Would it surprise you if I told you that Saturday's America East Championship game was the first basketball game I've ever attended? Yep, you read me right. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be a Seawolf, I just never attended previous games because of my class and work schedules. Until now, though. Now, let's get something straight here: I'm not a die-hard fan of basketball; I have no clue what you're saying if you spit out all this basketball terminology, but I do love a chance to come out and see my fellow Seawolves. If you're like me and don't really see the face of a Stony Brook scoreboard, here are a few things you might (and I certainly did) learn when you go to a Seawolves basketball game.
There's no such thing as "sitting" in the Red Zone.
Imagine my surprise when I literally stood the entire game. The only time people in the Red Zone actually sit down during the game is during halftime. So if you aren't prepared to stand, here's a helpful hint: find a spot elsewhere. There are a ton of seats in that arena.
2. The only thing worse than not wearing your school's color...
...is accidentally wearing the rival school's color! Thankfully, I wore my red "What's A Seawolf?" T-shirt -- you know, the one that everyone and their mother has -- under my green hoodie!
3. Wear pants with pockets.
I'm a leggings kind of girl but decided to wear my Adidas joggers because I didn't want to bring a bag to the game. I applaud myself on this decision because when you're in the Red Zone, the fewer belongings you have, the better! Plus, all you really need to go to the game are your phone and ID, so pants with pockets should suffice for carrying objects.
4. There's no way you're not going to chant.
Why's that? Oh, yeah, the Red Zone. If you're not a fan of yelling, chanting, talking, or pretty much anything that doesn't involve using your mouth for chewing food, you won't have much fun if you don't get into the spirit of the game, and this means chanting! If you don't know any of the Seawolves chants, don't worry, they're very easy to learn.
5. Jump at the chance to go all out with Seawolves pride.
Shoutout to the dude who was wearing huge red glasses and an even more huge red 'fro! This is your chance to have fun with face paint, beads, and other ridiculously fun red accessories. There's no such thing as looking 'weird' at a Seawolves game!
6. You'll have to forgive the person behind you if they accidentally bump you.
You might be fortunate enough to be standing in front of the campus's most avid Seawolves fan, and as a result, you may or may not have your shoulder -- or head -- accidentally nudged once or twice. They didn't make it their personal goal to hit you if anything they're just super absorbed in the game. This being said, also don't expect an apology.
7. You'll become super close with the person standing next to you.
If you're in the Red Zone, of course. That's because most people actually want to be there, so you'll often find people squishing themselves into any minuscule amount of room available.
8. The game can change in the blink of an eye.
Or, in the time, it takes you to open up Snapchat. If you keep your head down for one-tenth of a second too long, you might completely miss an excellent three-pointer, or players from the other team getting bodied by someone from our team.
9. You'll wish you were in the band.
I'll admit that I myself have been a band geek since the seventh grade (shoutout to my fellow clarinet players) so I appreciate our band and their music even more, but even if you have no knowledge of any musical instrument, you'll still love the energy our band adds!
10. When a player on the other team gets fouled out.
This is actually a pretty exciting occurrence! I mean, it kind of sucks for the other team, though.
11. The hype won't wear off for a few more hours!
Even after the game has ended, your energy high hasn't! Being surrounded by your just-as-excited peers, awesome dance performances, a great band and a heated game is enough to keep your excitement sky high for a couple of hours. Don't worry, this is a good thing!
