The NCAA tournament returning to Madison Square Garden for the first time in 50 years is a triumph for tradition. It also got us thinking about which other big sporting events could be held at historic or offbeat venues. Our list of eight suggestions is below. While we acknowledge that each of these is highly unlikely, we tried to keep the list to places and events that could theoretically work, unlike, say, an NBA Final at Rucker Park, which would be awesome, but impossible.
1. Super Bowl — Lambeau Field
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Now that the cold weather Super Bowl has come and gone without incident, let’s take the NFL’s biggest game to the NFL’s most historic stadium. Not big enough? Raise tickets prices. Not enough hotel rooms? Think of it as a nod to history. Red Grange wasn’t staying at the Ritz. Too cold? Go watch basketball.
2. NCAA tournament — On-campus arenas
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In a desire to have tournament sites at large arenas in a centralized location, the NCAA has moved away from most on-campus arena (with the exception of massive ones like The Pit or Carrier Dome). The result has been nearby fanbases packing into sterile arenas that have no feel or tradition. Why not head back to quaint on-campus arenas like Allen Field House or the Dean Dome?
3. NASCAR — Streets of Manhattan
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For many reasons, NASCAR doesn’t do a true road course like some of the F1′s grand prix races that wind through the streets of Monaco or Baltimore (yes, Baltimore). There are two road courses on the Sprint Cup schedule, but they’re not zipping past cafes. It’d be impossible to close enough streets around New York City to give the NASCAR races a wide-enough track with corners the cars could take, but just imagine how cool it’d be to see a finish line on Fifth Avenue? Throw in a yellow cab as a pace car and award bonus points for successful profane gestures. Who’s saying no?
4. Winter Classic – National Mall
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There was once a pie-in-the-sky rumor that the NHL’s Winter Classic could possibly be played on a specially built rink on the National Mall. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis gently shot it down, citing the obvious logistical problem such an event would bring. (Seating, parking, concessions and bathrooms are just a few of the potential headaches.) But here’s a thought: Don’t have any fans! Take a hit at the gate in favor of the tidal wave of good publicity and beautiful optics that would result.
5. U.S. Open (tennis) — Indian Wells
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Who says the U.S. Open needs to be in Flushing every year? Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated floated the possibility of occasionally rotating America’s premier tennis event to the site of America’s second-most premier tennis event in Indian Wells. As Wertheim later noted, it’ll never happen, but it’s fun to think of a rotating U.S. Open between the hustle of New York and the laid-back desert vibe of California.
6. College football semifinals – Home stadiums
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Have the title game at a neutral field such as the Rose Bowl or Jerry World. That’s fine. But having top-seeded schools host their own semifinals brings the Saturday experience to the much-anticipated playoffs and has the added bonus of making seeding far more important.
7. U.S. Open (golf) — Pine Valley
The New Jersey course is often considered the best in America, but the small, tree-lined track, and a disinterested membership, make it a non-starter in terms of hosting a major championship.
8. NFL game — RFK Stadium
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Redskins fans have been clamoring for years to move a game — any game — away from the team’s current concrete behemoth in the suburbs and back to RFK Stadium, the friendly, rundown confines in Southeast D.C. that housed the team for more than 40 years. Want a way to make people excited about a preseason game? Play it in the home of Gibbs, Allen, Monk, Green and Thiesmann.
9. Final Four — Madison Square Garden
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The regional is only spoiling us. Just once, take the Final Four out of the football stadiums and bring it back to the mecca of hoops.
