On November 11, my family and I hit the road to kick off our trip to see the Boston Celtics. In a mere eight hours we would be courtside, cheering on our favorite team as they battled the Toronto Raptors. That’s if we could survive my grandfather’s driving. Not only was it my first time attending a major sports game, the game was also the honorary Veterans Day game. Thus I had all the right to be excited. “I love Jayson Tatum, you are so lucky you got to see Tatum in real life,” said Morgan Clair ’27.
We arrived at my uncle’s house and soon took the train to TD Garden where the game would be held. Over five hundred veterans and their families attended this game. Among these soldiers was a one hundred year old veteran named Aurel Stuart who was titled the night’s “Hero Among Us.” With overall a crowd of more than a thousand people filling the arena we had to fight our way through to get to our seats. According to ESPN’s attendance record, Celtics games average nineteen thousand people per game. Thanks to my uncle, we got floor seats right behind the opposing team’s players. I would say it’s definitely different seeing them in person than on TV. You never truly realize how tall the players are until you are less than fifty feet away from them.
During the first half, one of the Celtics players overshot and threw a ball into the crowd next to me. It was a close game in the first half, and then it was time for the halftime show. The halftime show was simple, with dogs and their trainers showing off their frisbee catching skills. Honestly I was expecting more during a halftime show. Though the dogs were very cute, it felt very uncoordinated. The Celtics cheerleaders showed off their skills.
There is only one downside to having floor seats and that is not having the ability to see the game if you are short. I myself am four foot eleven, and with some of the tallest people you will ever see sitting in front of me, I wasn’t able to see much except the back of the opposing team players’ heads.
Shortly after the players were back on the court. My cousin was impressed by how Jayson Tatum played and later got himself a Tatum jersey. The game was close in the end, but the Celtics managed to pull through and won the game, 117-94.
The whole trip was a fun experience, and I would recommend going to a Celtics game if you ever get the chance.
When asked if she has ever attended any major sports events Mrs. Gardner pulls out her collection of Major League Baseball flags she has collected over seventeen years from twenty nine baseball parks. She mentions she has gone to multiple Celtics games as well as a Bruins game. She is planning on attending her next Major League Baseball game next spring.
