(Reminder: This content is usually only for subscribers to The Sports Fan Project. It’s being made available to all readers this month in conjunction with our monthlong Around the World in 80 Sporting Events $80 for 80 Circle of Champions supporter drive. If you’d like to receive subscriber-only content such as this as well as first dibs on giveaways, a complimentary T-shirt, and post cards from the road, and a future signed copy of the companion book, follow the link above to discover how.)
Welcome to the May installment of “Inside Baseball” where I try to take you behind the scenes with all that’s happening at The Sports Fan Project. Apologies in advance because in this edition I begin with a bit of a rant.
While we’re just over a month removed from the UCLA women and Michigan men winning their respective NCAA National Championships, it’s already time to plan for the 2027 Final Fours.
It should come as no surprise then that someone who’s attempting to travel Around the World in 80 Sporting Events would have attending the men’s and women’s Final Fours on his list.
Shortly after the respective tournaments ended last month, the portals opened for fans wishing to attend the 2027 NCAA Final Fours (Women on April 2 & 4 in Columbus, OH; Men on April 3 & 5 in Detroit, MI). The deadline for applying for the ticket lottery is May 31st and I am simultaneously aghast and resigned to the fact that this is something I’m going to have to do.
Why am I aghast?
Well, here’s what the NCAA requests of fans who want to purchase tickets from its box office:
- Select how many seats you wish to apply for (up to a maximum of four);
- Pay $400 per seat requested;
- Also pay a $25 processing fee per request;
- Wait patiently until no later than October 31st when the NCAA will notify you if your entry was successful;
- If so, you’ll receive tickets to the all three Final Four games sometime before April 2027;
- If not, you’ll have your seat dollars refunded to your credit card but not the $25 processing fee.
So, to review, presuming someone requests the maximum number of seats (4 x $400) that amounts to a 5-month interest free loan of $1,600 to the NCAA, an entity that reported $1.3 Billion in revenues during the 2023 Fiscal Year (the most-recent available). Oh yeah, if you’re not lucky enough to win the ticket drawing, you’ll receive your money back but not the $25 fee because that’s what it’ll cost to input your information into NCAA’s database and process your refund, apparently.
Sigh:-(
As I bowed out of attending the 2026 Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis due to a conflict with The Masters, I’ll be entering for both the Women’s (two seats) and Men’s (four seats) for 2027 and doing a fair amount of driving back and forth if selected.
In the meantime, I hope the NCAA makes good choices with how it utilizes my $2,400. You know, like not expanding the tournaments from 68 to 76 teams … oh, wait;-)
To enter the Men’s ticket lottery follow this link. Toe enter the Women’s ticket lottery follow this link.
What Else is Happening with the AtWi80SE Project
As you read this, I should be wandering around Pennsylvania’s Aronimink Golf Club with my father during today’s practice session of the PGA Championship. We’ll return Thursday to watch the opening round as well.
Attending the PGA Championship is notable as it will complete my AtWi80SE Grand Slam, having already attended the U.S. Open, The Open, and The Masters. I’m beyond delighted that dad was able to attend 75% of those.
And speaking of grand slams, later this month I’ll be purchasing tickets to the 2026 U.S. Open Tennis Championships and plan to hang in the famous Wimbledon Queue next month in London to kick off my tennis Grand Slam pursuit.
Beyond that, there’s a modicum of downtime before the South Africa vs. Czechia FIFA World Cup 2026 match in Atlanta. That said, I’m hopeful of getting caught up on writing about past travels.
Upcoming Conversations
I’m delighted to have four recordings completed and nearly edited for your listening enjoyment. A quick rundown of who to expect to hear from in the near future:
- Michael Clair – Clair’s official title with MLB.com is “senior manager of storytelling and special projects” which sounds like one of the coolest job titles in the world. And the world – the baseball world – is in fact his oyster. He specializes in the international game and the World Baseball Classic. His debut book-length work, We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball: How the Czech Republic’s Amateur Underdogs Became World Baseball Classic Heroes, was released April 1 (no fooling) and has been well-received in baseball circles. I have an author-signed copy of Michael’s book to giveaway so please keep your eyes peeled for how to enter.
