So, why am I writing this column and not catching up on sleep? Because I had a profound experience tonight, and I wanted to share it with you all.
No, I'm not talking about a spiritual awakening or a large bowel movement. I'm talking about the Lady Tar Heels game. That's right, there was a women's basketball game tonight. If you didn't know that, either you aren't picking up your DTH or you aren't following the NCAA tournament. Either way, get on the ball!
Tonight, the Lady Tar Heels pulled out a last minute victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers (that's not a joke: it's their real name) 72-69. It was a thriller all the way, but since this isn't a sports column (even though I'm fooled, sometimes), I'm not going to go into detail. Suffice to say that it was the best game I attended this year. And that is where my real point comes in.
I attended four men's basketball games this year, three of which were victories (and we should've beat Virginia). Yet, tonight's game was a better experience than I had at any of those games.
Why is this do you say? Perhaps it's because I had my friends with me to help me cheer on the Lady Tar Heels? Nope, I had to go alone because no one else could/would come. Was it because it was a victory in a close game? Nope, Binghamton was a close game and so was Georgia Tech (including Morrison's dunk, which was just outrageous). Maybe I just got a good soft pretzel and a frozen lemonade (mmm... frozen lemonade...) Nope, I didn't get either because I didn't want to leave the game.
Then what made this game so special? It wasn't the company, the score, or the food, but the atmosphere. I had visited Carmichael Auditorium before, but never for a game. Standing about 25 feet from the court, feeling the heat of those near me, listening to the reverberating cheers, I finally began to understand why everyone speaks so reverently of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Less than 2,000 people attended the game, and yet I felt no different than if I had been on the fifth row in a packed game at the Dean Dome. How is this possible? Because Carmichael is so small. That is the long and short of it. The Dean Dome is a cavern compared to Carmichael. And while it is fabulous that the Dean Dome can fit over 20,000 people, what good is that if less than half of them are ever standing (or even there, for that matter).
Lately, I've heard debates about how the men's basketball team should return to Carmichael Auditorium. While I know that this is an impossibility because of the contracts signed when the Center was built, I still wish it could happen. After a season of so much disappointment, what better cure than to return to the building that spawned some of the greatest basketball players of all time.
It is true that Carmichael can only hold half the people that the Dean Smith Center can. But wouldn't it be worth it? Wouldn't it make getting into the game that much more special? Wouldn't it make you feel like you were a part of the team instead of just an observer? Wouldn't it make you stand up and cheer instead of sitting down after every possession? Wouldn't it make you proud to be a Tar Heel? I know it did me.
