I was never big on sports. I always joke that 95% of anything related to sports goes right over my head. Growing up outside of New York City meant that my family followed the New York teams, like the Yankees. While Maine doesn’t have any Major League teams, there are three Minor League teams in Portland alone. Because of this, I decided that I would write about all three teams in one post.
I started with the Portland Sea Dogs, the local baseball team that is associated with the Boston Red Sox. As it happened, the team the Sea Dogs were playing, the Somerset Patriots, are connected with the New York Yankees. As I entered, I decided that my first stop would be to pick up some food. As I waited in line, I noticed two things. The first was that there were tv’s scattered around the concession stand, meaning that sports fans wouldn’t miss a second of the game. The second was situated above the concession windows. It was here that the ranking of the teams were situated. As it happened, the Portland Sea Dogs were in first place in their division, which was exciting.
After I took my seat, I settled in and enjoyed the game. The mascot, Slugger, wandered the stands, interacting with fans and taking pictures with them. One thing that I was unprepared for was just how small the stadium was compared to other baseball stadiums I’ve been to. However, the small size meant that there was a of a sense of community at the game. As it happened, the Portland Sea Dogs won, meaning there was a small firework display at the end of the game. As I was leaving, I noticed that there was a souvenir shop. While I didn’t enter the store, I noticed that such memorabilia like sweatshirts were on sale.
My second stop was the Portland Mariners, the local hockey team. The Mariners are linked to the Boston Bruins, and the Mariners were playing the Lions. There were concession stands here as well, serving drinks like beer and soda, food like burgers and fries, and snacks like popcorn and fried dough. I arrived about a half-hour before the game, and was able to watch the players warm up. What was really cool is that if one stood at the glass facing the rink, and tried to get a player’s attention, the player might give you a puck to take home.
Furthermore, there is a jumbotron suspended over the rink, so fans could watch the game if they were struggling to see the game from their seats. The sense of community I felt at the Sea Dogs game was also present at the Mariners game. Additionally, there are staff members situated around the rink to help those who need it. As it was my first Mariners game, I didn’t know how to find my seat. The staff member was very knowledgeable and I suspect that if I had more questions, they would have been able to answer them. Unfortunately, the Mariners lost, but I still enjoyed myself.
I ended my adventures with the Maine Celtics, who are obviously associated with the Boston Celtics. As the Celtics were a local team, the sense of community was present at the basketball game as well. The local high school even play their basketball games on the same court as well! I live close to the stadium, so I didn’t need to drive, but there is event parking for $10. As this was my first basketball game, I needed some help finding my seat again. The staff assigned to the area I was standing in was able to help me, meaning that the event staff scattered around the court were there to help fans with questions that they might have. As usual, there were a couple of concession stands located about the arena. Beer, soda, hotdogs, burgers, fries, and popcorn were available for purchase.
Throughout the game, there were activities aimed at pumping up the crowd. For example, the cheerleaders and the mascot were giving away free pizza from a local pizza place. Furthermore, there were times when the cheerleaders would come out and perform a choreographed routine. Again, I arrived early and was able to watch the two teams warm up. The Celtics were playing the Delaware Blue Coats, and the Celtics were able to beat their opponent.
All in all, I enjoyed my time at these sporting events, I would even consider going again! If you want to learn more about the Portland Sea Dogs you can click here. If you want to check out the Mariners, you can click here. Finally, if you want to research the Maine Celtics, you can click here. As always, I have to ask, where should I go to next?
themerrymainer 