Sporting Events with the Kids
By: Keith
I‘m not overly thrilled about arena and stadium sports in general, but once in a while they’re fun. We haven’t been to any since we lived in Texas right next to the Ballpark in Arlington (Texas Rangers). Neil got to experience several games which I think he remembers, but Alan has yet to experience the roar of the crowd. I’m considering what would make for a good first experience for him. If I lived in Oklahoma I’d take him to an OU football game. We do live within two miles of CU so that’s also an option (it might be too much to ask to see the home team win though). When I was a kid I remember seeing the Harlem Globetrotters at the Boston Garden, the Bruins of course, Games at Fenway and one special trip to Foxborough that I recall. In California I got to see the Rams, the Angels and several Dodger games. It was all memorable and, though I didn’t go very often, the few times I did, it was a positive experience. The question at hand is this: If you’re a sports buff and you have kids, when did you take them to their first game? Which types of games are most appropriate for small kids and most enjoyable for older kids?
My Top Experiences at Sporting Events as a Kid:
Bruins: When I was about 10 my next door neighbor’s dad was some sort of Big Shot at Pepsi and got access to the Pepsi Co Skybox at the Garden. I saw two or three games one year from that Skybox and mostly enjoyed the beer nuts. Then, one time, the Skybox was being used by someone more important, and we had to go sit with the riff-raff. That was when I really learned to like hockey. Noses pressed against the glass and the sound of the skates and booming thuds of bodies being crushed against that boards as we ducked for our lives – that’s a sport.
Track and Field: This one doesn’t really count because I’ve never been to the Olympics in person. But, I watched the 1984 games on TV with my family and that was what really sparked my appreciation for the sport. It’s been one of my desires to get to see the Olympics in person. I threw this in just because I couldn’t help myself.
Red Sox: Baseball is way more interesting in person than it is on TV. I discovered that when I went to my first game as a kid. Baseball to me was boring, but seeing the excitement of the game live changed my mind. I think of all sports perhaps baseball is the one that kids really need to see in person to appreciate. The same case could be made for hockey.
Dodgers: I went to several sporting events in California. When I went to see the Rams, I was a teenager and spent most of the game looking at the cheerleaders through my binoculars. But, baseball is much less distracting. The Dodgers games were the first that I attended prepared with a mitt for foul balls. It’s cliché, but there’s something about going to a game with a mitt that can’t be replicated in other sports.
Going to sporting events with your dad is one of those life experiences that I think is good for kids, boys and girls. There’s nothing saying it couldn’t be a mother/daughter experience either, but moms aren’t usually into sports in the same way. The point is to use the stadium environment as a bonding experience. Playing sports fosters peer camaraderie, but watching sports I think encourages family bonding. Some people might see professional sports as a waste of time. I see them as an opportunity to spend time with your kids. I need to get on the ball and make it happen this season.
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Great idea! I took my kids to a college baseball game for their first sporting event. It was at West Point to watch Army play a team that escapes me now. Anyway, my kids were a good bit younger than now. Since then, the older ones have been to see college hockey and a couple of college football games. We plan to go see some minor league baseball games in a couple of weeks when the season kicks off here in Savannah.
No olvides que a Neil le tocó ir a un juego de soccer en Monterrey,México en el estadio Universitario, yo ya he llevado a mi hijo a los juegos de soccer y baseball y al menos aquí en México los juegos de baseball son más familiares y apropiados para niños menores.Saludos y un fuerte abrazo.
Sí me acuerdo, todavía uso la playera de los Tigres que me compré. El partido era Monterrey contra Puebla y me dice Mely que el Puebla ganó pero yo ya no me acuerdo. La próxima vez que vayamos hemos de llevar a Alan. Saludos.
Ashley took Bryce to many mother/son hockey games and they had great fun. The fans are a hoot, there’s lot of action AND the zamboni comes around and shoots t-shirts into the stands! A good fight is a bonus.
I can’t wait to take my kids to their first sporting event, but at 6 and 4 I don’t think they’re old enough to appreciate it yet. I grew up in a smaller city that didn’t have any professional teams so I didn’t get to see an NHL game until I moved to Vancouver in my 20′s. I’ll never forget walking into the arena and seeing the glint off Gretzky’s chrome stick for the first time.
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I grew up attending high school level sporting events. Mostly basketball and football until I myself got to high school and became an athlete at the school. I have great memories of those games. I haven’t yet brought my kids to any, but I am thinking about it. I still live close to my hometown, and several high school friends take their own kids to games regularly.
At the moment I live a few miles away from a minor league ball field. We take the kids at least once a year, and we often include my father in law. I love the franchise (New Britain Rock Cats). They cater to kids. There are several mascots who circulate through the crowd during the game. There is kid friendly entertainment in between innings, they put each player up on the jumbo screen so the kids can get to know who they are, and the announcer uses wacky sound effects to call attention to game happenings. This year we will be attending the annual home school night where one of the home schooled kids will sing the national anthem, and the rest of the kids get to go down onto the field to hold the flag. My daughter and I will also attend Girl Scout night. After the game the girls are literally camping out on the field, and they are showing a movie on the jumbo screen. Or favorite nights so far have been fireworks-after-the-game nights. They never fail to thrill. When they are a little older (the boys are 3 at the moment) I know their grandfather plans to take them to a Yankees game. The Mets and Red Sox are equally close. We also have a AA hockey team nearby that caters to kids, so I will likely take them to a hockey game in the next year or two.