The Patriots’ comeback victory over the Falcons in 2017 added an exclamation point to Super Bowl LI. getty images
Portia Archer: Seeing my 12-year-old daughter, Kendall, become a USA Track & Field national champion. That was awesome. Beyond that, I’ve been to a few NBA Finals games when the Bulls were killing it, back in their heyday, and those were very cool, too.
Kathy Beauregard: Western Michigan played football against the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as the first college football game after Sept. 11, 2001. We were with 100,000-plus fans and both bands. When the bands took the field together for the national anthem, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. We were the first major event in America to demonstrate unity and the passion to begin healing and to demonstrate that terrorism wasn’t going to stop us from living.
Carrie Brzezinski-Hsu: It’s a tie between my last college football game as a student, the 2000 Orange Bowl where Michigan beat Alabama in OT, and my first Super Bowl, in 2004, when the Patriots prevailed over the Panthers after an intense fourth quarter.
Alba Colon: The 1995 Brickyard 400, which was my first time in Indianapolis for a race. It was won by Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Jen Cramer: The most memorable was Game 6 of the 1996 World Series when the Yankees won it all. I remember celebrating on the streets with thousands of fans holding my “Yankees Win, Theeeeeee Yankees win” banner!
Mary Ellen Curran: The Ryder Cup at Brookline Country Club with my dad.
Kathy Duva: Gatti-Ward II, but I’m lucky to have been at so many that it’s hard to choose.
Janet Evans: 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Whitney Haslam Johnson: It would be tough to top the Battle at Bristol. It was such a special night for Pilot Flying J team members and our guests who were either watching at home or part of the record-breaking 156,000 fans in the stands. I had to remind myself to stop and soak it in, in the midst of the tangible energy and excitement.
Jessica Holtz: The Champions League Final in Cardiff in 2017 with Joel Embiid. I had never been an international soccer fan until that event. It was incredibly well-run and I was able to understand the passion for the game by the fans in attendance.
Lynn Holzman: My first Cleveland Browns football game as a kid.
Ashlee Huffman: I cringe at this question. Everyone has these amazing moments they share that elicit such passion — iconic sports moments. I, on the other hand, simply remember the fun and camaraderie with friends at high school football games, IU tailgating, Pacers games with my family and lots and lots of races shared with my family and my work family.
Michelle Johnson: As a member of the Academic All-America Hall of Fame, I attended the 2008 NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball tournament in Tampa. I spoke with the Final Four teams and met Pat Summitt, Geno Auriemma, Tara VanDerveer and other remarkable coaches. The semifinal game in which Tennessee with Candace Parker defeated LSU with Sylvia Fowles, was a heartbreaker for LSU in the closing seconds, but a beautiful game to watch in that setting with incredible college sports leaders.
Diane Karle: Super Bowl XXXIV (Atlanta 2000).
Michelle Kennedy: 2016 playoffs Preds vs. San Jose. Mike Fisher scored a goal in the third OT for the Preds win! The game began on May 5th and ended on May 6th … there aren’t many of us who can say they have seen a hockey game that spanned two days in the same time zone!
Nona Lee: Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, D-backs vs. Yankees. Nothing like it!
Sandra Lopez: There are so many experiences that I will always remember and appreciate them equally for different reasons. One of the experiences was when I was living in Italy and Italy made it to the FIFA World Cup final (1994). I was able to witness the fans experience an awesome moment in sports. The energy and excitement was amazing as fans celebrated and exited their homes and enveloped the city.
Neera Mahajan Shetty: The 1999 NCAA championship game in Tampa was memorable for all the wrong reasons — my alma mater, Duke, was the clear favorite but lost to UConn in the last minute of the game. It was devastating to be in the stadium, completely stunned.
Yvette Martinez-Rea: The first ESL Intel Extreme Masters stadium event during my interview process. It was mind-blowing. I was still unsure of this thing called esports and not sure I could truly relate since I had never even seen "Counter-Strike" in my life. I remember entering the packed stadium and hearing the roar of the fans, seeing the team jerseys dotting the seats, watching people jump and moan with the various actions of the players — it was visceral. And then when I learned there were hundreds of thousands of fans watching online around the world, I was sold then and there.
Laila Mintas: My first live Super Bowl (Super Bowl LI), when the Patriots were so far behind and came back to win.
Liz Moulton: As someone who recently married a lifelong New Englander, I would be remiss to not say Super Bowl LI in Houston, perhaps the greatest comeback story in my lifetime. (It helps to root for a team whose owners empower women leaders.)
Joanne Pasternack: Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2015. The absolute joy, pride and emotions were on display from the sold-out opening ceremony to the last day of competition. With 6,500 Special Olympics athletes from 165 nations competing in 25 Olympic-type sports, it was a world stage for athletes with intellectual disabilities to demonstrate their courage, determination and spirit of sportsmanship on the playing field.
Lara Pitaro Wisch: This is admittedly a series of events, but hands down the 2004 ALCS, which occurred during my first year working in baseball. I was raised in a rabid Yankee household, so that series of games was my first [hard] lesson in love of the game above love of the individual team.
Hania Poole: 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s College Basketball final. A close second was the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah.
Jennifer Pope: Winning the Cup at home in 2012 and 2014 (in overtime) was unbelievable. I was also at the Larry Johnson 4-point play when the Knicks played the Pacers in the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals.
Lara Price: NBA at 50 — 49 of the greatest players convened at the same time.
Marianne Rotole: The 1997 NBA Finals while I was with the Chicago Bulls was an unbelievable event to witness up close, especially as a young professional. It set an exceptionally high bar. A close second is the 2009 IAAF World Championships at the historic Olympiastadion in Berlin where Usain Bolt set a world record in the men’s 100m final.
Kristen Salvatore: It’s a toss-up between watching Team Liquid win last year’s TI, and attending the Oakland A’s then-record-breaking 20th consecutive win in 2002, when Scott Hatteberg hit a walk-off homer.
Constance Schwartz-Morini: Super Bowl XXVI in Minneapolis. It was my first Super Bowl and I continue to be in awe of how the game and experience has evolved and grown since then.
Morgan Shaw Parker: I have too many to count but nothing tops the energy and emotion of being on the field when the Falcons won the AFC Championship. To then have the opportunity to represent our team at the Super Bowl was nothing short of incredible ( … and we will be back!).
Sara Toussaint: 2017 NCAA Men’s Championship. Florida Gators beat the Wisconsin Badgers with a buzzer-beater in overtime advancing them to the Elite 8. It was extra special because the assistant coach and his wife are friends and the broadcast caught us celebrating. Someone made a video clip of the moment set to the “Titanic” theme song.
Cyndie Wang: The men’s basketball gold medal between USA and Spain at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Nichol Whiteman: Game 1 of 2017 World Series (Dodgers vs. Astros). To open the World Series at home on our field with a special pregame ceremony featuring Rachel Robinson with her children Sharon and David throwing the first pitch, was amazing. As a former JRF scholarship recipient, it was a breathtaking and full-circle moment. Clayton Kershaw on the mound, celebrities everywhere, home runs, and super-hot 103-degree weather made for one unforgettable day. We won that game against the Astros. Hope and energy overflowed as L.A. came together.
Chie Chie Yard: Professionally, the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium is my most memorable event that I have worked on. The roar of more than 105,000 fans on New Year’s Day in a snowy atmosphere is something that I will never forget. On a personal note, the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games will forever be my most memorable event simply because I was a participant (as a member of the Japan women’s national hockey team).
