Seven Wonders of the Sporting World

The remaining Wonders of the Sporting World lay, not in the confines of the States, but are global destinations.
Just as the Colossus of Rhodes was a symbol of unity for the inhabitants of this Mediterranean island, so is Athens, Greece a symbol of unity.
1896 marks the beginning of the modern Olympic games in Athens and in 2004 the games will once again grace this historically rich city. Athens is one of the Wonders.
Every four years since 1896, thousands upon thousands have descended upon a certain city in the name of competition and unity. This moment of unity occurs for a brief period of time and is contained in a single city. Warring nations are brought together through the love of sport, a love that was born in the whitewashed city of Athens.
In the rainy, windy climate of England we find the next Wonder.
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Americans have yet to catch the soccer bug, but the rest of the world has caught it and does not desire an antidote for football fever.
Old Trafford is home to one of the most popular soccer clubs in the world: Manchester United. Man U fans are found in the back alleys of Hong Kong, in the bustling metropolis of St. Petersburg, Russia, and even in the forgotten town of Milledgeville.
This ubiquitous team calls Old Trafford home and has done so since 1910 (a phenomenal amount of time considering how quickly stadiums are torn down in the States).
The stadium holds 68,217 rowdy, red-bedecked, drum beating fans. The stadium, for a period of time, also allowed some of the most popular athletes in the world, such as David Beckham, to grace her pitch.
Soccer is the sport of the earth, Beckham is the athlete of the world, Man U is the soccer franchise of the earth and Old Trafford is the center of it all. Move out of the way, you outdated Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.
On the other side of the English Channel lies France, home of the next Wonder.
The Tour de France is a towering and intimidating race. The race occurs over a stretch of 22 days. The competitors take off with a clap of excitement and arrive at the finish line roughly 2,109 miles later with any energy long since evaporated.
The event has exploded in popularity and prominence. Since 1903, the Tour de France has grown from 60 riders to 198 riders split into 22 teams.
15 million spectators line the streets in tiny French towns to feel the wind graze their faces as cyclists whip past them. 2,400 hours of programming are broadcasted across the world to TV sets in Luxembourg, Australia and Norway.
The winner is the best athlete in the world, and for that reason, the background for the race — the hills and flat expanses of France — is considered to be among the Wonders of the Sports World.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus should be forgotten.
The final Wonder has made her appearance in her decorous English demeanor.
Wimbledon is the pinnacle achievement for tennis players. Every year Church Road is bombarded by the best in the world competing for a prestigious silver plate. Yes, a plate.
Since 1877, men and now women have backhanded, volleyed and slammed their way for this plate.
What makes Wimbledon worthy is the aura contained at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. One of the game’s greatest players, Arthur Ashe, said that Wimbledon is “certified British tradition, and British traditions are just a bit more traditional than anyone else’s.”
Wimbledon is packed with highbrow English. They are sophisticated, refined and not going to take on the persona of the drunken fan.
The grass courts are the destination of choice for class and prestige, which helps Wimbledon sneak in the back door and morph into one of the Wonders.
The list is complete and now we have new wonders to which to journey and to gaze upon with fixed awe.

(Editor’s note: This is part 2 of My Seven Wonders of the Sporting World, hope you like it.)

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 13 2004. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry