Desert Island Pop Culture Tournament: Day Two

The premise is easy. You are stranded on a desert island for the rest of your life and are permitted to bring just one entertainment choice along with you. Chad Campbell & Justin Rozzero, along with an assist from the PTB Nation staff, have chosen 64 essential items across eight different categories. After a random draw, these 64 items have been matched up tournament-style. You will vote to determine the one item you could never live without! Here are the categories!

Games & Activities: All materials needed to play the game or activity are included

Yearly Events: You get to watch these special televised events each year

Complete Television Series Collection: You receive a DVD set of the entire series

Complete Movie Series Collection: You receive a DVD set of the entire collection of movies, where applicable

Wrestling Pay Per View DVD: You receive a DVD copy of the full unedited wrestling DVD

Magazine Collection: You receive an ongoing subscription to the magazine

Complete Video Game Series Collection: You receive a copy of the entire series of a game title, where applicable

Music Albums: You receive a digitally mastered CD of the album

Come back each and every day to vote and share your opinions at the Place to Be Nation Facebook page!

In case you missed a previous day, voting is still open:

Desert Island Pop Culture Tournament Day One

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Madden vs. Mad Men

Day two kicks off with another tough battle as an iconic sports gaming franchise squares off with a highly lauded and beloved TV drama.

Originally released as a computer game in 1988, John Madden Football retooled and hit console gaming in 1990. And, it never looked back. The franchise blew up and continued to improve upon itself year over year, surpassing all would be contenders and claiming its spot as the premier football video game series. In 1995, the name was modified to just Madden, the name it still uses to this day. Madden is just no longer a game, but rather a slice of pop culture. Heck, there was even a TV show dedicated to Madden tournaments. Now featuring top notch graphics and game play options, Madden continues to be a must-have for die-hard sports gamers.

Mad Men premiered on AMC in 2007 and while reviews were strong out of the gate, not many could have anticipated the effect the series would have on the television industry. Starring Jon Hamm and a strong, and well endowed, supporting cast, this period piece show examines the life of a shady ad executive in the 1960s. The characters weave through their stories against a backdrop of real life events from America’s most tumultuous decade. Now heading into season six, the show continues to pile up acclaim and award nominations. The show also helped launch AMC as a legit player in the cable industry and helped continue the growing trend of showing that quality, episodic TV programs could be just as enticing a path as feature films for highly regarded actors and actresses.

The decision is in your hands for how you want to spend your time on the island: banging helmets on the pigskin with your favorite players or sipping scotch with deceiving, conniving businessmen.

World Series vs. Pro Wrestling Illustrated

In day two action out of the McMahon region, we have two legends of the sports world as America’s pastime battles an iconic pro wrestling publication.

Dating back to 1903, the World Series has been the culmination of the lengthy baseball season. Every October, the world would turn its eyes to the diamond to see which team would be crowned champions of baseball. The Boston Americans won that first championship tilt and since then we have witnessed 110 years of epic baseball moments and memories. Heroes have been born and Hall of Fame moments spill out of the Fall Classic and into the archives for future generations to study and enjoy. Baseball has been at the heart of America since the dawn of the 20th century and continues to own us until this day. Despite labor troubles and scandals littered through its history, the game has endured on. And although we say goodbye each winter, you always know it will be right there waiting to waste time with you each and every summer night, just like an old reliable friend should be.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) first hit magazine racks back in September 1979 and every month since then, it has delivered high quality articles and photos into the hands of wrestling junkies. The grandfather of the colloquially named “Apter Mags”, PWI maintains kayfabe, delivering analysis and opinions that stay within the storylines of each major promotions. For a time in the 80s and 90s, PWI was a must buy for wrestling fans. It was the keys to a kingdom of wrestling territories that few had access to. Add in the mailbags, interviews, rankings and arena reports and you had a jambalaya of wrestling goodness. And we can’t forget the always fun and often controversial PWI 500, the yearly breakdown of the Top 500 wrestlers in the world. PWI lives on today, still churning out thousands of words about wrestling monthly and still continuing to lure wrestling fans to the dying magazine racks in supermarkets around the country.

Time to choose. Do you prefer the sweet crack of the bat and tension of baseball’s yearly postseason? Or the monthly trip through the vast world of wrestling as told by Bill Apter and his band of merry kayfabe journalists?

Nevermind vs. Pool Table

The Stamp Region brings us a unique match-up between a CD that was a pioneer within the music industry and a classic, beloved table game.

Released in 1991, Nevermind was Nirvana’s third album and it was a major driver of the legitimization of both Seattle grunge rock and alternative rock in general. The album, with a cover including the iconic image of the baby swimming, was highly praised and helped a generation of young adults bust through and take over the airwaves from their predecessors. The album included hits Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, Lithium and In Bloom and would eventually supplant Michael Jackson atop the Billboard Top 40 on January 11, 1992. Nirvana’s run was short-lived thanks to the suicide of Kurt Cobain, but their influence and music are guaranteed to live forever.

Pool, or pocket billiards, is a standard table based cue game in which the goal is to knock in as many of your designated balls before your opponent does. In the United States, the most commonly played game of the genre is eight-ball. Pool tables are often found in bars, taverns or game rooms but are also prevalent at home as well.

So, what will it be? What will you waste all your time with on the island? The grunge rock icons or the simple, smooth game of billiards?

THQ Nintendo 64 Wrestling Games vs. Sports Illustrated

Day two culminates with a contest between two tournament favorites. Can the short-lived, high-performance video game series take out the long lasting king of sports magazines?

In 1997, THQ hopped into the world of wrestling games for Nintendo 64 with WCW vs. nWo: World Tour. The game was an instant success thanks to its deep roster, match-type offerings and focused grappling style. What also made the series unique is that each subsequent release improved upon its predecessor. The next offering came in 1998 with WCW/nWo Revenge, which featured many enhancements, including an even deeper roster, unique arena settings and better graphics. Later that year, THQ split from WCW and reached a deal with the resurgent WWF. In 1999, THQ released WrestleMania 2000, which continued the trend of excellent quality. It was very similar to Revenge but the fresh coat of WWF paint and detailed Create-a-Wrestler (CAW) feature didn’t allow it to feel stale. Finally, in 2000, the final edition of the series, WWF No Mercy, was released. WWF No Mercy is widely considered by many to be the greatest pro wrestling game ever made. In addition to all of the great aspects listed above, a detailed story mode was now in place, leading to endless hours of gaming goodness. In the end, the THQ series of wrestling games were all highly praised and well regarded and recognized, remaining as standard bearers to this day.

Speaking of standard bearers, when it comes to sports magazines, only one publication remains king of the world: Sports Illustrated (SI). SI first launched in August 1954 and has been the top sports rag since. With vibrant color photos, in depth scouting reports and top notch writing, SI was an innovator in its field. In January 1964, the iconic and revered Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue made its official debut, stealing the hearts and innocence of adolescent boys around the country. Making the cover of SI can be considered both an honor and a curse, but either way it was a sure sign that you matter in the world of sport. As of June 2012, SI has a circulation of well over three million, which is in addition to its high traffic website, meaning SI continues to be the gold standard of sports magazines.

For your final vote of day two, do you choose the endless hours of battle royals and CAWs? Or do you take the weekly visit of outstanding sports journalism to keep you entertained for all eternity?