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You’ve likely heard all the fuss about Caitlin Clark and her impressive college basketball career at the University of Iowa.
We’re big fans in my family, and I think it’s awesome that millions of people are now tuning in to watch the WNBA since she’s signed on with the Indiana Fever.
Since I’ve been watching Clark for a while, it was a great treat to attend the Indiana Fever vs. New York Liberty game at the Barclay Center last weekend in New York City, along with 17,000 other fans.
The energy was incredible, and it was neat to see Clark sign autographs for young fans.
My sister bought tickets for my mom for Mother’s Day, and she was kind enough to get tickets for Oscar and me as well.
The Barclay Center is super clean, easy to get to and offers an excellent visual and audio experience no matter where you’re seated.
We spent the afternoon in Brooklyn, stopping at Mezcal’s Mexican restaurant for drinks and appetizers, then eating dinner at Miriam Restaurant along Fifth Avenue.
While it was enjoyable spending the afternoon and early evening exploring the city a bit and watching the game at the Barclay Center, it got me thinking about the many sports amenities available here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
A few days later, I attended a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders game at PNC Field in Moosic.
While it may have been minor league baseball, I felt like I was at the big leagues because the stadium is beautiful and there are a lot of activities on the field to keep visitors entertained during downtimes.
I thought about how fun it was to attend the professional game in NYC a few days prior, but that I didn’t have to leave the area to necessarily get a great sports experience.
Besides the RailRiders, we have the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins hockey team which plays at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
While they’ve been in town longer than the RailRiders, they are another fun team to see play right in our backyard.
So often we think about traveling for a top-notch sports experience.
The truth is: we have many amazing amenities right in our own backyard.
I travel out of town when I feel the urge, but I also try to keep looking at what’s around me — whether that’s the RailRiders, the Penguins, or another team in the area I can support.
I know there are other sports teams locally to pay attention to, but the RailRiders and Penguins are what come to mind first.
What else am I missing?
Feel free to drop me a note. I may end up at a game sometime soon.
Mike McGinley is a Times Leader columnist who is often called a man about town. Email him thoughts at mikejmcginley@gmail.com.