Sports Track Takes Over Gate 11

Three eight-year old boys rushed past me and cut in front of me in line, dressed in blue and yellow hats, blue and yellow scarves, blue and yellow shirts, and wielding blue and yellow horns. Where else could I be but a Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball game?

On November 10, the Sports Track went to the MTA vs. Nahariya basketball game at the Nokia Center in Tel Aviv. Though it was the third basketball game we had attended since arriving in Israel, it was the first featuring the famous, Eurocup-winning Macabi Tel Aviv team. Needless to say, I think everyone on Sports Track was pretty excited to see the game and cheer along with the raucous and emphatic MTA fans.

Upon entering the stadium we were initially disappointed, because according to our tickets we were supposed to sit up in the nosebleeds. That was before we remembered that tickets don't really matter in Israel and you don't have to sit in your assigned seat. So, we moved down into first section, right behind "Gate 11," the title given to the fanatic MTA supporters who come to every game, sit behind the basket, play loud bass drums, and lead crazy cheers. The section they sit in is entered via, just guess, Gate 11!

When the game began it was incredibly exciting, featuring plays like an over-the-head, ally-oop pass from Lior Eliyahu to D'Or Fisher for a slam-dunk. Unfortunately, by the second quarter things had quieted down, and we were relying primarily on the fans and the cheerleaders for our entertainment. The fans' antics, whether it was throwing their scarves in the air, waving giant blue and yellow flags, and screaming out any of their manifold cheers with their arms around each other's shoulders, were definitely impressive. And the cheerleaders... let's just say that dancing, popping, and jumping in short silver skirts never ceases to amuse the crowd.

In the end, Maccabi Tel Aviv won 84-78, letting the game get closer than it should have at the end of the second half. But, what interested me about the game was observing the differences between Israeli and American basketball. So, just for fun, I've compiled a short, comparative list.

• Line violations are never called; a player can literally have a foot on the court when they throw the ball in from out-of-bounds after a dead play and it won't matter.
• Players rarely try to take the charge when defending a player driving to the basket.
• Ball handling is generally less fancy, with a lot more passing.
• The court is smaller, or at least seems that way, and has a weird-shaped, diagonal lane that slants away from the basket.
• The fans don't actually watch the game and cheer in reaction to what is happening. Example: There is no organized shouting while the other team shoots free throws and observed silence while your team shoots. Everybody just keeps shouting all the time.
• Finally, basketball is a great sport, no matter where you are.