Father's Day 2011: 5 Best Sporting Events to See with Dad

Father’s Day is a great time to celebrate the bond between a son or daughter and the man who showed them what it’s like to enjoy the sports world.

With that in mind, I decided to compile a list of the five best sporting events that a father and child could attend together.

Most championships were excluded because it would be too hard to time a perfect series clinching game, so the idea was to attend one-off events that could build a bond that would stand the test of time.

The following list is the perfect bucket list for any child and their father or father-type figure to knockout together and build a great relationship. Enjoy Father’s Day, and we wish the best to you and yours!

5. NHL Winter Classic

Even if you and your father are not fans of the National Hockey League, this is one of those events you have to see live at least once in your lifetime.

The annual event takes place on New Year’s Day, and it’s one of the most exciting events in the NHL season because it's outdoors. It brings you back to a time of playing pond hockey with homemade sticks made by your dad.

With the Winter Classic being held in different baseball parks and football fields from year to year, you could wait until the game came to your area and treat your dad to a wild day close to home.

Just make sure you both bundle up because it’s usually one of the coldest live sporting events outside the Alaskan Iditarod Dog Race.

4. Kentucky Derby

One of the wildest one-off events of the year has to be the Kentucky Derby, and the subsequent party before, during and afterwards.

The Kentucky Derby is called the wildest two minutes in sports, and it is the perfect event to go see with your father.

Between dressing nice and putting some cash on the line, it could be one of the best events to really bond with your father and build lasting memories.

After 137 years of annual races, the track at Churchill Downs has seen its fair share of great father and son moments, and there is still plenty more to be had.

3. MLB All-Star Festivities

Instead of trying to time the series clinching World Series game, the best place to bond with your dad in the baseball world would be at MLB’s All-Star festivities.

From the home run derby to the actual All-Star game, there are so many great events to take in during the MLB All-Star weekend.

With the added incentive that the league that wins the All-Star game gets home-field advantage in the World Series, the intrigue that surrounds the festivities is palpable.

To enjoy that much star power in one area for an extended period of time would be a great way for a father and his child to become great friends.

2. Masters Golf Tournament

Harry How/Getty Images

AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 04: Rod Papmling of Australia celebrates with his son Samuel on the ninth green during the Par-3 contest prior to the start of The Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club on April 4, 2007 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Harry How/Ge

One of the greatest events to build a great friendship with your father would be the premier event on the professional golf tour, the Masters Golf Tournament.

For that four day period, you get to see the greatest golfers in the world being tested against each other and against the course itself.

The most important hole at any Masters Tournament is the 18th, and that’s where father and child should set up camp during the week.

If there is a playoff, an exciting finish or even just a parade of great golfers, the opportunity to watch great golf with your father is an unbelievable feeling.

1. Super Bowl

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Father Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with his son Baylen Brees after defeating the Indianapolis Colts during Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo

The National Football League is the premier sports organization in the United States, and the Super Bowl is the premier event in the sport’s season.

The Super Bowl is a onetime championship game that decides the greatest team for the whole year. Even if your favorite team isn’t playing, it’s great to watch a game with so much on the line.

There is no bigger sporting event in the world, and there is no better place for a father and his child to enjoy the heat of the battle than next to each other.

A father will teach their children how to work hard and strive for the best, and watching the Super Bowl is the embodiment of setting goals and achieving them.

Happy Father's Day to everyone!