Given my slightly different path to the Redskins (and having never been to an NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL game before) my list is probably going to require a little more explanation
5. 2005 FA Cup Final Arsenal v Manchester Utd
My much maligned Father-in-Law calls 2 days before the game to say he has two seats in a fully serviced hospitality box for the biggest occasion in the English football year (think superbowl). Would I like to go, and do I know anybody else who would like the other ticket? Very cool, that is definitely a call you are going to enjoy making to your best mate. Lovely meal before the game, free bar and Arsenal beat Man U in a penalty shoot out while I call every person I have ever met from the game.
4. 1989 U16 Football World Cup
In 1989 Scotland hosted the FIFA under 16 tournament, what is normally a low key tournament catches the imagination of the public, games that usually play out in front of a couple of thousand at most start to attract decent crowds. The Scottish team benefit from the vocal homes support, after 4 weeks Scotland has qualified for the final against Saudi Arabia (not exactly a football powerhouse but its easier if there are later proved to be some "date of birth irregularities". The game is at Hampden Park the spiritual home of Scottish football and 65,000 people turn up to watch a bunch of 15 year olds play. Scotland take a 2 goal lead into halftime but eventually the superior strength and fitness of the opposition takes over. The final score is 2-2 and Scotland lose in another penalty shoot out, the Scottish players are heartbroken to lose in what will be for almost all of them the highpoint of their career.
3. 1987 UEFA Cup Final (2nd Leg)
Dundee United, my home town team, plays Gothenborg of Sweden in a European Final. Its difficult to frame the achievement in terms familiar to you guys. For 10 years United had been punching way above their weight in European football, its like Marshall seriously contending in the BCS (I'm just back from W. Virginia) for 10 years before finally making a National Championship. After the first match in Sweden, United are 1-0 down. They throw everything at Gothenburg for the first half hour before being hit by a sucker punch and going two goals down. Despite facing an impossible task in the second half they re-double their efforts and get a goal back but the effort is too much and time runs out. However, despite losing, the crowd doesn't stop singing and cheering their heroes, instead of leaving for the end of the match they stay to cheer the victors and an hour later they are still celebrating, not the result but the achievement, the crowd know its team are breaking up, this will be its peak, player get old and others are sold to stabilise the future of the club. Imagine the Redskins of 1992. European football INVENTS an award specifically to be given to the fans in recognition of their behaviour both on the night and for the previous 10 years.
2. 1982 World Cup
I am 11 years old, my Dad takes me overseas for the first time. The whole family is going to Spain for two weeks to see Scotland compete. 40,000 other Scotsmen all have the same idea. I am in small boy heaven Dad and I travel around Southern Spain to see the games. The absolute highlight is to see Scotland take the lead against the most talented team in the world, Brazil (before losing 4-1). We party long into the night with the only other nation whose fans have the same passion and spirit as the Scots. My favourite childhood memory.
1. 1990 Scotland Rugby Grand Slam
You will have noticed a common theme running through the previous stories, my team always loses. Well, I'm Scottish, it goes with the territory, like most Scots, my nationality is hard coded into me. I didn't choose to be Scottish I just got lucky. The best any Scotsman can hope for is dignity in defiant defeat and the occasional, very occasional glorious day in the sun.
My generations day in the sun came on a windy day in March 1990. The oldest international sporting fixtures in the world are between Scotland and England, in Rugby they have played every year (excepting Global conflicts) since 1871. With a population 10 times bigger than Scotland, England generally has the upper hand, but to a Scotsman, these games mean everything. Its impossible to separate them from the politics or the history of our complicated relationship (try and imagine Dallas week, if we really were all Native Americans and they really were the descendants of European settlers).
In 1990 Scotland had spent 11 years suffering as their traditional industries were destroyed by the policies of an uncaring government in London that only a tiny minority of Scots had voted for. Its fair to say that the sight of the suave and sophisticated English rugby team, coming to Edinburgh, very publicly assuming victory was a formality, was very, very strong motivation.
That England team were fast and skilful, with great running and handling skills and a moviestar young captain who had led them to stunning victories in all 3 of their games that season. I hated them. Scotland on the other hand were hard and gritty and determined and had squeaked narrow victories in all their games too. Everything was on the line in the final match of the season
The match was like watching the 85 Bears play the 2007 Patriots. After an almost unbelievable build up (I had queued up for 11 hours overnight for my ticket) that had wound up nationalist fervour to fever pitch, the Scots hurled themselves bodily at the English. I can still remember the stunned look on the faces of the English players after 15 mins. This wasn't how it was meant to be going, they had conceded 6 points and Scotland we not co-operating with the top of the ground beautiful rugby that England wanted to play. At that point England made a fatal mistake, they abandoned their finesse game, instead they were drawn into an arm wrestle with the Scots, throwing away their speed and skill advantage. The game became a battle of wills and there was absolutely no doubt which team WANTED it more, Scotland won 13-7 and I cried like a baby for a full hour afterwards.
It was another 10 years before Scotland would beat England again, but by that time Scotland would have achieved a measure of political independence which now allows us to express our cultural differences in a more positive way. The 1990 Grand Slam match was more than a game, it wasn't the start of the process towards independence but it was a step along the path.
Apologies for getting a little carried away, its a slow night here!
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