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Walk and Talk - Traditions

Walk & Talk - "Traditions"

This month’s column is being written from 35,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean as I embark on a two-week journey to China directing the game presentation for the USA Basketball International Challenge, a four-game exhibition tour for the 2008 Dream Team leading up to the Beijing Olympics.

As I prepared for the trip over the past few weeks, I must admit to an overwhelming sense of anxiety. Not over the long flights or unfamiliar cuisine or not speaking the language…but rather the cultural traditions that are unknown to a first-time visitor and a desire to understand and experience them.

Luckily for yours truly, my wife is joining me on the trip and has been to China before, so she has already learned many of the traditions and can teach me as we go. Cultural customs and traditions are different everywhere you go and while they can be unfamiliar and sometimes intimidating at first, once you learn them, you instantly feel a sense of connectivity with those around you.

This line of thinking and experience isn’t exclusive to international travel…it happens every time a fan steps into a stadium, arena or field house. Each team, at every level from high school to the pros, has traditions that take place at every game. Some are very obvious and others are subtle...and each contributes to the experience that fans have, whether rooting for their favorite team as a season ticket holder or watching a game for the first time.

Game operations staffs have a huge impact on what traditions are created and how they become integrated into the game experience. The crowd initates some in organic fashion, others are prompted by the players on the video board, and many are created by the antics of our favorite mascots.

Traditions at sporting events create a sense of community that bring entire fan bases together in unison, instantly giving strangers something in common that can spawn lifetime relationships…or simply a three hour friendship. Here are some of my favorite examples:

The Wave
A timeless classic, this is one of the simplest, yet most notable traditions around. So popular, in fact, that countless cities lay claim to creating it. Why are we so entertained by watching fans stand up, raise their arms up and then sit down? Because we can all participate…and for a short period of time, thousands of people are joining together to create visual entertainment for each other.

High School Basketball visiting team run-outs
One thing that I always enjoyed about my high school basketball games was the moment when the visiting team ran onto the floor from their locker room. In unison, the entire gym would reach down, grab a newspaper, unfold it and begin reading in silence...showing the visitors we weren’t there to see them. Then we’d all drop the papers and scream our heads off when our team hit the floor. The specific antic varies from school to school, but it’s an unspoken action that the students know the exact timing at every game.

Seventh inning stretch
This tradition is one of the few that is consistent across all baseball stadiums in the States. “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” ranks up there in notoriety with the “Happy Birthday song” and “The Star Spangled Banner”. Few things get people get so excited as they do about peanuts, Cracker Jacks and three strikes, you’re out.

Soccer chants
It’s amazing how deep tradition runs with chants and songs at soccer matches, whether club or international. Each fan base has their own lyrics that have been taught for generations. I recently attended a Mexico-China international friendly in Seattle and upon stepping foot into the stadium, the largely Mexican fan base was singing in unison…50,000 strangers that knew the exact tempo and lyrics, it seemed as though every fan was choreographed, but they were simply following tradition.

Storm warm-up video
One of my favorite traditions from my days directing Seattle Storm games occurred as pregame warm-ups wrapped up. We ran an instructional video hosted by the players that prepared the fans for each game…things such as standing up, clapping your hands, stomping your feet, high-5’s for your neighbors and finally…making some noise. To this day, you can look into the stands and watch the veteran fans teaching the routine to the rookies around them.

Red Wings Hat Tricks
I remember the first time I watched a Detroit Red Wings game on TV, Steve Yzerman scored his third goal of the game and instantly, the ice was showered with octopi. I’m still not sure exactly how this tradition began (Detroit fans, please feel free to email me with the explanation), but I quickly learned that it was longstanding…to the point that arena staff would look the other way when eight tentacled-legs were hanging out of a bag coming through the doors.

NBA Mascots
Rocky, The Coyote, Clutch the Bear, Moondog, The Gorilla, Stuff, Slamson, Thunder (and a furry one from Seattle that has recently gone into hibernation) all have unique traditions that they share with season ticket holders in their home venue. Next time you’re at a game, watch as the mascot interacts with the crowd during game action, they are certain to seek out specific fans with which they have a gamenight ritual. It is usually preceded by nearby fans elbowing their neighbor to watch the tradition, followed by boisterous laughter from the pocket of fans.

Yankees Bleacher Call Outs
A former boss of mine is a New York Yankees fan and when he learned I would be attending my first game at Yankee Stadium, he made sure to tell me to arrive by first pitch and pay close attention to the bleachers. Unsure of what would take place, I was amazed as the crowd chanted each player’s name, position by position, until each player turned and tipped his cap…sometimes right between pitches. It’s a connection created by tradition that each player shares with Yankee fans during every game.

College Fight Songs
Perhaps the most famous tradition of all, this one connects generations and can be found taking place at every college sport…not to mention a gathering of alumni attempting to relive their glory days over a couple cold ones. Few tunes are sung with more pride and no matter the school, the fight song is a single link that all current and former students will always share close to their heart.

As you can see, traditions take place across all sports in a variety of manners…but the common thread is that they bring fans together in a way that transcends wins and losses, the current roster and even the game ops staff. They’re built into the framework of the fan experience and should be preserved for grandparents to teach their grandchildren.

Now, as I look out the window to a bed of clouds floating over the Pacific, I wonder what traditions I will learn in the Far East. I think writing this column has turned my anxiety into excitement…because learning those traditions will lead to new friendships and a lifetime of memories. Even though I may not be able to verbally communicate with many of the people I’ll meet in the next couple weeks, I’ll share a bond with them where words are simply not required.

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Walk and Talk - Traditions