Whether it was the (slightly) earlier start time, the extra game of Madden my roommate and I played, or the general laziness that permeates throughout my house seemingly every weekend, my buddies and I did not arrive at Saturday’s win against Butler until just before tip-off. Due to our later-than-usual arrival and the fact that Creighton was hosting a ranked opponent, we were told that there was not room for us in the student section, but our tickets would allow us admission into the arena. These circumstances set into motion an idea that had been thrown around amongst friends but had not been executed previously; we would watch the game from the nosebleed section.
Disclaimer: There is not a bad seat in the CenturyLink Center, I use the term “nosebleeds” endearingly for the last few rows of the sections that make up the 200-level.
One of my roommates and I headed for section 211, where a few of our comrades were seated. Upon our arrival during the first TV timeout, we were disappointed to find out that we were seated two rows behind three kids that were wearing a three-person, elaborately designed balloon hat that obstructed our view of the court. Just our luck, I thought, as if not being allowed into the student section were punishment enough. As it turns out, the enthusiastic young fans only donned the chapeau during breaks in the action and the rest of the game could not have been more enjoyable from a fan’s perspective.
For one, we were able to sit the whole time, and I was fortunate enough not to have anyone sitting in front of me. I took full advantage of the opportunity to drape my legs across the seat in the row below me—a very comfortable position to watch the game from. I would not have been afforded this luxury in the student section, which is poorly designed in my opinion. There is not enough of a height differential between rows, so any choreographed attempts—of which there are few in the first place—to distract an opposing player while shooting free throws are futile simply due to the fact that the shooter’s gaze only meets the last few rows of the student section. It would be far more advantageous to install bleachers (that have a steeper slope) both so a greater amount of rowdy students could fit into the student section and to have more of an impact on the opposing shooter, but that is an issue for a different day.
Perhaps the greatest benefit to sitting up high is the ease at which one can watch plays develop. There is much to be desired about standing in the front row of an energetic student section, such as relentlessly harassing Tim Miles during the Nebraska game, for example, but this comes at the expense of not getting to witness basketball from a bird’s eye view. Sitting up higher also negates the issue of getting “stuck” behind the basket in the middle of a row in the student section and thus being forced to crane your neck back and forth for two hours to get a glimpse of the action.
Convenience is also a factor when sitting in the nosebleeds. Many of us have either had to save seats for friends in the student section or been resentful when the open seats we see are apparently reserved for someone who seems to take far too long to show up. Properly conducting seating arrangements for friends who arrive at varying times is no easy task, but this is a non-issue when you sit up in the rafters. I took the game in with a group of five other guys, and we had two seats on either side of us. All it took was a short climb to the last few rows of good ol’ section 211.
So, the next time you accompany a large group of friends to a Bluejays basketball game, I suggest sitting in the nosebleeds. Whether you arrive an hour before the game or just after the tip, you will be the hero of the night in your circle. A strong student presence at basketball games is important for many reasons, but who says those students have to be confined to one area? No matter where you end up, you will still be part of one of the most electric atmospheres in all of college sports.
