The Top 10 Events I've Seen Live
After 20+ years in sports, these are the top ten events I've seen....so far
Let's do a fun one this week:
The top sporting events I've been to as a result of my job.
USC - Texas Rose Bowl 2006
The Helmet Catch
Kobe's Finale
Tiger Woods One -Legged Major
Super Bowl LIV - Chiefs vs Niners
The Fastest Knock-out in UFC History
Bama- Clemson 1 - The 2016 Fiesta Bowl Shootout
World Heavyweight Title: Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 1
Corey Seager's Heroics - 2023 World Series Win Amidst Loss
The Infamous Plaster-in-the-Gloves: Cotto vs. Margarito 1
* Jason Lezak’s comeback - The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Next time we see one another, I'd love to hear yours - along with a list of the top 5 in history you'd go to if you could:
The 2006 Rose Bowl - The Greatest College Football Game Ever Played
USC sucked when I was in school there from '97 to '01. Then, lightning struck in the form of a fiery coach nobody had heard of coming off getting fired by the Jets.
The following years there was nothing bigger in town that USC Trojan Football. The Coliseum lit up with prime time games as superstars rolled through the school, starting with Carson Palmer. Carson was in my bible study at USC for a short period of time and is as nice a person as you'll meet. If you knew him, you'd root for him.
USC won two straight national championships and was barreling towards a third at the 2006 Rose Bowl.
Waiting for them was an undefeated Texas Longhorns team, led by Vince Young, who had won the 2005 Rose Bowl and made the statement they were coming for everything in 2006.
The game broke the secondary market. I worked all hours of every day that month selling tickets. An hour before kick-off, there were no tickets to be had. People were walking around with signs offering $10k in cash to get into the building.
It turns out I worked a bit too hard that month. I came down with the flu that day and faded all day until eventually watching the second half from my couch at home as VY and the Longhorns took down the vaunted Trojans.The Helmet Catch - Super Bowl XLII, Glendale, Arizona, February 3, 2008
We started TicketManager at the end of September 2007, and the 2008 Super Bowl was our first major event together. There were only six of us by this point, so we had to do everything - and I mean everything. By day, we'd run around with tickets (it was 2008, and there were no digital tickets for the Super Bowl yet), stock the food in our customer's rental homes, check on events in person, and take meetings. By night, it was all the parties to meet customers and work with partners. It was a win if we got three hours of sleep in those days. It was a 24-hour-a-day job for that two weeks.
Finally, it was game time. Matt Ansis and I delivered the last tickets to customers, and it was time to go home and get some sleep. I'd been to the Super Bowl before, while working at StubHub, and I just wanted to go home. All of us did—except Matt. He really wanted to go to the game, so I told the others I'd stay and go with him.
What happened next was one of the most iconic moments in NFL history. And we were right there in the corner of the endzone when Plaxico Burress (Go Green!) caught the touchdown pass that would lead to a chorus of "Eighteen and One!" from the crowd.Kobe Bryant's Final Game
I am not a Lakers fan (Go Dubs and Spurs!). But Kobe Bryant is special to me. We're roughly the same age, and I moved to Los Angeles one year before the Lakers drafted him. He won multiple NBA titles at the STAPLES Center while I worked there in the early 2000s.
One couldn’t live in LA those two decades without Kobe having an impact on your life- remember, League Pass didn't even show up until the early 2010's so most of the hoops I got were Lakers hoops. I remember where I was for all of it. For the comeback against the Kings in 2001 (and the elbow to Bibby's chin), the game-winner against the Spurs, the 81 points, the threat of going to the Clippers, the Suns game winners, Eagle, Colorado, the game he decided not to shoot when he blew his Achilles….all of it.
Some events are supposed to be big. This one was. It was the city saying farewell to their son. And boy, did Kobe rise to the occasion!
Kobe lit up the night, going for 61 points and hitting a barrage of circus shots before eventually hitting the game-winner. The game couldn't have been scripted better. And it happened right in the middle of the SBJ World Congress of Sports. We had a suite and enjoyed the game with customers and partners.Tragically, Kobe Bryant died less than a mile from my home. I remember that day, too; I was one of the first to see it. I ride my mountain bike past the site weekly. He was so important fans still leave items there in dedication to him.
