ESPN the magazine covers

Lionel Messi - 2001

Hope Solo - The Body Issue

Tim Howard - The Body Issue

David Beckham - Real Madrid

Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) Love Barcelona - 2009

2011 - NY Red Bull Fan Fest

2011.11.19 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

When my boys were younger we would attend baseball games, where after the game the team management allowed the kids to run the bases. When the boys reached home they would rub their hand in the dirt and I would have them smudge the dirt into a first day cover, to commemorate their run on a professional field. Following the penalty kick attempt at Red Bull Arena, Mike and I both rubbed dirt into the 1979 US Olympic  first day cover to commemorate our afternoon...

Mike has played soccer on Giants Stadium's field, but it was turf and it did not provide the opportunity to obtain a dirt sample...

2011 - NY Red Bull Fan Fest

2011.11.19 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

The red Bull held their first fan fest and select a seat to allow fans to come into the stadium and select seats for the 2012 season. During the event guests had the opportunity to take a penalty shot on the field, have a professional holiday photo taken in front of a holiday decorated goal, and tour the Red Bulls locker room. I was quite surprised that the season ticket sales was very low-key, no pressure to buy. Fans were allowed to wander the stadium and only had access to the field to take a penalty kick or to have their holiday photo taken...

Access to the stadium was through the VIP entrance, where a mural of fan photos made up the Red Bull logo...

Mike taking his penalty kick - he scored to the right of the keeper. My shot hit the keeper right in the hands, he didn't even had to move.

In the supporters section we noticed a lone red seat. never noticed it before as the section was always packed with fans. The seat in section 101, row 11, seat 20 commemorates first goal ever scored in Red Bull Arena, scored by Joel Linpere on March 20 in the 11th minute of the game..

On the way to the locker room the wall is lined with competitors jerseys including Juventus and Sporting Lisbon...

 The locker room was a very simple design, with a turf covered warmup area behind closed doors that consisted of exercise bikes and a soccer tennis net...