Annual Sporting Events That Bring Everyone Together

Sports can unite people from all over the world. Sure, everyone has their own favorite teams and athletes that they root for but ultimately there’s something unique about the idea that this one sporting match is catching everyone’s attention. For those specific minutes or hours that the match is happening, everyone is glued to their screens either rooting for or against someone or just having fun with their friends and family.

However, perhaps more importantly, even when you’re alone and watching the event you don’t really ever feel alone because you know that there are also millions of other people sharing your interest and emotion. This is a feeling that only sports can produce. More specifically, there are some annual events that make a bigger boom than usual. Here are some of them and why they hold such value to people.

The Super Bowl

The National Football League (NFL) really knows how to capitalize on the attention it has from the general American public. The Super Bowl is not only a meeting of the two best teams of the season in a final match to decide who gets crowned champion, but it’s also a spectacular event. Every year, on the second Sunday of February the entirety of the US turns their heads towards this one big event. Hugely expensive commercials, half-time performances for the ages, fans gathering from the entire country in one place, oh, and there’s football being played as well. Not only do all football fans look forward every year to this one Sunday, but even people who don’t typically pay attention to what’s going on in the football world have their interest peaked here. After all, it is overall the second biggest worldwide sporting event of the year. That’s the beauty of the Super Bowl. Great football paired up with a great collective experience to remember. This is exactly why sports are the most beautiful and fun invention maybe ever.

NBA All-Star Weekend

Since 1951, the biggest NBA stars every year gather in a chosen city and have pure fun. The weekend is typically selected to take place around the middle point of the regular season. 24 of the best players every year get voted into the All-Star game by fans, coaches, and players themselves. While some people argue that the main All-Star game has become less and less competitive as the years have gone by, ultimately, the point of it is to have fun. Although it’s also worth noting that recently with some of the rule changes that the National Basketball Association has done, the All-Star game has in fact become slightly more competitive. There are more events within the weekend as the 3 Point Shootout, the Skills Challenge, and the Dunk Contest usually catch a lot of the public attention as they’re held one day before the big game, on Saturday. Again, this is just a fun weekend to watch some of the best basketball players in the world be friendly and hang out with each other for once rather than always trying to destroy each other on the court.

UEFA Champions League Final

Now on to the other kind of football. The UEFA Champions League is the competition that’s considered of most importance by most football lovers. Even most football players themselves dream of winning the Champions League at some point in their careers. The best teams from all over Europe gather here and compete at the highest level. 32 total teams competing in the group stages, with 16 advancing to the direct-elimination rounds. Ultimately, the two teams that remain at the end play in the single biggest worldwide sporting event, the Champions League Final. Often held either in late May or early June, the Final is the one match that, generally, football fans look forward to most. The opening ceremony includes some of the biggest global artists performing. In 2021, Marshmello, Selena Gomez, and Khalid performed virtually for the limited number of fans in the arena. The hosting city is different every year in order for neither team to have a home advantage. This night is a dream come true for all the players participating, the coaches on the sidelines, and the fans within the arena. Truly a night to look back on for years to come for everyone involved.

There are many other sporting events that people love. The Olympics typically grab the attention of entire nations. Then there are other events on the same national scale such as the FIFA World Cup that are really important to so many people. On an individual level, Wimbledon is also hugely interesting as an event. There’s something fascinating about watching players try to win the match purely based on their own individual skill and power. All in all, getting together with your family, friends, or just feeling a sense of shared enthusiasm, is a feeling that only sports can provide.

Photo: Vasyl Shulga/shutterstock.com

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