- Eddie Hillery – Hillery works in the public service sector in suburban Detroit and also as a coach at his high school. He’s a former 3-sport star at Rochester High School (football, basketball, and track and field), a 4-year regular on defense for the Central Michigan University Chippewas, and a 3-year professional football player for European club teams in Germany, Finland, and Italy. He shares plenty of stories from all the stops on his life’s journey and even adds some nuggets on what it’s like being a father of two girls one who’s playing volleyball and the other who is not interested in sports … yet;-)
- Mark Armour – A baseball fan for nearly as long as he can remember, Armour discovered the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) back in 1982 and was simply a consumer of its works for many years before eventually presenting and publishing one of his research papers. Since then, he’s served in myriad SABR leadership positions including President of its Board of Directors. He also was the founder of the SABR Biography Project which has a goal of writing a biographical article of every integral part of Major League Baseball (player, manager, GM, owner, stadium, etc.). To the moment there are over 6,000 such biographies authored (including over a dozen by Armour).
- Scott Crawford – Crawford has been working at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since January 3, 2000. Today, he is the Director of Operations for the Museum whose home is in St. Marys, Ontario, about a 2-hour drive west of Toronto. Unlike most Canadians who favor ice hockey, he always gravitated toward baseball, especially since the nearby Toronto Blue Jays won the American League East in 1985. Bitten by the baseball bug, Crawford has been a baseball guy ever since. Trying to figure out how to stay in the game, he spent a summer during college volunteering at the Museum which led to an unpaid internship and, ultimately, a paid position. Now he sort of runs the place:-)
Guests Request for a Special Anniversary Conversation
Believe it or not, we’re within a month of celebrating the fourth anniversary of Conversations with Sports Fans filling your earbuds.
No, it wasn’t exactly a “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you” moment, but “The Overview Episode” published June 9, 2022, and here we are, 262 episodes later, still talking sports and whatever else happens to come up.
I’d love to host a panel discussion to publish in early June in commemoration of the anniversary.
My proposed topic: How do I fan today? That is, how do you consume your favorite sports (TV, radio, in print, computer, etc.) It’s an intentionally broad topic because I’m curious how you take in your favorite teams/sports.
Want to join the fun? I’d love it if you would! My hope is to record in the June 2-4 window, likely in the early-to-mid evening EDT. If you’d like to be part of the Conversation please email me at hilldouglast@gmail.com.
Add Your Name to the $80 for 80 Circle of Champions
Many thanks for the fabulous 14 – Geoff, Carol, Tim, Joe, Wayne, Tom, Maury, Stephen, Laura, Martin, Keith, Michael, Luisa, and an anonymous donor – whose generous support of $1 for each of the 80 Events has earned them a spot on the $80 for 80 Circle of Champions wall, a free T-shirt, a copy of the yet-to-be-authored compendium book about this crazy journey I’m embarking upon, plenty of gratitude, and check-ins from the road.
Want to join the Circle, you’re able to do so at the secure <Support> link found along the right column of this page or via Venmo @DouglasTHill. If you’d rather write a check let me know (hilldouglast@gmail.com) and I’ll get that address to you.
Masters Merch Winners
It turns out no drawings were needed to for the Masters Merchandise giveaway. There were six entrants folks eligible based on support of The Sports Fan Project, but only five responded by the deadline to enter. As I had five remaining Masters Ball Marker and two Golf Balls, they all went to good and welcoming homes:
- Golf Balls – Paula from Lansing,MI, and Mark from Toronto
- Ball Markers – Mike from Sterling, VA, Joe from Bradenton, FL, and Tim from Fairbanks, AK
Congratulations all!
Recently Published Events Pages
You may have missed them with all that’s going on, but pages chronicling Events No. 35 (NCAA Volleyball at Wisconsin) and No. 36 (Packers-Bears at Lambeau Field) have been published. You’re able to find them at the previous links.
More Shots from Boston
A few more shots from Events No. 53 (Patriots Day) and No. 54 (Yankees-Red Sox) in Boston. Clockwise from upper left, a picturesque night at Fenway Park for the first game against the rival Yankees this season; runners helping runners realize their Boston Marathon goal; the final of just five turns on the Boston Marathon’s course as runners head down Boylston toward the finish line; a sweet shot of me at Fenway with the stadium name in the background; part of the Boston Marathon Memorial for victims of the 2013 bombing; we were gifted tickets on “The Green Monstah” for Sunday’s soggy affair between Boston and Detroit; the famous Citgo sign from atop The Monster.