City: Madison, WI

Category: Spectator Sports

Description: The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a member of the Big Ten Conference, the oldest Division I college athletic conference in the United States. The Wisconsin Badgers compete in 25 intercollegiate sports and have won 27 national championships. Football, men’s basketball, and men’s hockey are the best attended, but don’t miss out on the other sports that offer some of the same excitement with a little more elbow room as well as cheaper tickets. The official Web site www.uwbadgers.com has an abundance of good information about all UW sports including schedules, ticket information, seating charts, and parking maps.The mascot name “Badgers” comes from the lead miners who flocked to southwestern Wisconsin in the 1820s and 1830s. They arrived with little more than what they could carry, but with hopes of becoming wealthy from the abundance of lead the land was offering. Until they started making enough money to provide themselves roofs over their heads, they slept in shallow dugouts in the earth, a practice that earned them the “badger” moniker. Wisconsin became known as the Badger State, and the university picked up on the name as well. Bucky Badger, the tall, lean team mascot, can be seen at any game firing up the crowd, teasing the kids, and posing for photos.