The Clackamas print., November 02, 2016, Page 7, Image 7

(faculty, too
Wizards’ arena fails
to impress
THE VERIZON CENTER IN WASHINGTON D.C. LACKED ATMOSPHERE AND FAN
INTEREST IN COMPARISON TO THE MODA CENTER IN PORTLAND
student x
faculty 1
in d save
Legendary Lx
(mini 7 ” p ii
and 20 oz dr,
11 am to 2 p m M-
Dine-in only, plea
Up to 4 topping,
Berry Hill Shopping Center
STORY AND PHOTO BY JAMES HARLEY
Being a big sports fan, one of the things I
wanted to do while I was in W ashington,
D .C . was See a professional sporting
event; however, m y high expectations
were not met.
On Friday, Oct. 21,1 visited the Verizon
Center in downtown D .C . and wattched
the W ashington W izards take on the
Toronto Raptors in NBA preseason action.
This was the first time I had gone to a
professional sporting event outside the
state of Oregon.
W alking into the V erizon C enter, I
immediately started making comparisons
to the Moda Center here in Portland, and
the differences were big.
The facility seems much older than the
Moda Center. The area before entering the
actual stadium was m uch less modern,
even though the Moda Center is two years
older. Food options were lim ited, with
fewer opportunities to purchase team
apparel.
In sid e, the seating w as sim ilar to
other arenas, though o f course it had
its own features. In the rafters hung
jersey numbers from Washington, D .C .’s
basketball, and hockey team s, and even
Georgetow n’ s basketball team , w hich
plays at the Verizon Center.
When the game started, I saw empty
seats everywhere. Granted, it was just
a preSeason gam e, but even the Moda
Center can sell more tick ets in the
preseason.
Even though the home team led wire
to w ire, there w asn’ t m uch o f a buzz
from the crowd. The fans didn’ t seem
involved in the game, and the bland PA
anouncer didn’t help. During the game,
there wasn’t a lot of entertainment to get
The Washington Wizards (white) play the Toronto Raptors (red) for a small crowd
during an NBA preseason game on Oct. 21. The Wizards won 119-82.
excited for, aside from the typical dance
camera and a free throw contest, which
didn’t end well and nofans got rewarded.
Even the,T-shirt toss was lame, as only
fans in the 100-level seating got shirts,
which was right next to the cofrrt
The fans, however, were friendly. The
few that sat around us welcomed us from
out o f town, and seemed interested in
their team.
The m airi d ifferen ce betw een the
Verizon Center and the M oda Center
was the atmosphere. Going into the Rose
Quarter, fans can just feel the buzz before
the game. Walking into the Moda Center
has been an exciting experience every
time. -
The Moda Center is clean, looks modern,
is very spacious and even has an escalator;
whereas the Verizon Center had stairs
o ff to the side in some places. The team
store for the Trail Blazers had far more
clothing selections than the W izards’
team store as well.
However, as m uch as I ’ve dissed the
facility, it was still cool to go to a game
outside o f the state o f Oregon. It was
refreshing to see new talented players ball
it out on a new court, and I was pumped
to see one of my favorite NBA players,
John W all, play.
On top of that, everybody there was
helpful and genuinely nice, which made
what could’ve been a negative experience,
a good one.
Don’t take your Moda Center experience
for granted. Though I may have some bias '
for th e hom e team s here in Portland,
there was definitely a separation between
the East Coast facility and the one here. I
still recommend going to an event outsidf
of the state if you ever have a chance. '
Clackamas Print NOVEMBER 2,2016 thedackamasprint.com 7