It is 2020 and we all know how traditions have been reinvented or thrown out the window, only to be restarted in the future, and that’s OK. As we have heard from health officials so many times, the Virus does not have our timeline.
However, I did realize this morning, here in the gap between Christmas and New Year’s, of one of the “things,” I wouldn’t call it tradition as sometimes it was work, sometimes it was just something to break up the week, that is again missed, really for as long as I can actually remember…going to some game on some level and the random running into of friends, colleagues and family that always took place. This week, somewhere this week for those of us who were involved in sports and events that took place indoors, was that week.
For us the last six or seven years it meant going to the Prudential Center for either the Devils, or one snow-filled year, the Harlem Globetrotters (we went not knowing there was a state of emergency for the major HIGHWAYS, but the Globies played just the same). Before that there was always a work road trip during our time with the Knicks and the Sixers…Memphis, LA, Phoenix…in our MMA years it meant events at places like Mohegan Sun…in our Fordham years it was Nashville, Knoxville, even Hawaii and at other college stops, Monmouth and Iona, it included Las Vegas and Pittsburgh. There were also high school tournaments where you would catch some of the best programs in the country…the Monsignor King Tournament in Brooklyn, the Holiday Jubilee in New Jersey…and several times it also meant what was once the biggest in-season college hoops tournament, the ECAC Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.
The Holiday Festival held an even more unique place for us, not because of what went on on the court on December 28, 1991 (although Fordham did beat St. Joe’s that night), it was because that was where Laura and I got engaged, on the scoreboard, before a national TV audience, and yes, we have the video and the pictures still.
Even without that little development, this week always served as a great touchstone to actually WATCH a game and not have to always be worried about the work. It has been something that not just pour family, but thousands of others, always found value in. While we have written many times about how the NBA owned Christmas (and did again this year), the holiday week of events big and small was owned by everyone, each creating their own memories and enhancing their relationships in buildings and stadia big and small. The results had little to do with scores, it was all about enhancing a communal experience and having fun with those around you also enjoying the respite.
There have been many who have questioned what has happened with people “watching” so many events this year, why numbers are down. I think one of the key reasons is that lack of community when you actually go to an event, whether it is one game or a full season. Being there, for a concert, for a game (pro or your kid’s games) and seeing it live, in person, has made the watching experience just a little more hollow. We have gotten used to not seeing fans in the stands for now…mentally not being able to put ourselves and our fans into that spot like we have in the past…when you can say “I was there when” …is something that can’t be viewed or replaced.
It will come back, just like going to a game during the holiday break, just not now. That’s OK, but it’s something I really missed this week, proposals, loud music, tough results and all.
Hey there is always next year right? See you at the game.
