I should know basketball. My father used to play way back when in high school and watches it occasionally at home. In high school, I would go to my school’s game to take photos. I even went to the FSU vs UL game, but I was admittedly more focused on the guy who was balancing ladders on his shoulders. Basically, my realm of basketball knowledge starts and ends with Troy Bolton’s “Get’cha Head in the Game”, which is sort of pathetic considering how great our basketball team is. So last week, I went to the UVA vs FSU game. Here are 10 things I learned.
1. While they may not have Chief Osceola charging into the stadium and throwing a lit spear on the Seminole head, they do have a man in a Renegade costume. So I had the experience of seeing a horse on two legs, instead of on four.
2. SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOULS! There are two different types of personal fouls – offensive or defensive – which is just your general run-of-the-mill pushing and what not. A technical foul is just not following the general rules; which includes traveling. Traveling is when you move with the ball without dribbling (shout out to my friends who had to explain that one to me multiple times). You also have ‘flagrant’ which is just an excessive foul. Each foul can be identified by the ref, who does a special little hand movement for each.
3. If you make it on a jumbotron you are basically a celebrity, and catching a t-shirt is the biggest honor you can receive.
4. The kiss cam is the most adorable thing when it’s an elderly couple. the bongo cam is a variation of that which features fans beating on an imaginary bongo. I have no idea why the bongo cam exists, but I am very happy it does.
5. Watching someone dunk is one of the lit-est things ever.
Courtesy: Giphy
6. When we take a free throw, it is relatively quiet for a full stadium. But when the opposing team takes one, all the fans scream loudly and cheerleaders get on top of one another and try to distract them with blow horns.
7. It is now apparently normal to dab during the war chant, which is something I never thought I would say.
8. Even in the free student section, the view of the game is fantastic.
9. As someone who used to play soccer, I am accustomed to a game that is slow paced and where you typically spend a considerable amount of time on one half of the field. Basketball is not that way whatsoever. Each team has 30 seconds to shoot their shoot and then it is off to the other half of the court.
10. There is your normal and over the top talented dance team (the golden girls), who come on during the breaks to entertain the crowd. But there is a male dance step team that stays with the band, and they have an impeccable sense of rhythm. Speaking of dance, we DO NOT dance terribly to Cardi B.
Courtesy: Savannah Tindall
Win or lose, I give FSU basketball games a big thumbs up!