Intensity. That’s one of the things I’ve loved about Mississippi State basketball since I came here. My freshman year, 2003-2004, was exhilarating, passionate and intense. I will never forget waiting outside The Hump hours before game time, playing cards, taking naps, trying to get someone to bring food. The line would then slowly stretch around the building.
I remember waiting in line to pick up tickets. If you got to the ticket office by 8 a.m. Monday, you were late. The line of students waiting for tickets would already be quite lengthy. I will never forget the Monday before the Kentucky game; the ticket line reached to the Sanderson, and many of those students never got a ticket. They sold out.
True, craziness over basketball has subsided some over the past two years. Student tickets rarely sell out now. However, there are some diehard basketball fans on campus who continue to arrive at The Hump early and wait for the doors to open. They believe in Mississippi State basketball, and so do I. As with most things, basketball is cyclical. The team is rebuilding, and glory days will return. When they do, there is one thing that I would like to see change.
I have no problem with getting to The Hump hours before game time and waiting hours to get a prime seat to watch an incredible game. The hours spent outside with fellow fans only increases excitement. However, waiting in line for hours at the ticket office does not give me the same exhilaration.
Students should be able to enter a basketball game with a swipe of their I.D. card. It would be much more convenient because we would only have to wait in line once. No one would have to skip another 8 a.m. class to ascertain that he receives a ticket. All the passion one has toward Mississippi State basketball could be funneled into one day: game day. And isn’t that how it should be?
Some of you may be thinking that it’s no problem to get tickets right now, so why is she even bringing this up? Well, what better time to implement a new system than a relatively peaceful one? I am certain that none of you have forgotten the ticket dilemma of last year. It was madness. No one knew who was supposed to buy tickets when, and pandemonium resulted. Tickets were hard to come by for the rest of the season. That is avoidable.
Change the system now. What obstacles could there be to such a simple method? It is already used at baseball games. Why not basketball? It would save time and prevent confusion.
It would also encourage involvement. On game days, fans would be all about basketball. Get out of class and head to The Hump. Spend hours outside, talking to other basketball lovers and getting excited about the game. The doors open, students swipe their cards and enter the arena, making a rush to get the best seats. After hours of dwelling on thoughts of basketball, they are as into the game as the players. And that’s intensity.