Tiger's last prime major
Nobody knew going into the 2009 US Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, CA, that the golf landscape was about to undergo a major change.
A prime Tiger Woods was on top of the world and was stacking one major championship win after another. Torrey Pines was a famously friendly course to Tiger's game, and he was the odds-on favorite to run away with the tournament.
Then, two unlikely things happened:Tiger broke his leg during the tournament while leading and
A 51-year-old Rocco Mediate had the tournament of his life.
After 72 holes, they were all tied and headed to an 18-hole Monday playoff. Tiger, on a broken leg and in clear pain, would pull away during the playoff win his 14 major. Only a few months later, the legend of Tiger would come apart when he crashed his car while driving under the influence of painkillers. He's only won one major since - his storybook win at The Masters in 2019.Super Bowl LIV - Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers
My hometown Niners - also a partner of TicketManager, so even more of a reason to pull for them - advanced to the Super Bowl by boat racing Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the NFC Championship Game, leading them to a showdown with young upstart quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The weather in Miami was perfect, and the Niners jumped out to a big early lead. Unfortunately, and fortunately, for me, we watched a future Hall of Famer burst on the scene with a roaring comeback to take the lead late in the fourth.
The Niners would get the ball back with a chance to win. And they had their shot. Emmanuel Sanders broke free on a deep ball, Jimmy G saw him and let it fly. We were behind the play, and it looked like it would be the Niners' first Super Bowl since 1994. But Jimmy missed him, and the Niners lost one of the most exciting games I've ever been to. This year's version was much the same as it went to OT.The Knee Heard Around The World
The unexpected can sometimes be the most memorable of all.
Ben Askren was widely viewed as one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers of all time. When he graduated from Missouri, he chose to sign with One MMA instead of the world leading UFC. For years, Askren was the guy everyone wondered about as he ran up a 19-0 record in One Championship while taking digs at the UFC and Dana White along the way. He was unlikable and reveled in it.
Finally, the UFC traded to bring Ben Askren over to the UFC. It was time to put up or shut up.
Askren's first UFC fight was against a legend and former champion, Robbie Lawler. In a wildly exciting fight, Askren choked out Lawler and added to his hype train. I was at that fight.
Askren was being groomed to fight for the Welterweight championship, so the UFC put him in with a journeyman who had just come off a surprising upset across the pond, Jorge Masvidal.
At the time, only the most committed fans knew who Masvidal was. He had 14 losses on his record, and we'd seen him on a number of cards. Funny thing is, though, all of his most recent losses were razor-thin and could have gone either way.
Didn't matter. Jorge isn't a wrestler. Ben is one of the best wrestlers. This was perfect matchmaking to get Ben his second win over a top 10 opponent and line him up to fight the champion, Kamaru Usman, who was fighting later that night.
Five seconds later, that plan was over.
The energy in that arena after that knee was like nothing else. Just shock and disbelief.The 2017 Fiesta Bowl - Bama v Clemson 1
A showdown of heavyweights, the Fiesta Bowl shootout was one of the most exciting games I've ever been to.
Bama was at the peak of their juggernaut powers, looking to repeat as National Champions and rolling through the SEC undefeated. Clemson was in the dawn of their uprising, with Deshaun Watson leading a team of future NFL stars to a perfect record and a showdown in the desert.
The game went back and forth for hours with lead changes until the Crimson Tide finally sealed the victory 45 to 40.
They would rematch the following year in Tampa Bay for the CFP National Championship, where Clemson, led by Trevor Lawrence, would get their revenge. I was at that one, too.Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder World Heavyweight Championship 1
Fights are my favorite sport to watch. I've been fighting for almost twenty years now, and I love going to live fights. For my money, they're the best live events. If you haven't been to one, go—even if you're not a fan.
Tyson Fury has cemented himself as the Heavyweight King over the past few years. But what started that run was an unbelievable night in Los Angeles.
At the time, Fury, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua were all laying claim to being the heavyweight boxing champion. Fury had upset the longtime undisputed champion, Vladimir Klitschko, and Wilder and Joshua were both undefeated and circling fighting one another.
Fury was up to the challenge and called out the terrifying puncher, Wilder, who was knocking people out in every fight at a clip not seen since Mike Tyson.
