BASKETBALL AGAIN
This is the American college basketball tournament of tournaments in which 64 college teams compete for the national championship. My son Tom invited me to go along with his friends Greenville, South Carolina, an hour away when one of them dropped out. Tickets were in the nosebleed section, four rows from the top, so that the game was far below us, but still cost $180 for two games. The atmosphere was electric and the cheering fierce during the first game between perennial champion Spartans of Michigan State coached by Tom Izzo and the Blue Devils of Duke University coached by retiring legendary coach Mike Kryzewski.
This could be his last game so there was high anxiety on the part of Duke fans. And it was a very close game with Duke finally pulling away at the very last minute.
Again there was all the spectacle and hype of American athletics with a combination of red, white and blue patriotism, intense loyalty of fans many of whom hadn’t attended the college they were cheering for and the constant performing of cheerleaders. I finally realized that the function of the cheerleaders wasn’t so much to rouse their fans as to provide filler for the constant interruptions during the game when time outs were called, not by either team, but to allow a full slate of tv advertisements.
Again and again the cheerleaders rushed out and did acrobatics to keep us entertained while the advertisements played on TV sets at home. We could have seen what was happening much better at home even though huge screens everywhere replayed most key plays. But the real reason for going was to soak in the atmosphere of the NCAA Tournament, to drink the $10 beer and eat the overpriced snacks while sitting beside each other, father and son, who had watched endless games together back in Asheville and were now able to be at the big dance, enjoying every minute of the two games and of our time together. It was a great day.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 