As a gambler, I’ve always wondered what would happen if I stopped betting on teams I didn’t know very much about and just focused on one team for an entire season. Of course it would be hard because gamblers need action on lots of games to keep the adrenaline flowing. But if you were really trying to be profitable, wouldn’t the best course of action be to focus in on one team, learn as much as possible about the roster, the coaches, the gym, the opponents, the pre-game meals, the athletic trainers, the shoe deals, the NIL agreements, and then only place bets when you truly thought you had an advantage?
I’m about to find out. As a basketball fanatic and misplaced Chicagoan, I’ve long yearned for the days of having one team to root for. Growing up, that team was the DePaul Blue Demons. I used to go watch DePaul play at Alumni Hall on the school’s Lincoln Park campus on the north side of Chicago. That gym held about 5,300 fans. It felt more like a high school gym than a college arena. I guess Duke’s Cameron Indoor would be the closest comparable gym in terms of size and proximity to the school. As a 5’2″ 5th grader, I remember it used to get so loud in that gym you couldn’t hear yourself think. And whenever the fans stood up, I couldn’t see a damn thing because I was only 10 years old. But those games made a lifelong impression on me. There’s nothing like being a fan of your hometown team and seeing that team fail to meet expectations and get knocked out of the tournament by St. Joseph’s causing you to question God’s existence and wonder why you were made to suffer when the worst thing you’d ever done was try to touch Allison Greenwald’s boobie while watching Jennifer Beals remove her bra in that larger than life loft in Flashdance. Oh, the Blue Demons.
Those Depaul teams featured some of the Chicago Public League’s best products including: Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings, Bernard Randolph, Skip Dillard and Teddy Grubbs. And the coach. The legendary Ray Meyer. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, it felt like the entire city was behind that team. I wonder if that’s possible in my new city?
The University of Portland is a private Catholic university with around 4,200 students. The average cost to attend is $38,000 which isn’t cheap but isn’t as expensive as the $75,000 per year it costs to attend Harvard or Yale. The school competes in the West Coast Conference. It’s a nice little 10 team conference that features national powerhouse Gonzaga along with perennial NCAA tourney team St. Mary’s. Other teams include BYU, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and a few others you wouldn’t clear your schedule for if you knew they were coming to town. The men’s team plays in the Chiles Center which was built in 1984 and seats 4,852. I’ve never been inside the gym but if size is any indication, it feels like it may have Alumni Hall potential.
When I called the ticket office and left a message to inquire about season tickets, I was unnerved by the response time of return phone call. They almost called me back before I finished leaving the message.
“So, you’re thinking about Pilots season tickets? Great idea,” said the used-car salesman enthusiastic Dave. “We’d love to sign you up,”
“Can I just ask you, why would anyone sign up for season tickets?”
“Well, there’s lots of reasons. We have a new coach. We have a great atmosphere. And as a season ticket holder, you get first access to buy extra tickets for the Gonzaga game. I’m not supposed to say this but you can sell those tickets on Stub Hub and basically pay for your entire season.”
“So how much are season tickets?” I asked.
“You can get a seat at center court, for the entire season, for $300!”
“Three hundred bucks? For the entire season?”
“Yep.”
At first, $300 seems like a bargain. But then you look at the schedule. Of course there’s the Gonzaga game and the St. Mary’s game but there’s also the Lewis & Clark game, the Multnomah game and the Pacific game. Still, $300 for an entire season does seem like a bargain. I’m in! My lofty goals for the season include:
- Get to know the players … their strengths, their weaknesses, their tattoos and their GPA’s.
- Fall in love with the team so each loss hurts deep down in my soul.
- Find another loser to split season tickets with me.
- Scout the other teams in the West Coast Conference so I know this league like Petyon Manning knows formations.
- Place one large wager during the season to see if all my hard work has paid off.
Of course, I’ll be chronicling my experience throughout the season so if you’ve been dying to read about the Portland Pilots men’s basketball team, this may be your lucky day.
