By Eric Steinbach
As a fervent baseball fan, the pace of basketball games has always been a little off for me. Baseball is a much slower game with brief bursts of excitement. In contrast, basketball moves much more quickly and there is always action on the court. The difference in pace of play affects not only the games themselves, but the viewing experiences as well. Where I am used to watching a baseball game unfold slowly while and chatting with those around me, basketball provides a much more energetic experience.
The energy was certainly alive when we watched HaPoel Yerushalayim take on HaPoel Eilat near the beginning of our stay in Jerusalem. The fans brought a huge amount of energy to the arena and were loud and proud throughout the entire game. Specifically, there was one section in the corner of the arena that housed what my friends and I referred to as the "superfans". While there were open seats in almost every section of the arena, there wasn't a seat to be found in this area of committed fans. From showing off their bright red Yerushalayim scarves to rooting for HaPoel on every drive, this section was alive the entire night.
Near the beginning of the second half a friend of mine gestured towards this section and asked if I saw the one person who was leading the group. I looked down and saw that one man was standing in the middle of their section and conducting the entire section in their cheers. Then my friend pointed out something fascinating to me: the man wasn't even watching the game! The most committed fan in the whole arena had his back to the court for almost every play.
Ever since going to the basketball game, my mind has lingered on that fan. I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that someone could be such a huge fan of a team yet not even pay attention to the game that they play. Eventually it dawned on me that I have seen fans like that in America as well. I even realized that in some respects, I was a fan like that. This past semester, when my Brooklyn Nets beat Lebron's Cavaliers, I didn't stop talking about the game for a solid week. I didn't mention to my friends that I didn't even watch the game, but that was beside the point. What mattered was that MY team, from MY hometown (or at least originally from New Jersey) had won. In hindsight, thinking about that one fan brings me comfort knowing that even though there are cultural differences between Americans and Israelis, some things will always resonate across both cultures.
