Trip To The Game

A Trip to “The Game”

We are going to the game. This common saying is repeated by parents across the United States when they have plans to take their children to a sporting event, especially a basketball game. However, which game are they going to? Which level of competition are they going to? In the game of basketball, the experiences of going to a game are vastly distinct at every level of play: high school, college, and professional.

The first and lowest level of basketball is high school basketball. High school games are unique because of the contrast of fans at the game. In one section of the cozy gym, the rowdy high school student section yells and hollers, making their presence felt. Sandwiching the students on each side, the parents

and community members sit calmly with occasional claps after a successful play. The student section chants and yells, believing they can impact the game and rattle the other team. The adults clap, but rarely yell, because they don’t believe any high school jocks would ever listen to them or that the players simply aren’t good enough to play high level basketball. The students stand, jump around, and move the entire game. The adults stand for the national anthem and the fight song, but quickly settle into their places for the next hour and a half. The students appear as one vast uniform blob of color. The adults appear as patches of colors dotting the rest of the gym. These contrasting sections, the students and adults, keep the experience satisfying to people and families of all kinds, allowing families to bring their little kids, babies and elderly adults to the high schools. This creates an atmosphere of many contrasting people, demographics, and ages, making the gym feel like the whole community has assembled to watch the high school. The high school game environment is perfect for families and first time watchers of a basketball game.
The next step up from the high school game, in both experience and level of play, is a college basketball game.

College basketball games provide a unique experience, because in contrast to the division of high school games, the college basketball experience is full of unity. Both the adults and students lead and participate in cheers and chants to rattle the opposing team. Unlike at the high school level, the parents and students know they can impact the game with their crowd noise. While the student section stands the whole game, the adults and parents in the arena also stand and make noise in crucial moments of the game. Almost always, the entire arena is coated in the same color scheme, with both parents and adults participating in the theme of the game. School pride flows strongly through the veins of those in attendance, often leading to outbursts of shouts and curse words directed at both teams echoing through the crowd. With college games being played in arenas with great capacities, dwarfing those compact gyms of the high school level, the noise level is at times deafening. This noise and environment tends to keep smaller kids and elderly adults away from college games. As a result, the college basketball experience is shared with more younger to middle aged men and women. The college basketball experience is perfect for those who want to feel an adrenaline rush and be involved in the crowd and game when going to a basketball

game.
The highest level of basketball competition is played in NBA, or National Basketball Association. Going to an NBA game is an experience more similar to the high school one, but full of elements of the college game. The NBA game experience is one of relaxation. In the stands, almost all the fans remained seated for the entirety of the game. More so than at the high school or college levels, the NBA game experience is for entertainment. With events and performers between every timeout, at times the less interested fan can almost forget they are even at an NBA game. There are no student sections, only fans watching the game for the high level and skill of play. Fans don’t stand up and yell, because they know they cannot affect the outcome of the game. With the exception of playoff games or special nights, NBA arenas have no color themes for the fans and the crowd is a splash pile of different colors. The fans and spectators watch the game from their seats and are relaxed, sitting back and watching basketball. The NBA game also brings back the kid audience. With the mid-timeout promos and halftime shows, kids ages 7 and up are usually common place during an NBA experience. The older adults are more prevalent than at college games, but still mostly a non-factor. During the NBA game experience, you usually get more families and more middle aged men and women, except in a calmer environment. The experience of going to an NBA game is geared towards the knowledgeable fan with a complex understanding of the game of basketball, but still provides enough entertainment and fun for younger and less experienced fans of the game of basketball.
The next time a family or person wants to “go to the game,” they should consider which level of basketball they want to attend. High school games are best suited for first time watchers of the game hoping to enjoy and get a better understanding of basketball. College games are ideally suited for the fans wanting to scream, yell, and get involved in the game, all while having a memorable time with friends. Finally, the NBA experience is best for the knowledgeable fans of basketball and families looking for something to do. Each level of play, high school, college, and the NBA, provides a different and unique experience for watching a game of basketball.