The 50 Best Traditions in Sports
If you're a sports fan, chances are you've got plenty of traditions.
Taking out traditions would be like having steak with no baked potato. It's Johnny Carson without Carnac. It's Saturday Night Live without Matt Foley or "Jeopardy!"
Traditions abound throughout sports, whether it's popular chants, pregame rituals or famous songs. Sometimes, it's just the consistency of hearing an announcer that becomes special.
You've got Don Cherry and his outlandish outfits on Hockey Night in Canada. If you've listened to the radio, then chances are you loved Chick Hearn doing Lakers games, Curt Gowdy calling the Red Sox or Ernie Harwell with the Detroit Tigers.
Question is: What are the greatest traditions in sports?
It's a herculean task. Almost impossible. I'd probably have an easier time deciding who is the hottest Victoria's Secret model of all-time.
When it comes to this undertaking, you can't just go with college football, even though there are a ton of great traditions.
You also can't leave out certain ones in baseball. I mean, who else grew up loving Harry Caray singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"?
But I do get free reign and I get to consider all sports. So let's go for it. I want you to chime in with your choices, too. Let's see what you enjoy.
Here are the 50 greatest traditions in sports:
50. LeBron and the Chalk
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In the post-Decision era, it just doesn't feel the same. But I'll admit I thought it was cool when he first started doing this back in Cleveland.
49. Coopers Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake
2 of 50Ever since I first saw this, I thought it was hysterical.
Leave it to the British to have a cheese-rolling contest where people run down hills at full speed after blocks of cheese and end up plummeting nonstop along the way.
48. Are You Ready For Some Football?!
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If you grew up when I did, this Hank Williams Jr. song became a very familiar tune on Monday nights.
It's kind of lost its magic with me, and I've become much more appreciative of Faith Hill as I've gotten older.
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47. Thanksgiving Day Football
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The Cowboys and Lions have been staples on Thanksgiving Day. Texas and Texas A&M recently moved their rivalry to that day.
But there's also something about eating a big meal, then having the tryptophan hit from the turkey before waking up to go outside and playing a quick game of football with friends and family.
46. Heckling Colin Montgomerie
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Sure, golf is supposed to be a gentleman's game, but there's just something about Colin Montgomerie that makes him such an easy target.
Maybe it's the snobbery, maybe it's his boorish behavior, but watching him implode on the course only fuels the fans even more.
45. Wooooo!
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One of my favorite childhood memories was WWF wrestling on Saturdays. And it's hard to top the Nature Boy Ric Flair's trademark shouts of "Woooooo!"
Pro wrestling has plenty of hilarious and classic traditions, whether it's Hulkamania, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, or the Rock screaming, "Do you smell what the Rock is cookin'?"
44. Draft Day for Fantasy Football
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Admit it: It's a huge day.
You've spent $50 on magazines, done all your research, have five different strategies on how to form your team and are hoping you get the first pick so you can go for Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson or Tom Brady.
Sometimes it'll all be done via the Internet; other times you'll meet up with friends at Buffalo Wild Wings for wings and beer and get it all done that way.
And if someone grabs your player before you do? Yeah, you want to punch them. Then you find out immediately when you play them and are intent on dropping 175 points on them if you can.
43. Saturday Nights Watching Boxing/UFC
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Back then, nothing topped flipping on HBO or Showtime and checking out a good boxing match.
Whether it's big or small, it's become a regular tradition for many guys to meet up and go watch UFC on Saturday nights at a local sports bar or restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings, which get packed on fight nights.
Credit Dana White for taking a once-pathetic brand and turning it into a powerhouse that's now an American institution.
42. FOX Sunday Pregame Show
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If you love the NFL, then you know this has become one of the best pregame shows to watch every Sunday.
Terry Bradshaw can get to be a little much, but then that's why there's a mute button and excuses to go get more chips and salsa.
41. Running of the Sausages
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It's a staple at Milwaukee Brewers games and another excuse for fans to bet.
The race took a bizarre turn back in 2003 when they passed the visitor's dugout. Pittsburgh first baseman Randall Simon leaned out and struck one of the participants with his bat. A woman wearing an Italian sausage costume collided with another participant, and both fell.
Neither was seriously injured and they were treated for scraped knees.
40. The Tomahawk Chop
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I would put it up much higher, but I can't rank it too high since it's a little too similar to what you'll see at Florida State's football games.
39. The Hogettes
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It began back in 1982, after then Washington Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel called his linemen "hogs."
Pretty soon, grown men began showing up at games with pig noses and dresses.
The Hogettes have been around ever since.
38. Trademarks
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Sometimes traditions can be just certain habits and quirks you come to expect from certain athletes and coaches.
Like Ken Griffey Jr.'s sweet swing when he turned on a pitch.
Or Chuck Liddell celebrating after blasting another opponent in the octagon.
You had Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, who could gun down runners from his knees.
Of course, who could forget hanging around after Mike Tyson fights just to see what outlandish things he would say?
