Just thought I would share because this is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. The men’s basketball team from UNC is playing against Michigan State on the converted deck of an aircraft carrier. I think it is a great way to honor the Vets today and I will definitely watch this game.
Agreed.
And before any trolls complain, the entire thing is being paid for by the sponsor, QuickenLoans (owned by an MSU grad, surprise surprise), and was carefully vetted beforehand to ensure no impact to the ship’s operational schedule (the carrier being between deployments).
Won’t wind or waves be a problem? Even a tiny shift in the ship could really make playing difficult.
Maybe on Presidents’ Day they can play a game on the wing of Air Force One.
I’m watching this. It’s great! It’s as much of a show as a basketball game but the game itself is quite compelling.
It’s the first game of a long season and it involves two elite programs. Nothing is being bastardized. The show is tremendous.
Mark Hollis, the AD at MSU is a genius. He came up with the “Cold War” where MSU and UofM played a hockey game in Spartan Stadium to set a record for most paid spectators at a hockey game. The NHL outdoor classic was based on this. He had a basketball game at Ford Field. He was originally going to have a game on the Enterprise in NY harbor but that didn’t work out. The game on the Carl Vincent is the result.
This is good stuff. As one announcer pointed out, there is a freshman playing his first collegiate game on an aircraft carrier, outdoors, against the #1 team in the country and the honorary captains are Magic Johnson and James Worthy. If that isn’t enough, the President of the United States in in the stands.
Just tuned in to watch. One of the Mich St players is wearing long sleeves. I guess the temps are probably in the high 50s judging by fans in attendance.
Have they given a temperature?
Sigh. How I have been able to function without hearing Dick Vitale for the last 7 months?
There was some concern about the wind but that doesn’t seem to be a significant factor.
This is a great show that I’m sure will be repeated. If the NBA can ever get their act together how long will it be before they say, “me too”.
I’m thrilled that my school was part of this. Maybe it shouldn’t be a new tradition, though. The players seemed to have a lot of problems with their footing, either condensation and/or a sea mist seemed to make it a bit treacherous. I didn’t figure MSU to have much of a chance, this is a rebuilding year after a disaster last year and a bit of housecleaning that had to be done. So starting the year with UNC and then at Duke next week- the season can only get better. But it’s so much better for the fan to see them play good teams then the parade of patsies that guys like Bill Frieder used to bring into Ann Arbor.
Yesterday, the stands were filled with sailors. The purpose was to “weight” the stands and head off any problems w/regard to the flight deck not being level. An alternate floor and seating was constructed on the hanger deck. Had the anticipated rain threatened the game, it would have been moved one deck below. However, the seating capacity would have been cut in half. I’ll have to find out how they handled the advance ticketing to prepare for this. The call w/regard to which deck/court to use was made very early this morning.
Tied up at North Island (interior of San Diego Bay) wave action wasn’t going to be a problem. Wind, on the other hand, could have been. Shortly after the sun went down, condensation on the floor did indeed become an issue.
Yes, logistically there were some problems. But nonetheless, this was a vision of Mark Hollis, the AD at MSU. He pulled it off amazingly. Even though MSU lost the game it was still a win for the program. It wasn’t as if they scheduled the game against some cupcake just to get an early season win. They brought in the #1 ranked team in the country and made a game out of it. Everybody associated with it came away beneficial. There really was something magical about it and it wasn’t just that Magic Johnson was an honorary coach.
As an inaugural event it probably couldn’t have come off better. After this it will all be an imitation.
A long time ago the Globetrotters played a game on a carrier. Probably in the early 70s.