Perception is a funny thing. It is based on what one sees, but someone's experiences might be atypical.
I realized this while watching my first Ball State game from Section 15 of Worthern Arena.
When I was an undergrad at the University of Kentucky, attending a typical men's game once meant walking to Rupp Arena where Wildcat fans screamed loud enough to drown out Dick Vitale. The decibel level was ear-splitting, leaving me with a headache the next day.
There was no headache Sunday. The loudest thing I heard was a leather-clad fan berating the ref's calls. As the past two weekends of NFL playoff games have proven, someone is always going to be upset at a critical call.
The students' chant of "Ball State! Ball State!" after bad calls made me smile and think of a similar UK tradition, a preconditioning Pavlov would have admired.
At UK games, all fans were given blue cards with a white number three on them. When a Kentucky player attempted a three-point shot, 23,000 fans would yell in unison, "Three!" If a shot went in, fans would cheer and wave their cards. A miss brought a collective "Ohhh!" from the crowd. The "three-cards" became a favorite target of the national TV cameras.
After four years of watching UK basketball, which included the 1998 championship, my perception was warped. I didn't think a Ball State basketball game would be as enjoyable.
I was wrong.
I enjoyed the contests that occurred during the game, particularly the guy who shot free throws from a recliner. Perhaps that says something about the American work-ethic.
I also enjoyed the passion with which players scrambled for loose balls and the ballet of the fast break. I had noticed these things before, but it had been obscured by the circus of big-time college basketball, where off-court activities sometimes grab more headlines than they should.
After attending Saturday's game, I was able to see clearly that basketball is an enjoyable game to watch, regardless of where it is played.
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