Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Haenke.
Hi Alex, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for stadium chasing began when I was six years old. My family collectively decided to try and attend a game at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. It took seventeen years (with a few of those years being no-travel due to covid) to finish seeing all 30 ballparks. We started in July 2007 and finished in July 2024. Although my love of seeing different Major League Ballparks dates back to my childhood, my passion for exploring stadiums from any sport was a more recent discovery. The first non-baseball/non-home game I can remember visiting was an NCAA tournament hockey game in Cincinnati featuring my all-time favorite team, the Michigan Wolverines. Traveling to see them on the road with my family was a core memory that helped sprout the desire to see more than just baseball abroad. My first ever non-baseball away game was a Michigan football game at our heated rival Michigan State in 2018. That further broadened my interest in seeing my favorite teams play away games. For the next several years I started branching out a little bit and seeing more away games especially for Michigan Hockey. I saw them play at Western Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota on multiple occasions. My next big epiphany came in 2023. On the verge of finishing seeing all 30 MLB stadiums with my family, I realized that my next goal would be to see a game at all NBA, NHL, and NFL venues. I started my newfound journey with some games at the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Buffalo Sabres. At the time, I was in a Facebook group called “Arena/Stadium Chasers.” I would share posts in the Facebook group of the stadiums I visited, and I tried to paint a clear picture of what it was like to attend a game at each venue. I would post many pictures including the exterior, concourses, team shops, and arena/stadium bowls. This was what helped spark the idea to create YouTube vlogs. I realized how much of a privilege it was to be seeing all the different sports venues that I was seeing. I wanted to be able to share that appreciation with anybody. Whether it was fans of the team I was visiting, or just people who were curious about what a particular stadium was like, I wanted to do something for them. A couple of weeks before I started, I found inspiration from other channels such as Garrett Stadium Travel and SAC Sports Adventures. I made my first vlog in April 2024 when I saw a Milwaukee Bucks basketball game. From then on, it became my mission to see a game just about everywhere. Yes, I want to see all 124 “Big 4” (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL) stadiums. But I also want to see all the minor league ballparks. I want to see college football stadiums far and wide. I want to see all of the MLS stadiums. And sure, these may be ambitious goals. But I want to be able to soak up every ounce of what the world of sports has to offer, and I want to share that experience with anyone who is interested. As of today, I have created over 60 game vlogs. Some of my vlogs feature the most iconic sports teams such as the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Cubs, and San Francisco Giants. Other vlogs feature minor league experiences such as the Oklahoma City Comets and the Florence Y’alls. And I also have some vlogs featuring college teams such as the Michigan Wolverines, Detroit Mercy Titans, and UC San Diego Tritons. The diversity of sporting experiences is one of the things I am most proud of about my channel, and it is something that I am looking to continue in future videos. I also want to thank my family for helping me get to where this channel is today. I would not be able to do a fraction of the work I have done without their care and support.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have definitely been some challenges along the way. When I started the YouTube channel, I had very little video editing experience. Thankfully, I believe I have gotten better with experience, but there is still so much for me to learn. Another challenge has been the sheer amount of travel that I put my body through in such short time frames. I try to save as much money as I can so that I can eventually go to more games. This often means driving through the night just to get home at 4am when most people would probably have just gotten a hotel. Another challenge for me is dealing with the multiple hats that I try to wear when I am vlogging a game. On one hand, I am attending these games as a fan. Whether it is of a Detroit team on the road or just rooting for the home team for a night, I like being a fan. I want to lose myself in the games I am attending and just soak in the atmosphere and stay off my phone. But I am also attending these games as a vlogger. So, I have to be able to manage being a fan while also trying to create the best video possible. Sometimes, that means moving seats during the game to get a different vantage point. Sometimes, it can mean filming a portion of the game that I might rather just watch without a phone in my hand. Balancing those two desires can be challenging at times. One last challenge for my travels is that it is often a solo endeavor, so it can be a lot of time spent by myself and alone with my thoughts. I try to combat that last challenge by traveling with friends whenever possible and making sure that I spend ample time with my friends and family when I am not on the road.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make videos showcasing the experience of attending a game at any given stadium. I specialize in making videos dealing with sports. Quite often, these are vlogs of stadiums around the country. But sometimes, I will make videos just discussing sports in general. I am known for having a deep passion for sports as a whole. There are some sports such as hockey and baseball where I feel like I know a lot about them. There are other sports such as soccer where I still feel that I have a lot to learn. But I am passionate about all of them. I can find the excitement in attending any sporting event whether it is the highest level of my favorite sport or the minor league level of a sport I know less about. I am most proud of my excitement to learn and my determination to explore sports venues I have never been to. I am proud of being able to find at least one enjoyable thing about every place that I go. What sets me apart from others is that I try to find the good in just about every place. Naturally, not every stadium I visit will be my favorite place in the world. But I believe whether a team has millions of fans or 100 fans, they are extremely important. I believe in the ability for sport to bring people together, and that is what I try to showcase in my videos. I purposely make videos showcasing different sports, levels of play, stadiums, and cities. I do this because on one hand, every stadium is unique. I can find something in just about every venue I attend that is completely unique to their experience. But on the other hand, I believe that attending a sporting event can be a truly universal experience. I want people who watch my videos to realize that there is great fun to be had wherever you choose to see a game. It does not matter which sport, which city, which level of play, which stadium size you choose. Sure, we all have preferences. But the beauty of stepping into a stadium and enjoying a game is a universal language that transcends borders.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I would argue that everyone takes risk, some risks are just bigger than others. I find that I have taken many risks during my journeys creating vlogs, some that were easier to stomach than others. The easiest risk I have taken is traveling solo. Some people seem to have an aversion to doing anything in this life on their own. I am the opposite; I believe that life is too short to be concerned about whether or not I am doing something with someone. The truth is that when I am on the road at these stadiums, I am not alone, even if I attend by myself. I am surrounded by fans, some of whom will share their stories about their home with me. And I know that my friends and family are supporting me back home, even if they are not necessarily sitting in the stadium next to me. Another emotional risk I have taken is vlogging games where I have emotional stakes in the game. I have vlogged Michigan vs Michigan State in football and basketball. Michigan won the football game and lost the basketball game. It made creating my football vlog a lot more fun and my basketball vlog a lot more difficult. But it was a risk that I was okay with taking. I am very passionate about my teams, and it shows in my vlogs. I like that there are certain videos where you can see my elation and other videos where you can see my dejection. Not only does it show my passion, but it also shows how sports mirrors real life in how up and down it can be. Being vulnerable in those videos was a risk because it may have turned people away from my channel, but I have hope that it created connections with people who also feel passionately about their teams. The last risk I want to talk about is the financial one. Aside from some very greatly appreciated help from friends, family, and even a couple of teams, I am paying out of pocket to make these trips happen. I am paying for travel expenses and tickets when I could be saving that money for responsibilities such as getting a better car. Has that risk paid off? So far, I would say yes. But who knows, maybe my car decides to give out in the next few months. Maybe I suffer a financial setback that causes me to have to take a break from the road. That is the funny thing about risk, it never truly goes away. Every day, we make hundreds of choices, many small but some big. And they all have their own risks associated with them. I believe I have taken some big risks in partaking in these travels, but overall, I am glad I took them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://travelingsportsnerd.wixsite.com/travelingsportsnerd
- Instagram: travelingsportsnerd
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-haenke-b268b01aa
- Twitter: TSN_Alex
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@TravelingSportsNerd
