Wizards and Colonials

I kept alive my streak of bringing bad luck to home teams this weekend by witnessing losses by the Washington Wizards and the George Washington University Colonials.  Basketball is a quirky sport in America.  It is played at the highest level in the NBA, but fan enthusiasm is much greater at the college level. The Washington Wizards played the Phoenix Suns on a Friday night in front of maybe a half full Verizon Center crowd.  The only reason that I went was that my ticket was free, a nice gift from my overpriced apartment complex.  The game was entertaining in spots; watching the Sun’s stellar point guard Steve Nash distribute the ball was a treat, but overall, it was a fairly ho-hum event. 

The following day a colleague and I bought tickets to the GWU vs St. Bonaventure game at the Colonials’ home arena which is on campus.  In contrast to the Wizards’ game, the crowd energy level stayed high throughout the game.  The GW students stood throughout the game and the visiting “Bonnies” had a loud, active cheering section as well.  St. Bonaventure freshman point guard Matthew Wright scored 18 points and handled the ball well under pressure en route to a come from behind win for the Bonnies.  The Charles Smith Center is much smaller than the Wizards’ venue (5000 capacity vs 20,000 for the Verizon), and every seat is close to the court.  The arena size accounts for some of the energy difference, but not all.  Georgetown University plays its home games in the Verizon Center to larger and more boisterous crowds than the Wizards do.

None of the four teams that I saw play this past weekend are strong contenders for a championship this year.  The games were mid-season contests and were not particularly important.  So why is college basketball so much more fun?  Americans have strong allegiances to their schools and college football is hugely popular, but so is the NFL.  Too many games may be the problem.  College basketball teams play 25-30 games in a season before “March Madness” begins.  The NBA plays 82 regular season games before 16 of 30 teams qualify for the playoffs.  Since most teams make the playoffs, the regular season is primarily a long seeding round.

I am enjoying the opportunity to watch good basketball during my stay in DC, but it will probably take another free ticket to get me to another Wizards’ game.