5 Sporting Events You Don’t Wanna Miss

There’s nothing like the energy in a stadium during a huge game - the anticipation of the audience, the challenge between opponents, and every second counting towards that final score. And in a universe that has so many sports to choose from, a sports lover is hard pressed to choose just one game that he/she wants to be there for on any given day (or week)!

Here’s a quick roundup of five sporting events you definitely want to try and catch:

Football - NFL Preseason

The National Football League is an institution that every football lover around the world swears by...each season is anticipated with almost fanatical enthusiasm across the length and breadth of the country. While the season officially kicks off soon after Labour Day, the preseason games are in Week 2 and the electricity in the air is already palpable You definitely want to be in the stands, cheering your favourites on to glory!

Basketball - WNBA

A professional basketball league in its own right, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is halfway through their 20th season. The women’s counterpart to the NBA teams, this league hosts what’s touted as the best female basketball talent in the world. Catch the Minnesota Lynx, Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Sparks and the rest making their magic on the courts!

Baseball - MLB

A “national pastime”, baseball has been an integral part of American culture for well over a century. With a passion that begins in school teams and continues on to support of the professional teams, major league baseball games witness record season attendance. You know you want to be there when the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and all the others take the pitch!

Tennis - US Open

The 136th US Open is around the corner, with the first round scheduled for August 29. Bound to be a fast-paced two weeks, this final Grand Slam event of the year will see gripping wins and shattering defeats as greats like Novak Djokovic work to defend their titles and rack up new wins. Be there to witness the sizzling action!

Golf - PGA

Golf-lovers in the US are undoubtedly keeping up with the PGA golf tours. Beginning with The Barclays, which is currently underway, and following it up with the Deutsche Bank Championship and the BMW Championship, the next few weeks will see great skills on the golfing greens.

Will the Houston Rockets get another Division Title this year?

It’s almost that time of year...the time that all basketball enthusiasts around the world wait for...the NBA playoffs! With the 71st season around the corner, fans are brushing up on their stats and team trivia and getting their dates straight to attend their favourite games.

A key question this year, especially for Houston Rockets fans, is whether the Rockets will pick up another division title this year. Considering the 21-year gap between their fourth and fifth titles (the fifth being in 2015), it poses an exciting season for the Rockets! And who wouldn’t want to be in the stands when (if) that happens?

Catch up on your Rockets Trivia

Established in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets, the Houston Rockets call Houston, Texas home and play their home games at the Toyota Center. A member of the League’s Western Conference Southwest Division, the Rockets had a first season that saw 67 lost games - an NBA record. Since then however, they have gone on to win four Western Conference titles, five Division titles, and two NBA championships.

Along with their name, the Rockets has also seen several changes in their team colours and logo, and their mascot. At the time of their formation, their colours were green and gold, but upon their arrival in Houston, red replaced the green. Their logo always had variations on the rocket and basketball theme to it. Today, the team’s colours are red, silver, mustard, white and black, and the logo is a stylized ‘R’ that looks like a rocket taking off.

The Rockets’ mascot has seen three changes - the 1980s had “Booster”; 1993-1995 saw “Turbo”, who was a costumed man who performed acrobatic dunks among other maneuvers; and “Clutch the Bear”, also introduced in 1995 and serving as a second mascot until Turbo retired. Clutch still holds the mascot position today.

Be there when the Rockets Blast off!

Watching the Rockets duke it out with the other teams to win the title is gonna be an experience for the books...more so if they’re playing against arch rivals, San Antonio Spurs or Dallas Mavericks! So when the Rockets are setting the courts on fire, you definitely wanna be there. Which means you’d better book your Houston Rockets tickets today!

Saddle up for the San Antonio Rodeo!

Which red-blooded American doesn’t love a good rodeo? And if you’ve never been to one before, would you pass up the chance to give it a try this time around? Since you agree, here’s a great event for you to check out - the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in San Antonio, Texas. With all the horse and livestock shows, live music, the carnival and shopping, it’ll be an action-packed three weeks this coming February!

What do we Know about one of the Best Rodeos in the US?

Also called the San Antonio Livestock Exposition, Inc. (S.A.L.E.), the San Antonio Rodeo began in 1949 (although the first actual event took place on February 17, 1950) and is today one of the biggest events held in the city. With up to two million visitors each year, it’s no wonder this event is considered one of the top Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) rodeos in the country!

Given this kind of a billing, backed up by winning the title of PRCA Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year for 11 consecutive years, and the largest prize winning payout in the PRCA, the San Antonio Rodeo attracts rodeo talent from even as far away as Brazil and Australia!

While the early days of the Rodeo were held at the Joe & Harry Freeman Coliseum (created to fulfil Joe Freeman’s dream to build a coliseum to host live events, especially livestock expositions for the youth of Texas), 2003 saw the primary events being moved to the next-door AT&T Center. The Coliseum is still part of the event however, hosting the retailers for jewelry, western wear, etc. who are part of the event.

Besides its festival nature, this event also has an altruistic mission - to benefit the youth through scholarships, grants and endowments, etc. Last year saw the event raising around $12.2 million towards this cause, and the lifetime of the event has seen more than $160 donated.

Having fun and Giving to a Great Cause - Make a Day of it!

The San Antonio Rodeo is a day of fun and excitement, but above all, it’s a day of community! So take your entire family and have a blast appreciating the animals, the rodeo skills, the wares on display and know that you’re part of something great! Book your San Antonio Rodeo tickets today for an unbelievable experience.

Begin the Countdown to the 51st Super Bowl

With football season beginning, the next Super Bowl is not too far in the future...just a few months, in fact! And when you’re choosing which games you want to attend, you also want to make sure you’ve got your spot at the grand finale - who wants to miss the big finish to those thrilling matches? Not to mention the star-studded entertainment at the pre-game and halftime ceremonies!

Super Bowl - what, when, where

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL); it marks the closing of each year’s football season (which begins in the previous calendar year). An event that all of America (and a good portion of the rest of the world, actually) looks forward to, the Super Bowl is considered an unofficial national holiday.

The first ever Super Bowl was held on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles. Half a century later, the 51st edition of the Super Bowl, or Super Bowl LI as it’s officially called, is slated to take place on February 5, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. This will be the third time the championship game is being hosted by Texas, the other two games being in 1974 and 2004.

Why should you be there?

Every single Super Bowl has been filled with memorable moments ranging from underdog wins, unexpected defeats and undefeated winning streaks to bizarre instances like power outages that left the stadium in total darkness for a half hour. With unbelievable highs and lows, every Super Bowl is an occasion to reminisce over for many years!

Another incomparable aspect of the game are the pre-game and halftime ceremonies; with past ceremonies having seen power-packed performances from icons like Beyonce, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna and Whitney Houston, to name a few, the shows promise to be the kind of experience you’d give your right arm to witness!

With the games yet to begin, predictions are already out about which team is likely to take this year’s title; the hot favourites are the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. You’re gonna want to be there to see which of these (or one of the other teams) gets to raise that trophy. So book your Super Bowl tickets today!