Top Ten Sporting Events

Today's Countdown is inspired by the upcoming Super Bowl. All the hype made me ponder - Just what are the best big game/ match sporting events?

All things considered - This is MY list of favorites from bottom to top.

10) Wimbledon

• Gotta represent tennis... Big points for tradition.

9) The NBA Finals

• I watch them every year, and every year, I just don't care that much.

8) The Daytona 500

• I'm not gonna lie - I'm not a NASCAR fan, but despite that, I've still watched my fair share of Daytona 500s. I'm still not entirely convinced that race car driving is an athletic sport, but I simply can't ignore the enormous popularity of NASCAR. Plus the Daytona 500 gets extra points for being both the first race and the most prestigious race of the NASCAR season. Not too many sports can claim that.

7) The US Open (Golf)

• A lot of people find golf boring to watch, but not me. This is a game that is literally decided by a millimeter here or there... I particularly love the US Open, because the course is always so tough... Any time I can see the best golfers in the world be over par consistently, I'm gonna love it.

6) World Cup Soccer

• I'm American - we're just not that into Soccer - BUT the rest of the Western World seems to be VERY into Soccer, so the World Cup can't be ignored.

5) The Super Bowl

• Football is America's new favorite pasttime - and without question, my favorite sport. BUT, the Super Bowl has become such a spectacle that sometimes it seems to be more about the commercials and the half-time show than about determining the best team.

4) The World Series

• It's all about nostalgia and tradition, which I love. When a team gets in that hasn't been to the Series in decades, it's always tons of fun.

3) The Summer Olympics

• The whole world stops to watch two weeks of straight up raw athletic talent and kick-ass opening and closing ceremonies. Events like the 100m dash really push this one towards the top of the list. On the other hand, events like synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics keep it out of the top two.

2) The Winter Olympics

• Love it for some of the same reasons as the Summer Olympics, of course. Figure Skating is a big plus for me, and I'm gonna be honest - the Luge and the Bobsled events are what really pushed the Winter Olympics ahead of the Summer games in my mind.

1) The Stanley Cup Finals

• The Stanley Cup Finals are the top of my list for two big reasons. a) Hockey is a tough, physically demanding game. The hockey season is extremely long. The playoffs themselves are extremely long. By the time the winner of the cup is decided, these guys have been completely abused. b) Lord Stanley's Cup... the tradition is so rich surrounding this cup - guys who win it, won't even let their little kids touch it, for fear that if they do, they'll jinx their chance to grow up and win it. That's tradition and superstition that can't be beat.