A Sports Voyage

If my tenure here at Sacramento State University were to abruptly stop after the semester’s end, what would I then decide to do?

Wow, what a question indeed. For me to deviate from the defaulted path of earning my higher education seems unheard of, unlikely, and uncharacteristic of me to do. That would defy the long-engrained message that nothing is more important than receiving my education, a virtually planned out agenda that had been instilled in me by my parents only since I was a young boy mastering the alphabet.

But back to the question at hand, what would I then do if I were to permanently ditch college?

My far from diverse list of hobbies wouldn’t change, in fact more time would be dedicated to my sports-loving lifestyle. For sports has been the constant variable ever present in my life and I couldn’t see myself not doing something related to it as a career, but I wouldn’t be sure what exactly?

To help solve this dilemma with school left behind, I think I would embark upon a massive and epic cross-country sports road trip.  As a huge fan who previously has not traveled much at all (seeing 5 of 50 states), I would make it a must to see all the most desirable sports venues, sports towns, and team matchups on my list that our nation has to offer. In addition, hopefully this voyage would expose or steer me towards a new sports-related occupation that I might discover along the way.

An unsymmetrical oval going counter-clockwise would be the overall outline of the trip as it would start and end in Sacramento.

Northeast would be the general direction I would first travel with a lot of open roads ahead of me until my first destination in the town of Green Bay, Wisconsin. I’d want to check out the “cheesehead” town and see the storied and legendary home of the Packers, Lambeau Field.

Across Lake Michigan would be my next stop to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sentimental ties would be the reason to touring The University of Michigan because my late grandfather was an alumnus of this prestigious school. Being able to check out the largest stadium in the United States seating 109,901 known, as “The Big House” would be the other.   

Then in the Northeastern region of the U.S., baseball and basketball would be the main themes as I would see Yankee Stadium in New York (home of the “Evil Empire”), Madison Square Garden (where the Knicks play), The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and the Redsox’ home in Boston with historic Fenway Park.

Down the home stretch of the trip, I would stop by Myrtle Beach South, Carolina, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and Scottsdale, Arizona to satisfy an urge to play my favorite sport on some renowned golf courses like TPC Sawgrass and Dove Mountain.

From there, I’d wrap up the sports-themed excursion with a little leisure rest and relaxation in one of my favorite places on earth in Monterey, California. There would be no set agenda for Monterey as I would recoup and absorb the peaceful and tranquil scene of that gorgeous city, which would cap off an absolutely amazing trip.

Although this road trip would not be a substitute for an alternative occupation to college, I feel this could help spark a new idea for job related to sports along the way. Also, as I am a self-proclaimed “sports nut” I see it as this would be my due diligence to experience sports and how they are portrayed and seen across the nation. Hopefully one day soon, this trip becomes a reality.

The Big House (Michigan Stadium)                   Fenway Park