Schwartz: Other Sports Should Come Up With Their Own 'Classic'
By Peter Schwartz
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I've been fortunate to attend many sporting events in my life as both a fan and member of the media. In fact, I've been pretty lucky to have attended the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final as well as other memorable events throughout the years.
But without question, some of the most unique and enjoyable sporting events I've been to were a pair of outdoor NHL games. I took my son to the Rangers-Islander game at Yankee Stadium a couple of years ago, and then this past Friday we went to the Winter Classic between the Canadiens and Bruins in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The atmosphere at the Winter Classic was amazing from the pregame fan fest to the player introductions and the entire game-day experience. The neat thing about the Winter Classic or even the additional Stadium Series games is that these contests take hockey back to its roots.
Many NHL players were introduced to the game of hockey as youngsters when they played on outdoor rinks, some of which were in their backyards. The Winter Classic is also a celebration of hockey with other events tied into it, including an alumni game and interactive areas at the spectator plaza in the parking lot.
I think the NHL has done a great job with its outdoor games, and my guess is that they're only going to keep getting bigger and better. In fact, while sitting at Gillette Stadium the other day, I took a look around and wondered how some of the other sports could come up with their own "classic" type games.
NFL
This would also be my way to finally fix the Pro Bowl, which I think we can all agree is broken and unwatchable. Since many people have termed the Pro Bowl as a glorified "flag football" game, why not just make it a flag football game? There's a way to honor the NFL's best players while also making it an enjoyable event for the fans.
First of all, let's ditch the whole Hawaii thing. I know the players like the free trip, but the stadium is always half empty, and it's not a trip that many fans could afford. So, let's keep the game the week before the Super Bowl but move it to the Super Bowl location to kick off the week of festivities.
Since many kids are introduced to the game by playing flag football, the Pro Bowl should become a flag football game featuring the brightest stars in the NFL. Obviously the players who are in the Super Bowl wouldn't be able to play, but since the Pro Bowl would be played at the Super Bowl site, they could still be on hand for the festivities and introductions.
The game could become one big celebration of football with a pregame fan fest and a postgame autograph signing with the Pro Bowlers. You could also involve youth football by having a contest in which youth teams could win a trip to the Pro Bowl and play their own flag football game as part of the event.
NBA
I started thinking about an outdoor basketball game back in 2008 when the Liberty played a regular season WNBA game against the Indiana Fever at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows. Since many NBA players played in school yards and parks growing up, playing an outdoor game would be a great way to bring back the memories of years gone by.
Unless it was in a warm weather city such as Miami, Phoenix or Los Angeles, it would be hard to play an outdoor regular season game. For our purposes here in New York, maybe the NBA can put together an exhibition or all-star-type game during the summer. Perhaps the Knicks could throw something together with the Nets or even have both organizations use their D-League teams for the game.
As far as where to play it, Arthur Ashe Stadium is a good choice of site because of that Liberty game that was already played there. Other possible sites could be MCU Park in Brooklyn, Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island or even Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.
But I would take it a step further. Don't bother bringing the court from Madison Square Garden to Flushing. Use the tennis surface as the court as a way of bringing back those days for the players when they played on the outdoor courts as kids. And just like the NHL does, make it a celebration of basketball with youth games, fan fest, and autograph session.
MLB
Kids play little league during the same time of year that the major league season is played, so there really isn't a way for MLB to take the game back to its roots. I thought of maybe having the players wear replicas of their little league uniforms at the All-Star Game, but that might be difficult with late additions.
Another thought I had was going way back. At the Old Bethpage Village Restoration, they play old-time baseball the way they played back in the 1800s. I actually took part in it a number of years ago and played first base with no glove. That might be a little extreme considering today's major leaguers, but perhaps they could play an exhibition game or an All-Star Game under old-time conditions, maybe even at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown.
I really love the way the NHL has presented its Winter Classic and outdoor games. It's a unique event that brings extra attention to the game of hockey. The other sports should take a look and see if they could do something similar.
Follow Peter on Twitter at @pschwartzcbsfan
