How Live Sports Can Change The Lives of Many People
By Alex Garcia
Growing up, I was a big sports fan but was never fortunate enough to have the money to attend any games. Every birthday since 2015, I would save half of my money towards going to a Los Angeles Lakers game with my father, who is also a fan of the team.
To be able to watch your favorite sport live is an awesome and unforgettable experience. From the fans that come from all over the world, then to the various food and drink choices, and of course, the game itself, the arenas have it all.
Attending a live game offers a different perspective on life. Arenas get very loud and energetic and can cause some people to lose their voices.
Despite the possibility of losing one's voice from cheering, at the moment, it's worth it.
My very first experience at an arena was in 2017 when I got invited by a friend to go to an Ontario Reign Game. It was the best experience of my life at the time. I got to meet so many amazing people. To this day, I still talk to the people that I met at the game. Whenever this topic is brought up in conversations we all get excited as this is how most of the group became friends.
I did not get the chance to look around the Reign arena my first time there since I was unfamiliar with the location of everything. When I became familiar with the place, I got to try their amazing food. My personal favorites are The Pizza Joint and Urban City Taqueria.
I had an incredible view watching the game with my seat so close to the ice. Up until this day, I had never been close to a professional hockey rink other than seeing the view on television. Regardless of the cold, it was amazing to see everything up close and personal.
I brought a notebook with me to the game to see how many of the players I could get to sign it. It was such a surreal feeling to be able to get a player's signature. Sadly, I no longer have that notebook as it was burned in a fire.
Though sporting events are costly, the feeling you attain is special.
When I went to the Lakers game, it was a bit different because I sat in the nosebleeds. It was all I could afford at the time, but I made the best of it. The price and where the seats were located, did not matter to me; all that mattered was that I spent some quality time with my dad watching the sport we shared our interest in.
The venue for the Lakers also has an amazing food catalog. There are multiple types of options to pick from. My personal favorite would have to be Blaze Pizza and Wetzel's Pretzels.
Despite the fact that the Lakers won the game, they were not classified as the best team during that season. They finished the 2018 NBA (National Basketball Association) season 35-47, falling short of making the playoffs. I was bummed out that I was not able to go back that year to see them in the playoffs, but I still had a great experience watching the Lakers.
However, not everyone has the same exciting experience during a game. It is a possibility that you can save up your money to go see a certain player or team just for it to fall apart. That specific player could be out with an injury as that is the nature of sports. So pay for the tickets with caution!
The only time I experienced not seeing my favorite player was when I recently went to a G-League South Bay Lakers game. I was a big Scottie Pippen fan because of my dad.
Pippen's son, Scotty Pippen Jr, who last played for the Lakers was the closest thing I was able to watch play on the court.
When I first got into watching basketball, I did not know how to check trade reports for the NBA G-League so I went to the game hoping that he would be playing, only to find out that he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He is on a two-way contract so I will have to wait until their G-League team, the Memphis Hustle plays the Ontario Clippers or Lakers.
Now that I know how to check the player reports, I am constantly looking on X, (formerly known as twitter), ESPN or other sports media sites for player updates before buying tickets to a game. Doing this has saved me so much time and money. I wish I had known this sooner since I was looking forward to Pippen Jr playing in that game.
Although there are some caveats to spending money on a sports game, the special feeling you get from attending such an event is true bliss.