If you are a basketball fan and are lucky enough to have a ticket for the game, this weekend is what dreams are made of. If you are not near a site but are near a TV then odds are you will not be doing much work this the rest of the week.
We don’t have major league baseball in Buffalo so the time honored tradition of taking your child out of school and bringing them to opening day isn’t an option. The Buffalo Bison’s are a fun team but triple A…but…I’m just sayin’. Since 2000 Buffalo has hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball 1st and 2nd Rounds four times including this year. Since that time we have taken our son out of school to attend the games. I remember writing the note for his school. Please excuse (or not) Anthony’s absence from school. He is going to watch basketball. It was a Catholic school and I didn’t want to lie! He is in college now and is flying home tomorrow just for the weekend.
The shear emotion is so obvious, passion for their school, love of the game, it’s like Mardi Gras in eight cities. Schools basically take over the bars and restaurants. It does not matter if you are a fan of a particular school. All you need to do is walk down the street and you can party with anyone. I remember when Buffalo hosted the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Frozen Four my family went to a tavern and walked in on the Minnesota Golden Gopher pep rally. When they were done cheering and toasting the team we followed their band down Main Street to the arena.
Last year my husband and I were privileged to attend the Final Four in Detroit at Ford Field. The weather was cooperative and the streets were filled with fans. The atmosphere was particularly charged because Michigan State was in the tournament. Hockey town was transformed into basketball town. They even opened up the concession area at Comerica Park, home to the Detroit Tigers for even more retail opportunity.
CBS has paid 100’s of millions of dollars for the exclusive right to broadcast the games. Who cannot hear the jingle in their heads right now…da da da DA..da DA..da da da dah…I remember going into the HSBC Arena early before one session a few years ago when the St. Joseph band was practicing the song. During the broadcast they played it and the crowd went wild. Think about it, they went wild for the jingle! That may give you an idea of the atmosphere inside the building.
Whether you are going to be in the building or watching on TV, enjoy the games!
Coming next: Behind the Scenes at the Big Dance
Coming after: What About All of that Money We Were Supposed to Make?
See also: Life of an NCAA Team Host: http://tinyurl.com/yhk9bvq
Party of 75: http://tinyurl.com/yjprbq6
Moving that Party of 75: http://tinyurl.com/yhvttfp
Until next time!
Jude Russo Caserta
AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog
Twitter: JudeCaserta Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta
E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com
