Grantland: The San Antonio Spurs VIP Experience

[mudyez]

sorry if someone posted it earlier (haven't found it).

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...vip-experience

[Slomo]

Nice article.

...
It's always funny to discover VIP areas that you never knew existed in the lower levels of an NBA arena. Places where the hot dogs are grilled on an open flame, not left rolling on some weird metal hot dog maker. Bartenders serve tails to premium customers, instead of those diabetes-inducing frozen margaritas in large collectible cups.
...

I remember the first time I had lower level seats, I bought my bottle of Coke (without the cap) on the concourse before the game (to avoid the crowds and not to miss anything), then proceeded to go to the wrong door and climb down to my seat grinning like an idiot seeing how close to the floor my seat was.
As I am seating down next to a guy with a huge shinny belt buckle a waiter (probably not the correct le) appears next to me carrying a full steak dinner complete with drinks and side dishes and proceeds to serve the guy next to me Right there in the arena! While both teams are warming up a few feet away from us! After he was done the waiter turns to me and ask me: "Can I bring you something?" to which I can only respond "no, I'm fine" while clutching my stupid cap-less bottle of Coke.

Yes, It's another world down there.

[pookenstein]

Yes, It's another world down there.

It certainly is. When I was in San Antonio 2010 to watch the Spurs I had great tickets and as soon as I discovered that there were guys who'd bring your drinks to your seats I got wasted pretty fast...

Btw, we won both games. Against the Suns with the blown dunk by Richardson and against the Thunder with Manu's block on Durant...

[lmbebo]

Yeah, best seats I ever had was back when the Alamo dome 1st opened. Managed to get a ticket in the 1st row right behind the press row, close enough to kick the basket support base and a photographer. I propped my feet up on the court.

It was a game against the Nuggets (with Dikiembe, et al).

Just remember getting sheets after every quarter with stats. Waiters walking around asking if I needed anything. Private access to there VIP eating area prior to the game.


It was a very memorable experience, as you can tell.

[bigfan]

Meh; never been to a Spurs game at the new place (I live in Dallas now) and didnt go to many at the barn but went to tons at Hemisfair and what was greatness was that around the end of the first quarter you could sneak down from your crappy seats to the expensive ones and there were no usher dudes guarding you. I remember sneaking down and sitting almost on the front row the first game Akeem played in SA and was amazed how huge Artis was and how much pushing and shoving there was away from the ball under the hoop. (Artis schooled Akeem that night). I became a hardcore fan that day. When I see those empty lower level seats on tv I always get pissed, they should let real fans slide down after the end of the first quarter.

[lmbebo]

Meh; never been to a Spurs game at the new place (I live in Dallas now) and didnt go to many at the barn but went to tons at Hemisfair and what was greatness was that around the end of the first quarter you could sneak down from your crappy seats to the expensive ones and there were no usher dudes guarding you. I remember sneaking down and sitting almost on the front row the first game Akeem played in SA and was amazed how huge Artis was and how much pushing and shoving there was away from the ball under the hoop. (Artis schooled Akeem that night). I became a hardcore fan that day. When I see those empty lower level seats on tv I always get pissed, they should let real fans slide down after the end of the first quarter.

I did that all the time when I was living in Boston. I was a "volunteer" person to hand out all star ballots to people arriving for the games. In return we could take any empty seat. So many times my friends and I would find the most open seats closer to the floor. Granted this was at a time that the Celtics sucked.

I remember seeing the game when the Spurs came. Barkley's farewell after he injured his knee and retired.

[Beaverfuzz]

Sat courtside (yes actual courtside) quite a few years back in Portland for a pre-season game between the Blazers and Jazz, it was the last year of Stockton and Malone. Waiters/waitresses coming by every so often giving out free food and discounted drinks, made up for the fact that Stockton and Malone were done by the end of the 1st quarter.

It's a much different experience and vantage point than sitting up higher able to see everything. There's a reason why the club level seats are higher priced than just about anything else closer to the court besides the first 2-3 rows.

[T Park]

I've been lucky enough to sit lower and it is different getting to hear Pop mf Blair and the regs and hear Duncan making wisecracks, but to me, of your there to watch the GAM. About 20 rows up from the court is how i like it and it's just my preference.

[GSH]

Just remember getting sheets after every quarter with stats. Waiters walking around asking if I needed anything. Private access to there VIP eating area prior to the game.


It was a very memorable experience, as you can tell.

Before you could get the stats yourself on a smart phone, getting those stat sheets was the coolest thing ever. The food and drinks? Meh. But having that stat sheet was the best. Any time I would sit in regular seats with the riff-raff (like myself) I was always disappointed when the sheets didn't arrive. Kind of like looking for an instant replay at a live game, before the Jumbotron.