Watching "Live" basketball match in the Phillippines

I have been dying to post this entry for close to a month now but because of the time constraints, I had to let the urge to blog prolong for a while longer. (Finally doing it during FM lecture @ the start of term 2 in class...Can you beat that)... :)

The game I am talking about here is one of the most important games in the calender year for an average Filipino basketball supporter.

La Salle vs. Ateneo (Green vs. Blue) on paper might just seem to be a normal college basketball match, but in reality and by looking in to the history of these schools, the game is the biggest night for the school, it's players and more importantly it's fans.

For the first time in my life I realized how big a deal it is and how huge a business is "college sports". Having seen college level sports in U.S on television as a kid, having the privilege to watch one here in Manila has been an experience worth it's weight in gold.

A special thanks to Aina (my classmate) for forgoing the chance to go for the game herself and letting me and Harsh to go in her place instead. (She is a die-hard fan of La Salle and the one who told me about the games during the first few weeks of our MBA).

Now to the game...

Date:- 16th August'09.
Time:- 1700 hrs.
Venue:- Araneta Coliseum @ Cubao in Quezon City

The coliseum was filled with sea of blue and green; the official colors of the two teams.There were more than 4000 people for a college basketball game.This goes to show the popularity of the sport in this country.

The upper tier of the stadium housed the two school bands on either side of the coliseum blasting their drums and equipments to the raptures of the crowd below.

It seemed as if as the players sweated out on the court, the two bands sweated, competing against each other for the entire duration of the game and creating an amazing atmosphere within the stadium.

The fans of the two teams where phenomenal, with one side of the stadium depicting a sea of blue and the other side showcasing the floral color of green.

The entire set up was so electrifying and by the end of it all, it was not about the two teams or the score and who won and who lost, but the experience of being there.
The cacophony which the two school bands created in the coliseum was to be seen to be believed. They just electrified the entire arena with their drum wars and the fans were at it too.

All in all, a wonderful experience, and one to cherish for a long time to come.Thanks to Aina...

ps:- For anyone and everyone , if ever you guys are in Manila in during July-August,and have an opportunity to watch an Ateneo vs La Salle game, go for it...It's worth it...Trust me on this one.