Wednesday, December 07, 2005

The Making of a Sports Fan?

I'm not much of a sports fan, but there were a few times I sat in front of the television to see a championship game – between Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets, World Series games between the Red Sox and the Cardinals, and the first Superbowl win of the New England Patriots. I've seen how much fun people seem to have during games, be it football, basketball or baseball. Heck, I have fun just watching them have fun on TV, so I have always wondered how it would be like to be part of the rowdy crowd.

Last Friday, I stopped wondering. We were given Premiere Club seats to the game between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. The view was perfect! You could see every single inch of the court, there was a bit more legroom and someone took orders for food so we didn't have to line up at the concession stands. It was a pretty cozy set-up!

It's amazing how Americans take fun and entertainment to the next level. Aside from the usual crowd-inciting billboard antics, music, light-play and commentator during the play, we got to see a man propose to his girlfriend, a local doctor/clown honored for his charity work, the most awesome little girls' dance troupe do a couple of streetdance numbers, cheerleaders and their death-defying stunts and an adorable dog race during half-time.

The party atmosphere that I had seen before only on television, enveloped me and I was cheering, screaming, stuffing my face like everyone else before long. The crowd reactions, whether to referee calls, missed or successful baskets, were so unified, it was palpable. So was the disappointment when the home team lost by four points to the Bulls. It was a great game though. The teams kept us guessing on who would win until the last 30 seconds.

Needless to say, I had a blast. And now I understand why people keep going back. I certainly would!

On Saturday, I received a call from my neighbor. She asked, "I have great seats to the Patriots Game tomorrow, would you like to go?!"

Methinks New England is trying to make a sports fan out of me.

--oOo--
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