The arena/stadium/ballpark experience

The essence of sport is that it is a form of entertainment (except in some cases in Europe and Latin America), just like watching a play or listening to music. However, when you went to a game, you expected to see two teams play and little more: now, we are bombarded by intro music, constant songs during play and a general level of unnecessary (and usually artificial) noise. Professional basketball is the worst culprit of this, as live games are unwatchable thanks to constant music playing when the home team is on offense and pre-recorded 'DEE-FENSE' chants the other side of the court. College basketball, to its credit, still lets the fans make the noise. However, baseball, America's signature game, is also being cluttered with noise, and Mike Vaccaro sums up my sentiment with this tidbit from his column on Sunday:

Yep. Somehow, the Mets must have thought nobody had paid attention to the way the goofballs at Fenway Park had turned "Sweet Caroline" into an eighth-inning Fenway Park tradition the past few years. And here's the thing: people are lemmings. Whether it's at a wedding, a bar mitzvah or a ballgame, if you play "Sweet Caroline," the masses - many of whom wouldn't go to a Neil Diamond concert if he was playing in their basements - invariably do the sing-a-long parts (somewhere, while our enemies are learning how to subsist on dirt and flies for months at a time, they are laughing at a culture that can't help itself from shouting "So good! So good! So good! So good!")

And here's the worst part:

We're getting a couple of new baseball stadiums in New York City within the next few years. There's a good chance that the Post Office on Eighth Avenue is going to disappear and return as a new Madison Square Garden not long after. There are new arenas going up in Brooklyn and in Jersey. Sometime in the present millennium, there may even be a new building on Long Island. All of this blessed construction, all of this wonderful progress.

All of it will be tricked-out with every conceivable eardrum-splattering noise machine and sound-effect toy and music-amplifying system. You think going to ballgame now plays pinball with your nervous system?

Just wait. The children of Jane Jarvis are about to have their ears led to slaughter.

The fact that so many people go along with the crap played at venues (both me and my friends always boo the Shea crowd when they sing along to Sweet Caroline) perpetuates the problem, and it's making tough on real sports fans.

 

At Dodger Stadium, there isn't much of that, yet. You get the usual fair (the snippets of songs played when each Dodger comes to bat, the tune for 'charge!, 'Day-O'), and if the Dodgers are down in the 9th or extra innings, there's a montage of come from behind wins that are shown on the jumbtron, accompanied by loud music. The only thing that really annoys me (besides the new gestapo parking plan) is a movie trailer they'll play every 5th or 6th inning of a film that will be advertised all over the place at the stadium for a couple of months (currently it's Ocean's 13). One of the great things about going there, is that every single game I've ever been to, there is always beachballs being thrown about in the crowd. Not just a few, but multiple ones, and in all levels of the stadium (except for the Dugout Club). It's a great Dodger Stadium tradition.

 

I sang along a few weeks back.

It was between innings you goon.
Lighten up.
It's not like they do that crap while the game is on.
Do you boo the 7th Inning Stretch "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" too?

I find annoying drunks and idiots from the upper deck throwing crap to the lower sections more of a problem.


I agree with you on the NBA.
It's unwatchable live.

 

Personally, I like the hype music they play at NBA and NHL games. I can understand why you two would dislike it, though.

 

Never been to an NBA game, so I couldn't judge, but I always loved going to college BB games, both at my alma mater (ND) and St John's at the Garden. Used to have a blast at both.

 

Personally, I find watching the over-40 suburbanites in 'Mom Jeans' dancing to "Who Let the Dogs Out" on the JumboTron, far more distracting (and disturbing) than any of the music they pump into the stadiums.

 

That's not the issue. And how many Diamond albums do you have?

And what the hell does 'Sweet Caroline' have anything to do with baseball? Your argument doesn't hold water.

 

Should they stop playing Thunderstruck when the Giants take the field at the Meadowlands?

And I only have his Greatest Hits.

 

I personally have no problem with them doing whatever at sporting events. If it helps them make black instead of red, than that's what they do. Plus, when I look around and see people there just to dance and drink and be foolish rather than actually enjoy the game and know what's going on, it makes me feel superior. And I like things that feed my superiority complex.

