COLUMN: Road games — a different experience
Sometimes, as a sports writer and fan, an opportunity comes along that is too good to pass up.
The chance to attend a road game is one such opportunity.
You may think you’ve seen everything attending games at home, but there is a different feel and totally different atmosphere on the road.
Also, there may be the opportunity to attend championship or tournament matches if you are willing to put in a little bit of traveling.
In 2000, the Utah State men’s basketball team swept through the Big West to earn the No. 1 seed at the conference tournament in Reno, Nev. Although the University of Nevada Reno was hosting the tournament, the contingent of Aggie fans in attendance outnumbered and outcheered everyone.
The Aggies went on to win the tournament, go 19-0 in conference, and earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Watching the fans storm the court as the players celebrated was a truly unforgettable
experience.
I went as a fan to the Big West Conference Tournament. It was my first chance to travel to a game as a fan, but since then, as a writer, I’ve also had the opportunity to cover games on the road.
On the road, you get a chance to see how athletic events happen elsewhere. The University of Utah’s Crimson Court is home to the Ute women’s volleyball team, but a match there is nothing like the Spectrum.
The atmosphere is reminiscent of a high school gym with fans packed into the 1,600-person court and their cheers echoing off the walls while balls bounce off the ceiling.
With limited seating, the press is nearly sitting in the stands and the noise of the crowd is right in your ear.
Just up the road, Weber State University’s Dee Events Center is a great venue for basketball and volleyball. The all-purple seats set the mood and the big wildcat painted onto the center of the court is a different touch.
Something else you can see on the road is the different mascots, for good and bad. Utah has Swoop the Hawk, while Weber has its Wildcat and BYU has Cosmo the Cougar. The mascots all have their different antics and it really affects the experience.
The fans at other schools are also different. Some games are packed with loud, rambunctious college students, while other crowds are full of local residents and are more subdued.
Traveling as a member of the press, you also get to see things from a different point of view, but have more to worry about than the typical fan.
After the game, when players and fans are ready to go home, the real work begins for writers. Interviews need to be conducted, and stories need to be written, usually on a tight deadline in an unfamiliar location.
It’s always a game to figure out whether you’ll even have a place to work and if it is going to be possible to get an Internet connection to send a story in. It might end up being tricky, but it must be done, and an hour or two later the work is complete.
And despite how great the game was, you’re looking forward to going home.
Once you’ve had the chance to see some of the other courts and arenas around, though, you might begin to realize just how great of a place the Spectrum is to watch games.
The Spectrum is usually packed and the fans are right on top of the action, giving USU a great home-court advantage.
The new video scoreboard is also as good as, or better than, any in the state.
Plus, we can’t forget Big Blue and what his antics bring to the USU events. He is at least the equal of any mascot in the state.
So, while road games are a great experience for something different, take advantage of a more common opportunity and attend games in the Spectrum.
There’s no place quite like it.
Landon Olson is a second bachelor’s student majoring in journalism. Comments can be sent to slbk5@cc.usu.edu.