Carolina Hurricanes
After the NHL lockout ended January 6, 2013, the Carolina Hurricanes took to the ice and began their season. During the course of the season, I had the pleasure of attending two games at PNC Arena. The first game I attended was on January 24, when the team took on the Buffalo Sabres. It was the team’s second home game and the crowd was very excited to see their hometown team back to work. Along with the Hurricanes fans, there were many Sabres fans as well, which is common in Raleigh. In the end, the Hurricanes sent the Caniacs home happy with a 6-3 victory. Overall, you can expect a family-friendly atmosphere with very proud fans, and a Hurricanes staff who loves to get the fans involved with trivia games and fan cameras.
Duke Basketball
November 16, 2013, I attended the Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast University. As this Eagles team was rarely heard of before this David vs. Goliath match-up with Duke, they made quite a story becoming the only #15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to win their first 2 games and advance to the Sweet 16, where they eventually fell to their now in-state rival Florida University.
According to USA Today, Cameron Indoor Stadium is the #1 ranked college basketball arena in the country, and it was ranked 4th by Sports Illustrated for the best sport venues of the 20. Located near the famous “Krzyzewskiville” sign at the epicenter of Duke Sports, Cameron Indoor Stadium was opened on January 6, 1940, and it’s cost was $400,000 (6.3 million in 2013 dollars). Krzyzewskiville is actually named after a phenomenon in which a pretty lengthy line of undergraduate students wait to get admission to Duke home games (more famously and commonly against UNC), and is often confused as a ticket line (Duke students get admitted to the “Cameron Crazie” student section for free).
Durham Bulls
Did you know that you lived less than an hour away from the minor league baseball team that has had 2 of the last 3 International League MVPs? Well, you do, and according to StadiumJourney.com, the Durham Athletic Park is the #2 ranked AAA minor league baseball stadium in America. The DBAP really is one of the nicest minor league ballparks in America, and if it had a larger seating capacity and city position, it could be home to one of the U.S.’s 30 Major League teams. The experience really is a part of the stadium, and the weather is usually fantastic around the Durham area. Despite the team being more well-known for the 1980’s baseball movie Bull Durham, the Durham Bulls just recently took their third ever International League Championship in 2009, along with their first ever AAA National Championship, championing them as the top overall minor league baseball team in America.
The food at the DBAP really is great too, and in 2012, the DBAP introduced the “Bull Dog,” a mouth-watering hot dog wrapped in bacon and fried in a delicious dough. The Bull Dog was taken off the menu for the 2013 season, however. Never fear because it was replaced by the “Nuke Dog.” The Nuke Dog consists of a famous relish recipe by Cottage Lane Kitchen, and is named after Ebby “Nuke” LaLoosh from the 80’s film. Also on the concourse are national and southern favorites Domino’s Pizza and Moe’s. Also adding to the experience are the between-inning games/rituals. Various mascot skits, races, and sumo wrestling entertain the fans while the action is temporarily shut off. Even the crew that lines the infield in the 5th inning dances to some music for the fans’ enjoyment. Overall, you will have a great experience at the DAP, and it is hands-down one of the best minor league stadiums in the country.
UNC Basketball
The University of North Carolina has one of the top three traditions in college basketball, with 6 National Championships and 18 Final Four appearances. Along with the fact that 29 UNC alumni have went on to win an NBA Championship, which is the most of any school, the Tar Heels also have a beautiful stadium to call home. That would be the Dean E. Smith Center, aka the Dean Dome. Opened in 1986, the Dean Dome has been home to 3 national championship winning teams along with 7 ACC Tournament champions, and 11 regular season ACC champions. During the 2012- 2013, I attended one game at the Dean Dome, when the Tar Heels took on the Florida State Seminoles. When the game had a break the Tar Heels showed numerous videos of all their past moments and a personal favorite of mine called “I am a Tar Heel," during which many of the former Tar Heel greats repeat the phrase, inspiring many striving basketball players. Overall, the Tar Heels have one of the top stadiums in the country, and for a reasonable price you can come to Chapel Hill to witness some of the best basketball around.
UNC Football
While the UNC might be known more for their basketball or women’s soccer, they also have a very solid football program. This year, I was able to attend three Tar Heel football games, two at home, and one on the road, so I am able to compare the experience to opposing teams. The home games I attended were against ACC foe Virginia Tech and in-state rival North Carolina State. The NC State game is now known as one of the best games in Tar Heel history, because with 31 seconds left in a tied ball game, North Carolina running back Gio Bernard returned a 74 yard punt for a touchdown to earn UNC a victory. While watching home games at Kenan Stadium, from the home side you can get a glimpse of the famous bell tower in Chapel Hill. Throughout the game the fans are pumped up by several playings of the AC/DC song “Hells Bells” which reenacts the playing of the tower.
I also attended a game at Wallace Wade Stadium, home of the Duke Blue Devils when they took on the Tar Heels. Wallace Wade Stadium is much smaller than Kenan and more than half of the stadium was filled by UNC fans. The food was poor quality compared to that of UNC games and the PA announcer failed to get the fans pumped up very much. Overall, I would say that there aren't many better ways to spend a Saturday afternoon than watching a Carolina football game at Kenan Stadium.
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