One of the best things about traveling for sports is getting to witness a championship. That means a league title like the Stanley Cup or World Series, not a meaningless regular season achievement like the Presidents' Trophy. Individual titles in sports such as golf and tennis are also excluded except for Grand Slam events. Over my time on the road, I have seen a number of champions crowned, and am always on the lookout for more. Here is a list of what I have seen, in chronological order:
Title
|
Date
|
Location
| Winner |
Notes
|
| Memorial Cup | May 13, 1990 | Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, ON | Oshawa Generals | Eric Lindros entered the national stage, game went to 2OT |
| Stanley Cup | June 24, 1995 | Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ | New Jersey Devils | Snuck in, was on TV as the Devils celebrated |
| Nippon Series | October 23, 1997 | Jingu Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | Yakult Swallows | Saw every NPB stadium that year |
| Olympic Hockey | February 22, 1998 | Big Hat, Nagano, Japan | Czech Republic | Ice hockey was not popular in Japan then |
| World Series | November 4, 2001 | Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, AZ | Arizona Diamondbacks | Culminated the 7-month MLB Roadtrip, my first extended trip |
| World Cup | June 30, 2002 | Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, Japan | Brazil | Was in the media room afterwards when team brought the trophy through |
| Arizona Fall League Championship | November 22, 2008 | Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale, AZ | Phoenix Desert Dogs | Max Scherzer, Josh Donaldson were on the team |
| AFC Champions League | November 7, 2009 | National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | Pohang Steelers | 2009 was a good year for Steelers teams |
| Pearl Bowl | July 1, 2010 | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan | Fujitsu Frontiers | Only football game I saw in Japan |
| World University Baseball Championship | August 7, 2010 | Jingu Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | Cuba | First time to see the new extra inning rules with runners starting on the bases |
| NBA Championship | June 21, 2012 | American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL | Miami Heat | LeBron's first title |
| AAA National Championship Series | September 17, 2013 | Coca-Cola Park, Allentown, PA | Omaha Storm Chasers | During the 2013 NFL Stadium Journey |
| Pac-12 Football Championship | December 7, 2013 | Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ | Stanford Cardinal | During the 2013 NFL Stadium Journey |
| Super Bowl | February 2, 2014 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ | Seattle Seahawks | Culminated the 2013 NFL Stadium Journey |
| America East Tournament | March 14, 2015 | SEFCU Arena, Albany, NY | Albany Great Danes | Top play on SportsCenter that night |
| NASL Championship | November 15, 2015 | Shuart Stadium, Hempstead, NY | New York Cosmos | Ottawa were the losers |
| Grey Cup | November 29, 2015 | Investors Group Field, Winnipeg, MB | Edmonton Eskimos | Ottawa were the losers, again |
| CollegeInsider.Com Tournament | March 27, 2016 | Levien Gymnasium, New York, NY | Columbia Lions | Stormed the court! |
| National Invitational Tournament | March 29, 2016 | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY | George Washington Colonials | |
| World Team Tennis | August 26, 2016 | Forest Hills Stadium, Queens, NY | San Diego Aviators | |
| U.S. Open Tennis (Women) | September 10, 2016 | Billie Jean King Tennis Center, Queens, NY | Angelique Kerber | |
| U.S. Open Tennis (Men) | September 11, 2016 | Billie Jean King Tennis Center, Queens, NY | Stan Wawrinka | |
| Calder Cup | June 24, 2018 | Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto, ON | Toronto Marlies | First time to see a Toronto title live |
| NBA G League | April 12, 2019 | Island Federal Credit Union Arena, Stony Brook, NY | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | Game moved from Nassau Coliseum due to Islanders making the playoffs |
| NY-Penn League | September 10, 2019 | MCU Park, Brooklyn, NY | Brooklyn Cyclones | First time seeing a league title in the minors |
| WNBA | September 18, 2022 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT | Las Vegas Aces | Mark Davis in the house! |
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