 

Yeah, I don't understand people getting hammered at football games.
You only get 8 home games a year.
Between the tailgate party and the game you drank half a case of beer.
You spend half the game running to the men's room.
The ride home takes twice as long because of Turnpike stops so you can puke out the door.
The next morning you ask who won the game.

 

Half a case? How come more fans don't go falling down the level stars on their way out, or to the restroom?

 

After listening to Jane Jarvis' rendition of "Meet the Mets" on the organ, I can say organ music really should be the only type of music played at baseball games. Forget the nonsense of intro songs and between inning songs and let creative organ players (no, not those kinds, Eeth) entertain the crowd with the classics.

However, I still support using movie clips to get fans excited, namely the Howard Beale clip from 'Network.'

 

It is in fact for these reasons that I like NBA and NFL live games. (Yes I could've said baseball, but for some reason it bores me.)

They get you hyped..dude! Then you like...do stuff the song tells you dude! SO IT's AWESOME...DUDE!

 

BSL, you should never go to an NLL game (lacrosse) mainly due to them playing loud rock music during game play. Personally, I think it's a refreshing change, although the people in charge of the Rock games at the ACC in Toronto could change the set list once in a while.

 

I love when they play movie clips at hockey and football games.
Animal House is a good one for that.


You know you don't like player intro music when they come to bat because every one has a salsa or calypso song in the Mets lineup.

 

We got a regular Anna Benson here, only she has a nice rack to go with her big mouth.

The best movie clip at a game is Network. Period.

"I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell-"

LET'S GO METS!!!

 

Have you got a better way to energize and or wake up a crowd? Maybe you should apply for the director of fan entertainment position somewhere. I'll be looking for your shows. Sure there are things that can be done better. It's true anywhere. What good does complaining to us do? Oh, right, it makes you feel good! I forgot. (silly me) I, for one, appreciate the effort they put into it, even if they are playing songs that I would never listen to otherwise. At least it gets some people to make some noise.

 

Have you ever seen a college basketball game? I know you have, so don't give me that 'they're trying their damndest!' excuse. If you have to get music to get people excited, perhaps its time to question the fervor of your fans (many of which in NBA games are business people on corporate accounts who normally have business (lol) being at a basketball game).

 

One of the things I love about going to Yankee games is that aside from Eddie Layton's organ music and simple stuff like "Let's Go Yankees on the Jumbotron, plus George Costanza annoucing his hiring by the greatest franchise in American sports, and Frank SInatra's New York New York after every win (the Liza Minelli version after losses -- apparently she's complained) they completely avoid all this extra crap. If they ever played Who Let the Dog's Out, I think most Yankee fans would storm the dj booth and lynch the person responsible.

 

The Yankees did that stupid Cotton Eyed Joe thing for years.

And lest you forget the grounds crew doing YMCA

 

Dodgers stadium seems like a really pumped up crowd from the games I've seen on TV. They seem to be the Chicago Bulls of baseball, loud music and theatrical introductions.

Wrigley Field is one of the best expiences you'll find in baseball. It's hallowed ground and the fans know how to cheer for their team. Just be sure not to book tickets for the Cards or White Sox series because then it's War

 

Love Cotton Eyed Joe. I could do without YWMCA, though, definitely. The piont is, though, that itÄ's still kept to a minimum. I remember watching Mets playoff games in 2000, seemed like they played WHo Let the Dogs Out every time they got a hit.

 

I've seen some Yankee home games on TV and they mix in plenty of tired rock song clips to get the fans excited. They also mix in the organ, which I appreciate. I just wonder whey they don't just use the organ exclusively.

 

Fenway's the best though. Sweet Caroline in the 8th, Dirty Water after we win, the Green Monster, Pesky's Pole, Williamstown, the Triangle, the Fenway Frank... all of it is magical.

 

I have to admit, Fenway Park will captivate just about any baseball fan regardless of their favourite team (unless, I suppose, you're a Yanks fan). It's too easy to get swept up in the Red Sox experience. The singing of "Sweet Caroline" isn't as annoying as you would think.