Watching the Bucks’ playoff run this last postseason was an overall great experience. Although the Bucks aren’t very high on my totem pole of favorite teams, I still love seeing a Wisconsin team make it’s way towards winning a championship. Along with getting to watch the playoffs unfold, I got to go to Deer District for both Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals and Game Four of the NBA Finals. They were both excellent experiences which I would absolutely do again if given the chance.
Although it’s always fun to be with thousands of people all cheering for the same thing, this time was extra special. This is due to the fact that this was almost inconceivable just a few months ago.
Now, this raises the question: “Henry, you’re a Brewers writer! Why are you doing this, and why did Wisconsin Sports Heroics let you do this?”. Well, let’s talk about that!
Hank Heads to the Desert
My Trip to Spring Training was Also Surreal, But For Another Reason
As the header would suggest, I went to Phoenix, Arizona for the second week of March to watch some Baseball games. It was the first time that I got to watch the Brewers live and in person since the 2019 playoffs.
Although it was a great time, it didn’t feel quite right.
Sure, I was in a ballpark – and Corbin Burnes is like ten feet away – but it wasn’t the same. There were only just over one thousand people at any given game, a far cry from the 40K I was with the last time I was in that situation. Of course, it was a great time, don’t get me wrong. But, it just didn’t feel right.
And that’s where Deer District comes back in.
Here’s How the Deer District Connects
Now, lets come back to June and July. I’m standing outside of Fiserv Forum, watching the Bucks compete for a title.
The big difference here is that we’re not masked, distanced or limited. It was just a mosh pit of upwards of seventy thousand people all packed into the front of Fiserv, and the empty lot where the Bradley Center once stood. We seldom realize it now, but that’s incredible.
Think back to last year. Hell, think back four months: could you ever imagine seeing or experiencing that?
I know I couldn’t.
A Quick Look Back
Think about what our lives were just months ago:
Work and school were done from home. To see friends and most family, you had to distance or wear a mask (if you got to see them at all). The only reason why I got to go to Arizona in the first place is because I was over zoom for school, so I didn’t have to be anchored to Wisconsin for that week.
For all intents and purposes, it sucked. Worse yet, the thing that most of us have to alleviate the sucky parts of life were ripped from us as well. Sports were shut down in March, and most weren’t started up until July of 2020 at the earliest.
We went from having packed arenas, to nothing at all in one night. Even when we got sports back, there was (for the most part) nobody allowed through the turnstiles. For many, it was a long two year wait between taking in games at the arena, stadium, or ballpark.
Now that we’ve covered the depressing parts, lets zoom back to the modern day.
An estimated one hundred thousand people watched the Bucks win Game Six of the NBA Finals shoulder to shoulder in and around Fiserv Forum, the Brewers are in the thick of a playoff race and in first place of the NL Central, and Lambeau Field will be at full capacity this fall.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is just how far we’ve come.
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