Taking the kids to a basketball game is a great family outing. It’s fast and exciting to watch, there’s constantly something entertaining happening with plenty of audience participation, plus the stadium is smaller and enclosed (compared to an oval), which puts you much closer to the action, no matter where you are sitting.
There’s no time for the kids to get bored during the game, basketball is fast, and especially at this elite level. We attended the Hungry Jack’s NBL Finals match on Sunday 18 March 2018, between the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne United. In this final series the two teams play against each other in a best out of 5 games draw. This was game 2 after the 36ers loss to Melbourne on the Friday night. The atmosphere was electric in the stadium and was completely one-sided – there was no mistaking which team the crowd were barracking for. You almost feel a bit bad for the opposition (but not really)! This is where home town advantage can be a big thing.
The emcee leads the crowd in chanting, clapping, stomping feet and the whole stadium literally rocks! Whenever the opposition have the ball, he gets the crowd chanting “Defense! Defense!” (just in case the 36ers are unsure what to do 😉 and more so to try and put off the opposition).
There’s also a fun game for the audience to participate in thanks to the major sponsor Hungry Jack’s. When the opposition shoot for 2 goals, if they miss both goals everyone in the stadium gets a voucher for a free Hungry Jack’s burger. This obviously adds the extra incentive for the audience to chant ”Hungry Jack’s! Hungry Jack’s” while the opposition is shooting. It’s not only to try and put off the guy trying to shoot for a goal, but who doesn’t want a free voucher for a burger? With all that yelling of ”Hungry Jack’s” and of course the ads popping up courtside telling you the ”burgers are better at Hungry Jack’s” it will seriously have you thinking about getting a Whopper. The marketing person who thought of this seriously deserves free Whoppers for life – it’s genius.
If you haven’t quite got the picture, this is a lively and VERY loud affair, especially as this was a sold out game with nearly 8,000 people. There’s music pumping loud with beats everyone can clap along too (our hands were sore from all the clapping involved); the crowd are encouraged to make a lot of noise and it’s serious fun.
During the breaks, the cheerleaders sometimes perform a quick dance and there are fun games – for example, the camera will go around the audience with Kiss Cam, Dance Cam, Bongo Drums Cam and everyone willingly participates.
During half time one lucky person from the audience gets to shoot for $20,000 – if they get a basket from the middle of the court (with no practise shot).
As I said, this is a loud atmosphere – if you or your kids don’t like a lot of noise, then this is not for you. I did see a young child wearing ear muffs as she doesn’t like the loudness of it all – this is a great option for littlies.
If you happen to sit behind maybe the biggest 36ers fan ever, like I did, be prepared to see yourself up on the screen, as the camera loves fans who are expressive. And if you want to get yourself on camera, be sure to make a sign or just be very excited and they’ll be sure to zoom in on you as they scan the crowd.
There is plenty of parking on the grass just outside the stadium. It’s $10 cash only – allow some time for parking and line-up to drive in.
A basketball game is a definite winner for family entertainment. Unlike being in a huge stadium at an oval where you are far away from the action, this is a very inclusive atmosphere where you really feel part of the fun. At this game, the stadium literally rocked with all the excitement – especially as the Adelaide 36ers won 110 to Melbourne United 95. We expect the next game here will be just as thrilling.
This very exciting final series will see the fourth game played in Adelaide on Sunday 25 March. It’s sure to be another sell out and tickets will sell fast. Tickets go on sale Tuesday 20 March at 5pm. Click here to book
For more information and all enquiries please visit the National Basketball League website here
What: Adelaide 36ers Basketball Game Review
When: See the schedule on the NBL website
Where: Titanium Security Arena | Crittenden Road, Findon
Who: Sports fans
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: Play & Go Adelaide
SUBSCRIBE
Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!