Let's not forget former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach, who loved pirates and loved dispensing dating advice.
Then there was Lou Piniella's explosions, where he looked like he was going to kill an ump or throw a base like it was a discus.
37. John Fogerty's "Centerfield"
14 of 50Most popular baseball song? I think so.
I remember Fogerty from his time with Creedence Clearwater Revival, but this one song may have topped all that.
Not saying it makes sense, but it's had a wide audience, while CCR is usually appreciated mostly by those of us who love classic rock.
36. Keith Jackson Calling College Football Games
15 of 50He's the dean of college football announcers. I always admired what a gentleman he was and of course you can't forget his classic line of "Whooa, Nelly!"
There aren't many more like Keith around now, which is a shame, since we're forced to hear know-it-alls or analysts who add nothing of substance to broadcasts.
If you've got kids who've never heard Keith, let them hear the start of this video. Nothing better than a legendary broadcaster doing one of the greatest college football games ever.
35. Dick Vitale Doing College Basketball Games
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Yes, he can get annoying, and his infatuation with Duke and North Carolina is troubling, but he is the voice of college basketball.'
He also never came off nearly as self-righteous or self-important as Billy Packer, either.
34. Pat Summerall Calling Cowboys Games
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One of the most decent and classy men I've ever met, Summerall was a perfect fit in the booth, especially with America's Team.
I loved hearing him and John Madden calling games together, but when he switched to the Cowboys, it just seemed right.
33. Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
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Not a big NASCAR fan, but I'll admit there's something about hearing those four words, then hearing the sound of engines roaring in unison and hundreds of thousands of fans getting crazy.
32. Hockey Beards
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You'll usually see this during the playoffs, when some players will go without shaving as long as their teams survive.
31. Hats Being Thrown onto the Rink
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You'll often find hockey fans throwing their hats onto rinks after a player gets a hat trick.
It's a cool tradition, but I can hear my brother now saying there's no way he'd get rid of his hat.
30. Drinking Milk After the Indy 500
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I always thought this was just a unique touch to one of America's legendary sporting events.
Give the victor a bottle of two percent and let them chug away. No harm there.
29. Erin Andrews Roaming the Sidelines
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And all the men in the house said: "Amen."
28. Kate Smith Singing
23 of 50If you grew up watching the Philadelphia Flyers, then chances are you watched Kate sing at home games.
Last year, the Philadelphia Daily News did a survey of local sports fans, asking them what's their favorite tradition.
Kate edged out the "E-A-G-L-E-S" chant.
27. GOOOAAL!!
24 of 50You'd never know who Andres Cantor is if it weren't for that.
Memo to Chris Berman: Sometimes classic phrases are the simplest ones.
26. Let's Get It On
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You knew a title fight was extra special when Judge Mills Lane was working it.
This was his classic phrase he always used right after he went over the instructions. What was even funnier was how even the toughest fighters like Mike Tyson never crossed him.
Mills let fighters fight, and if they crossed the line too many times, he would drop the hammer.
25. End-Zone Dances
26 of 50Loved seeing B.J. Raji shaking it during the playoffs.
End-zone celebrations are a part of the NFL and it's a shame the league has cracked down on them.
No one's being harmed and it's meant to be entertainment.
My favorite is still courtesy of Ickey Woods.
24. Goal Celebrations in Soccer
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Sit back and enjoy, because you never know what you'll get.
Sometimes it seems like players pretend to be airplanes, other times it's as if they're in a band.
It's passionate, spirited and unhinged.
23. Camping Out Before Duke/North Carolina Basketball Games
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Fans will go to extremes to make sure they get into the Duke-North Carolina men's basketball games.
It's one of the best rivalries in sports, so I don't blame fans for camping out and going the extra mile to witness the spectacle.
22. J-E-T-S
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Jets fans are some of the most passionate in the NFL.
They may not throw snowballs at Santa like Eagles fans, but their chant is one of the best traditions in the NFL, along with Pittsburgh's Terrible Towels and the Raider Nation.
21. Curtain Calls
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Baseball has a lot of traditions.
I could do a list of 50 just for baseball alone, but this is one of the cool ones, after a player is congratulated by the fans for hitting a home run.
20. Red Auerbach Lighting Up a Cigar Courtside
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The story goes that, back in the day, the legendary Boston Celtics coach used to fire up a cigar courtside once a victory was in hand.
Auerbach was a man's man and he'll always be one of those larger-than-life mythical figures in my book.
John Feinstein's book "Let Me Tell You a Story" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys hearing stories about Auerbach and his life.
19. Let's Get Ready to Rumble
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Michael Buffer's line is a part of boxing history. It's so famous he's even copyrighted it and been known to sue for copyright and trademark infringement.
18. War Eagle
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I graduated from a rival SEC school, but I'll admit it's pretty awesome when you see the eagle fly through Auburn's Jordan Hare Stadium and fire up the fans.
