By Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr.
Recently, I went to the “Homegoing Celebration” for Anna Atwood-Stuckey. Mother Atwood as she was affectionately known at our church, passed away at the age of 107. She has held a special place in my heart since I was a youngster. She would give my sister and I raisins or candy every Sunday. She always had a smile and kind word for anyone she met. Her health began to fail, then her memory and storytelling. She spent many years in a nursing home and once she could not attend church. I would go with my father to help serve her communion. It amazed me how she would just start sharing stories from her youth, memories of raising her children and anything else that crossed her mind. After listening to those stories, memories, and anecdotes, I can truly say she lived a full, and complete life.
This thought leads me really reflect on the important issues in my life. The movie “The Bucket List” came out in 2007. It was about a couple of terminally ill men who put together a list of things that they wanted to do before they passed away. Thankfully, I am not in that position but there is a bucket list of sporting events that I would like to attend before I leave this Earth. The list is pretty long, so here a few of them.
1. The Super Bowl – This has become the biggest sporting event in the United States every year. People who do not even watch football generally attend some sort of gathering to watch it. As a die-hard football fan, this would be the ultimate experience. Fans from all over the world come to the city that is hosting it. My goal is to not only be in one of those cities, but in the stadium watching the game when a World Champion is crowned.
2. Final Four – The NCAA tournament is arguably the second sporting event in the United States. This is another event that draws in people who do not usually watch sports. With tournament pools, and bracket challenges, a lot of people get in on the fun. As a fan, the Saturday of the Final Four would be great to experience in person. Having a chance to see the four best teams that season battle for a right to play in the Championship game would be an awesome sight. The atmosphere on television is usually electric, and I cannot wait to experience it in person.
3. World Championship Boxing Match – Growing up in a home where we enjoy sports, there have been countless boxing matches watched. There is nothing like a World Championship boxing match though, the energy in the crowd is always high. The fights do not always live up to the billing, but there is always a big-time feel going into a major fight. From the fighters arrival to the venue on Thursday, the weigh-in on Friday, and the day of the fight, it is a big-time event. This is something that I want to experience in person.
4. WrestleMania – First off, for all who are concerned, let me start by saying, yes, I know wrestling is fake. However, since I was a youngster, my friends and I have been into wrestling. My late pastor, Charles Tolbert would take a group of the kids from church to the live events when they came to the Lansing Civic Center. We would also all go to his house and watch the pay-per-views. This is something that continued in the years after he passed away. Currently, I do not follow wrestling like I did as a youth, but WrestleMania is still something that I would love to see in person. It is always the biggest event of the year in wrestling, and something crazy always happens. As a fan of wrestling for years, it is something that I want to take off of my bucket list.
Well, there you have just a few things that are on my sports bucket list. These are things that once I attend will become great memories for me to share. Now, here’s hoping that I have some of the longevity of Mother Atwood, and will be able to tell stories, memories, and anecdotes about these events. Thank you for listening, and rest in peace Mother Atwood. I love you.
I’m Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message
Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. is a writer that enjoys watching, playing, and talking about sports. He coaches basketball at the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing. You can visit his blog at
mrwilson42.blogspot.com for thoughts on sports events. Follow him on twitter @JimmyLWilsonJr, and feel free to email any feedback to him at jimmyl.wilsonjr@gmail.com
This was printed in the November 4, 2012 – November 17, 2012 Edition
