Hitter
The hype is always high at the start of a baseball game. It’s 0-0, the teams have a fresh go at each other, and the fans are roaring and ready for the game to get in motion. Then, the pitcher of your team throws a no-hitter in inning one. That’s kinda cool, but expecting that to happen again is ridiculous.
Suddenly, it’s the bottom of inning three, and they just threw the last out. Still no hits off your pitcher. There’s a certain tension in the air. The thought of witnessing a no-hitter is beginning to creep into your head. It still seems ridiculous, but it may just be possible. You notice no one in the dugout is talking to the pitcher – a common practice when they’re on a streak as to not break their concentration.
Now it’s the bottom of inning nine. You pitcher has thrown out every single batter. They’re on the last one with two strikes. The stadium is the quietest you’ve seen. The pitch is thrown. You gasp. The batter swings and a miss! He’s out. The crowd goes wild, and the pitcher can’t believe his eyes. You’ve just witnessed a no-hitter.
The Comeback
Every sports fan has witnessed a game where their team just sucked. For some reason, they couldn’t get a shot in the hoop. It’s the third quarter, and your team is down by thirty points. Fans are leaving the stadium, and you’re about to follow, but you want to finish up your beer and popcorn first.
The fourth quarter is here, and somehow your team has been racking in points. A couple of threes here, a dunk there – they’re doing it with style! The other team thought doesn’t know what to do. They were happy to ride the rest of the game out with minimal effort, but they can’t combat this surge of energy from your team.
You’re now down by one with 5 seconds left on the clock. While bringing the ball over your teams forward gets fouled. Lined up for a free-throw, only two seconds left – not enough to get a real shot. The forward has to make these two. One in. Tied game. The crowd goes wild. He lines up for shot two. Boom. Your team just made an incredible comeback, and you were there to witness it live.
The Foul Ball
The dream of catching a foul ball is always in the back of a fan’s mind when in the stands. The chances of it are low, but it’s a plausible wish. You’ve seen it happen to people next to you, a few stands over, and in multiple places you’ve sat over your years of coming to the game.
You hear a resounding dink as ball and bat connect at an odd angle. The crowd gasps. You try to follow the ball against the bright blue sky. Hoping against hope, you trust your instincts, and you reach out with your mitt. Your arm shakes from the impact as the ball lands. You pull it down and stare in awe as fellow fans clap your back in congratulation. An experience you’ll never forget.
These are only a few of all sorts of great moments that occur at sports games. Moments like these make a fan for life.