Wilder roared off the bell and dropped Fury early, but Fury rallied, and the fight was close going into the 11th round.
Then lightning struck.
Wilder connected with a right hand that flattened Fury. He lay on his back, seemingly out, while the ref did his job and counted. At the count of eight, like the Undertaker rising from his casket, Fury sat up. Nobody could believe it!
The fight would end in an exciting draw and lead to a memorable trilogy between the two, with Fury winning the second and third fights.Corey Seager's ninth-inning heroics - 2023 World Series Game Two
At our business, we sponsor several teams. We work with them throughout the year and get to know the staff pretty well. As such, I meet a lot of great people and make friendships.
When we did the Texas Rangers sponsorship, the team was fresh off a 69-win season—good for last in the AL West. We met with their sponsorship team, who laid out the team's plan to compete for a World Series championship by 2024. It was well thought out, and there were clear steps along the way, starting with the big splash signings of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. They then brought my hometown SF Giants legend manager, Bruce Bochy, out of retirement to lead the team.
The Rangers exceeded all expectations and started the season white hot. They stayed in first place most of the year, and we watched and got to know the team.
Sometimes, events get personal. That’s what makes them so special. One of our friends is a lifelong Rangers fan. Born and raised through it all. We took customers and guests to every round of the playoffs, and he was at every one.
Except one. During the ALCS, tragedy struck a family member close to him, and he passed away. He was also a lifelong Rangers fan.
In praying for his family, we always hoped the Rangers could win now, this year more than ever. For our friend.
The Rangers won game one, beating the Diamondbacks, who are also partners of ours, and we root for them as well. In game two, all was lost for the Rangers. Until Corey Seager came up in the 9th with two runners on and hit a home run that took the roof off every building within earshot of Globe Life Park, it was deafening. And Seager knew it the minute he hit it.
The Rangers went on to win the World Series.Antonio Margarito vs Miguel Cotto 1 - The wrong kind of history
Boxing was still near its peak in 2009, and Miguel Cotto was its newest rising star. The Puerto Rican hero was fresh off an impressive five-knockdown dismantling of former champion Zab Judah at a sold-out Madison Square Garden and was on his way to super stardom.
Next for him was the Tijuana Tornado, Antonio Margarito. Margarito had suffered some close losses earlier in his career but was a clear top contender who was so terrifying Floyd Mayweather turned down the largest purse guarantee he'd ever been offered at that point to fight him.
If Cotto beat Tony Margarito, a Floyd super-fight would be next.
My co-founder, Aric, and I were in Vegas for a ticketing conference that overlapped with the fight. This was a perfect storm, as this was 2009 and we were broke. We'd need help to get to the fight (a big thank you to Kathy at Barry's Tickets, who has always looked out for us like one of their own).
Cotto dominated early. It was his fight to lose. But as the later rounds progressed, the slower Margarito started to wear Cotto down. I'm a huge boxing fan, and it was weird. I'd never seen anything like it. Was Cotto just wilting to the moment?
Margarito would stop Cotto in the 11th round in an electric environment. It propelled him to stardom and a showdown with Shane Mosley.
Only thing: Mosley's camp felt something was off in that Cotto fight, so head trainer Naz Richardson went into Margarito's locker room and watched Margarito getting his hands wrapped before the Shane fight. They discovered Margarito had been putting plaster in his wraps - the absolute worst kind of cheating.
Shane beat the snot out of Margarito and stopped him in the 9th round that night at STAPLES Center. Then Manny Pacquaio pummeled him at Jerry World. Then Cotto got his revenge.
But that night was electric.Jason Lezak’s comeback - The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
I spent a month in Beijing in 2008 working on the Summer Olympic games with my co-founder, Aric. There are so many memories from that trip, and it was an experience I am so blessed to have had.
There’s an asterisk on this one, as I wasn’t actually in the building for this event. I was next door working in the Westin when Lezak mounted his historic comeback. I was watching on TV in chinese and had very little idea what was going on until the crowd when absolutely crazy. It was quite the experience.
And just for fun, these are the five sporting events I'd go to in history if I could go to any of them:
The Miracle on Ice
The Catch
Jesse Owens 1936 Olympic Games
Mikey Ward vs Arturo Gatti 1
The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale: Griffin vs. Bonnar