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Basketball in Football Stadiums?

As this has been a soul-crushing week of work for most of us, BON has been largely silent over the upcoming UNC-UT tilt at JerryWorld tomorrow.  While I'll leave the chalktalk to Wiggo, I did want to briefly comment on the location of the game. 

I've gotten a lot of texts, e-mails, etc, asking if I'm going to the game tomorrow.  Even though I'll be in Dallas with my family, I just couldnt bring myself to drop the money for the tickets.  Apparently, I'm not alone.  In discussing the game with several friends, most of us were more excited about attending the Erwin Center tilt with Michigan State, especially after our Houston Regional experience at Reliant Stadium.  Additionally, after my sister and I have spent $600 (!!!) for football season tickets, OU tickets, and our Stampede passes, it was a little too much to spend another $150 for two tickets to this game.  It might have been different if there were student tickets available for this game, but, as that probably would have required people to do some work, that was a lost cause.

There has been a lot of discussion on the interwebs about the future of college basketball involving big games played in football stadiums.  The attractions--and detractions--of these games are rather obvious, and it's not my intent to simply rehash the points over depth perception, safety, money, or the awful viewpoints for the fans.  I really just wanted to briefly mention the lowlight of my Reliant Stadium experience when we played Memphis--the noise level.  That was perhaps the most pumped I've ever been to attend a basketball game.  My friends all talked about how our crowd would help take the team to another level.  Within 2 minutes, it was clear that wasnt going to happen, and it wasnt entirely because of a lack of effort.  The setup, including the lack of locational unity for the fans, wasn't conducive to generating (or sustaining) a lot of noise.  It felt like watching basetball in a vacuum.   I'd be curious to hear if anyone else had a different opinion over that game and venue.

That said, I'm still jealous of the BON'ers going to the game.  I'll be very interested to hear the feedback on watching the game at the stadium, which has become as big a story as the game itself, and I hope several of you provide recaps.  Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, the story will be solely focused on our convincing victory over the Tar Heels. 

Hook 'Em!

0 recs  |  18 comments

Comments

Can't wait,

I’m on the second row of the upper deck near mid-court. Really interested to see the Death Star for the first time as well.

I thought...

…they were closing the upper deck for the game.

Did that change?

Hope not

Tix say row two, but they were $45 each, so it’s not row 2 row 2. Guess I’ll find out one way or the other tomorrow.

law students and lawyers

Seems as good a thread as any to ask (since you’ve mentioned a soul crushing week):

How many BON contributers and members are law students or lawyers…I only wonder as I keep seeing references in BON posts about finals (and see monikers like Learned Hand)…

Guilty as charged.

Actually went to Carolina for law school, but don’t fret I will be wearing Burnt Orange on Saturday.

From the contributors...

…PB is at ND Law, half of 40AS is at Harvard Law, and I’m in my last year at UT Law. BZ went to Columbia Law and is a lawyer.

I know at least fifteen of my classmates who read BON, but I dont think many of them are regular posters. I also know some people at Houston Law who are regular readers and posters.

Believe BZ went to NYU
You are correct...

…I had just finished writing an e-mail to a friend at Columbia Law and mixed them up.

I’m sure that both of them will be offended by the mistake…

You jerk!

How dare you imply that I went to law school at a school that is the exact academic equal of, and resides about 5 miles away from, the one that I went to! No, seriously, NYU is way better. Better part of the city, more attractive undergrads, you get offered coke every time you walk through Washington Square Park rather than being stabbed every time you walk through Morningside Park (it’s the little things), we lead the Dean’s Cup basketball series, when it comes to professors we drink their milkshake, and did I mention the undergrads?

In the end, it’s just a bunch of nerds in a pissing contest. But NYU nerds can totally piss further than Columbia nerds.

thanks for all the responses…

I graduated in 08, but didn’t find BON until this year. Don’t know how the contributors keep up with this and law school, but I really appreciate it!

Went to UT for law

About a year into undergrad, I decided to go pre-med instead. Graduated, came home, found a job and I’m thankful each day I left my path to a law degree. Nothing against lawyers, just not for me.

What can I say, I like fire
;)

Couldn't bring myself to do it, either

Living just south of Arlington, I was tempted to buy tix to this game. My dear ol’ dad had even volunteered to spring for them, at the over-$100-a-pop level.

But when it came down to it, I just couldn’t do it. Frankly, there are enough problems with views in these situations when the stadium ownership cares about views. I don’t trust JerryWorld to have truly thought through the seating.

Because of that, I feared that we may spend upwards of $600 on 6 tix, but then not be able to see the action. Instead, we’re opting for the road trip to Austin on Tuesday, where tix were $15 each and the views are decent.

Btw, you mentioned noise. The acoustics at JerryWorld are TERRIBLE. It was awful at the Big 12 champ game. We couldn’t hear the band playing, couldn’t sing the fight song together – just a bunch of amorphous noise. So from that perspective, I think you’re experience at Reliant is exactly what will happen tomorrow.

Hope we stomp the Heels.

Ugh

Your experience. Not you’re experience.

First of all, there's not a bad seat in the stadium imo....

And there’s a badass screen that you can see from anywhere in the stadium. My guess is they’re gonna think a little about the views and the process as they are kinda hosting the NBA All-Star game in a couple months.
I’m pretty pumped b/c I’m wakin’ up early, drivin’ from Houston, pickin’ up my big broseph(who’s flying in from NYC) at DFW and we’re headed over to tailgate about 11 am. HOOK EM HORNS!

I wouldn't pay $100 a pop to watch TV

I can do that at home.

Sure, you can see the football team. But basketball? not so sure about that. Also, I don’t trust Jerry. Keep in mind, this is the guy who sold THOUSANDS of standing-room-only tickets to a pro game, and a huge portion of people who bought those tickets at $35 or more each couldn’t even get into the building.

Regardless, hope you have a great time!

Well I paid $50 for midcourt...great seats.

Sorry you hate the idea of a UT game at the Cowboys stadium….Jerry didn’t do that bad of a job in my opinion

Bah

So happens that I was at the 1968 Houston/UCLA “Game of the Century” in the Astrodome, which is where all this started. Couldn’t see a damned thing.

This is how "prepared" JerryWorld is.

You can tell they’ve really thought this basketball thing through. Ahem.

From the Star-Telegram:

Cowboys Stadium adds end zone curtains
ARLINGTON – Cowboys Stadium officials had hoped that today’s game between Texas and North Carolina would pinpoint any problems in the basketball setup.
They already have received one suggestion. Texas coach Rick Barnes noted Friday that sunlight coming through the large glass end zone doors could create a glare for this afternoon’s game.
Stadium spokesman Brett Daniels said Friday evening that large curtains will be placed over the glass doors for the game.

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