Note to other college football fans: If you ever meet an Auburn fan, just tell them "War Eagle." They'll love you.
17. Dotting The "I"
34 of 50Script Ohio's "i" was first dotted by a trumpet player back in 1936.
Everything changed, though, the following year when band director Eugene Weigel got an idea, then shouted at Glen R. Johnson, a sousaphone player, to switch places with the trumpet player in the dot. They practiced that way several more times, and then finally performed it in a game.
Johnson dotted the "i" from then on and one of college football's greatest traditions had begun.
16. Chief Osceola and the Flaming Spear
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I've seen it on TV, but I imagine that, in person, it has to be incredible to watch Chief Osceola ride out on his horse Renegade with that flaming spear before every Florida State home game.
The tradition began back in 1978, and while other Native American groups have protested, the school has the support of the Seminole Tribe, from where they get the heroic chief.
15. Texas A&M's 12th Man
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Texas A&M football is filled with rich traditions, from the bonfire to yell practice to the 12th Man.
The 12th man can be traced back to E. King Gill, an Aggies basketball player, who was yanked from the press box and down to the field, where he was told to suit up in case he was needed. As the story goes, he was the only player left standing on the sidelines.
Now fans at Kyle Field are called the 12th man. When the team scores a touchdown, it's also for those who are there supporting them.
14. OU-Texas at the Cotton Bowl
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Yes, the stadium is getting old, but it wouldn't be the same if you moved it to a home-and-home arrangement.
And it would definitely lose its fun if it headed west to Cowboys Stadium.
There's just something about the smell of beer, corny dogs, funnel cakes and the site of a stadium split evenly by a sea of burnt orange and crimson.
13. March Madness
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You do it too, don't you?
You grab four or five brackets, fill them all out and get in as many office pools as possible, right?
Do you stress when trying to pick which five seed will lose to a 12? The wait is almost over. Before you know it, millions of us will once again have our TVs on every day trying to catch as many games as possible.
12. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
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If you're a 12-year-old boy seeing pictures of Marisa Miller in a "swimsuit," your little mind is forever changed.
I still find it hilarious, though, that the magazine gets so much hate mail for this, yet it remains their highest-selling magazine of the year.
11. All Blacks Doing the Haka
40 of 50Hawaii's football team does it, and so does a high school team in Texas, but the legendary New Zealand rugby team is in a class of their own doing the war chant.
10. The New York Yankees
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If you're talking about tradition in terms of just a team's history, this is near the top and there's a constant reminder of the greats out in Monument Park.
But if you're talking about traditions in terms of rituals, let's remember roll call, where fans go around chanting each player's name until they tip their cap, then Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" playing after wins.
9. The Kentucky Derby
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Where else is it acceptable to go kill a peacock, stick it on your head and call it a fashion piece?
Besides the outlandish hats, you've got the mint juleps, the historic track, fans singing "My Old Kentucky Home," the hype and the fact that it's the first part of the Triple Crown that make it such an event.
8. The Lambeau Leap
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It's awesome enough that the fans own the team, but even better whenever you have professional athletes jumping into the stands to interact with them and get some love after touchdowns.
It is one of the greatest traditions for one of the NFL's classiest teams, hands down.
7. The Masters
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It's always cool to watch the opening ceremony when Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player get the ceremonial first shots.
There's a ton about this tournament that makes it so special, from the Green Jacket, to Amen Corner, to its rich history and it being the first leg of golf's grand slam.
6. Medal Ceremonies at the Olympics
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It's another brief moment of patriotism in which you see athletes often smiling real big or breaking down in tears as they think about what they accomplished.
5. Hockey Handshakes
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There's something cool about seeing tough guys who just beat the crap out of each other line up and shake hands and commend each other for a good game.
I'm not the hockey fan I used to be, but this is one of the greatest examples of sportsmanship you'll see in pro sports.
4. Tailgating
47 of 50From high schools up through the pros, it's a part of football, no matter where you live in America. Some places like LSU take it to another level, but nothing beats a little meat on the grill, plus some beverages, right before a game.
3. Chants and Songs at English Premier League Games
48 of 50The idea of hitting the pubs, catching a match and singing along with tens of thousands of other soccer fans sounds incredible to me.
I've had the privilege of meeting fans who grew up in England and their passion and knowledge of the sport is in a class of their own.
2. Cadets Marching In to Army/Navy Football Game
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Someday I'll see it live. If you don't get goosebumps seeing all the cadets marching in before the Army-Navy football game every year, something's wrong.
1. Harry Caray
50 of 50I got choked up actually the other day when I watched this again.
It made me remember Saturday afternoons as a kid. After we got through with chores, my brother and I could turn on WGN and listen to Harry call Cubs games with Steve Stone.
Yes, Harry was a Bud man and there were times it sounded like he'd had a few, but despite those moments, you had to love him even if you weren't a Cubs fan.
He was just fun, decent and interesting and one of those people who made you always feel good when you heard his voice.
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