DOES YOUR SEAT MATTER?

April 10, 2019

Attending the last game of the season is a tradition of mine, but in honor of the ethnography and the Knicks playing against Detroit Pistons I decided to splurge on where I will be sitting this game.

I walked into the Garden early this game, knowing from previous experience that the final game of the season can get messy and packed with Knicks fans quickly. I waited about 40 minutes on the security line to get through into the lobby of Madison Square Garden. The blue and orange decorations filled the large room and the pride of Knicks fans from all over the state and the country are all together in one room sharing their support and love for the team and the sport. 

As I make my way towards my seat it felt nice knowing I didn't have to go up so many escalator rides like I had before for this project.  I was sitting in so close to the floor that I felt like if I walked a few more feet I could touch it. I could see both teams practicing on the court before the game officially started. During this time I noticed the amount of families sat near me, families wearing Knicks related merchandise just like me and my family. 

Picture from The New Yorker (newyorker.com)
this is a perfect representation of what the fans were like
in my sections throughout the entire game. 

Unlike the other seat I sat in, this section felt extremely family oriented. Children between the ages of 7-12 jumped up in down in their seats and screamed the names of the their favorite players. I brought back many memories for me of the times I would go to basketball games with my parents. I felt like I was on cloud 9, like I was on top of the world when I went to basketball games. I had so much passion and admiration when I was young. I can tell by watching how the children acted when they saw their favorite player that they felt similar to how I felt when I was their age. 

The atmosphere felt vibrant and alive. The booming sounds of the ball hitting the court as a player is dribbling it can be heard, the squeaking sound of the players sneakers as they pound the court with force can be heard as well. I was able to hear the players communicate to each other during the game. It was little things that made my experience in this section worth ever penny. It is a different experience than someone who is seated far away from the court would get. 

After attending this game, I came to the conclusion that although you can see the court from every seat in the large arena, sitting closer to the court will be one of the best experiences. The atmosphere and vibe that radiates the section is lively, unlike the tiring and dark vibe that radiates the sections that are high above the court. 

One of the biggest observations I made this time was that in my section and nearby sections many people were standing during the game. The people who sat farther away would stay seated even when there were big moves and jaw dropping moment throughout the game. For example when a player dunks the ball in the basket, people stood up and cheered if they sat close to the court. At the same time, people who sat far away cheered while staying seated. 

Picture from lancity.us
In this picture you can see the arena is full of fans wearing orange and blue
in honor of the Knicks. It is a way they show their support and love for the team.

INTERVIEWING KFC

Game attended: Miami Heat vs Knicks

March 30, 2019

Trying to muster up the courage to talk to him was a nerve wracking experience. My palms were beginning to sweat and leg is moving up and down to the music filling the entire arena. I can hear the basketballs pounding the glossy and recently glazed floor as some of my favorite New York Knicks players dribble the ball down the court. It was the pregame practice, and it has been thirty minutes since I got to my seat and noticed who I had the honor of sitting next to today. I felt like the luckiest girl on Earth, nothing could possibly kill my mood, not even- dare I say: the Knicks losing this game? Well, they did lose and I left the famous Madison Square Garden arena with the brightest smile on my face. For one reason and one reason only, Kevin Clancy… THE Kevin Clancy from Barstool Sports was sitting next to me.

I have been following Barstool Sports for 5 years; It is the place I get most of my sport related news. Kevin Clancy is a radio host and blogger for the company and is known for sharing his raw and brutally honest opinion on any topic and most importantly, for being a longtime and loyal Knicks fan, like me.

I had 10 minutes before gametime and I needed any chance I got to ask him all the questions I needed to complete this assignment. With a quiet “excuse me?” and a slight turn to the right, I was face to face with the man I look up to so much. “Wait me?” he was clearly confused, I caught him off guard. I nodded in response and asked him just to make sure, “You’re Kevin from Barstool right?” He laughed and I laughed as well- this is so awkward. My heart was racing. I told him how much he has inspired me throughout the years and how he has opened my eyes to view the world in a more positive way. I followed up by explaining to him the discourse community assignments and asked him if I could interview him. I swear it felt like confetti poured down from the ceiling when he said “That’s so cool, yeah you can interview me.”

As soon as I asked him “how long have you been working for Barstool?” the conversation took off, questions and answers seemed to flow effortlessly and I genuinely gained so much more respect for him as a writer, sports fan, and activist. Kevin, famously known as “KFC” has been working for Barstool for almost 10 years. He started off by writing pieces about pop culture and his life living in the Big Apple. His writing style and outgoing personality quickly got to the hearts of readers and that is when he branched out and began to do podcasts. Viewers, like me, tuned in and listened to him preach or rant about the media, sports and pop culture. He became the host of multiple programs like “Barstool Radio” and was even able to get his own show “KFC radio” which he specified was the best decision he ever made. His career skyrocketed and he gained a large following from all over the world.

Kevin Clancy is on the left. Photo taken from Brendan Schaub's Twitter
https://twitter.com/brendanschaub/status/877896151621447680

The Knicks are currently the worst team in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. Because of this, many fans deal with negative comments and we constantly hear people backlash and bad mouth the Knicks on social media. So I asked him “How do you deal with the hate you receive from being a Knicks fan?” His answer was simple: “I would rather stick with the team I have supported for almost my entire life than be known as a ‘bandwagon’” The term is commonly used in the NBA community it is a negative term used for people who jump from team to team just because the team is doing good in the season and because the media talks about them more often. Without even having to ask, he told me the answer to the question I have been wondering since the day I heard he was a Knicks fan 5 years ago. He dove right in and told me how he became a Knicks fan; it all started with his middle school girlfriend. He wanted to impress her because she was on the basketball team at school and she was the “biggest Knicks fan I have ever met” His efforts to impress her turned him into an actual fan. That relationship didn’t go anywhere but his relationship to basketball grew stronger; he loved watching Knicks games. Basketball became something he grew passionate about, he says, “I live in the city, I try to come here [Madison Square Garden] every chance I get.” He loves the atmosphere of screaming fans, the full arena decorated in blue and orange, watching the game in person, the roaring of Knicks fans every time a player makes a shot. He shared that he takes his wife on many Knicks game dates and it has become a tradition.

The way he described his experience made me realize we aren’t that different. Yeah, he is famous and has over 100,000 followers on Instagram but we both share a love for the NBA community and a commitment to be Knicks fans until the end of time. He was lucky and was able to combine his love for sports and media together and make a successful career out of it. Kevin told me one of the best moments in his career was when he got a basketball signed by some players of the Knicks. I was shocked, it is a dream of mine and many others  to be able to meet your favorite players and get their signature on a basketball.

Although I was a nervous to talk to him, it was nice to know that we have similar interests and hobbies. I learned more about Kevin and how much basketball and the New York Knicks means to him.