The Many Sides of A Basketball Game

Pre-game at Hilton Colliseum

This photo shows the inside of Hilton Colliseum about 20 minutes before the start of an Iowa State men's basketball game. The original photo we took had a few fans (who had basketball t-shirts on) sitting in the first row of this section, so we cropped them out. We decided to do this because others looking at this picture will use their "logos" to recognize this place as an arena of some type (they see the numerous seats, ticket takers, different sections), but it will make them wonder what is going on- hockey? A concert? Gymnastics? Or hey, maybe a basketball game! But wait, who's playing- men or women? This was done to make others see how different people could look at the same picture/object and have different ideas about what it is because of the different experiences we have all had in our lives.

Another aspect of this photo is that it shows two sections of Hilton, hopefully this will give off the effect that Hilton is big, but not just big in a size sense- also as in something bigger is happening in this place; people will be filling these seats to exhaust their emotions and put their pride into two halfs of a basketball game.

ISU Vs. Texas A & M

Here, an Iowa State player shot the ball from the 3-point line and the ball is at the rim. No one knows if the ball will go into the hoop at this instant in time. There are six players viewable in this photo; all of them with looks of hope, passion, and wonder. They are completely concentrated on that ball. If the ball goes in, ISU is that much closer to winning the game but if it doesn't, then Texas A & M will happily grab the rebound and head to the other end of the court. The looks on these players faces and the positions of their bodies evoke emotion in us(ethos)- we want to know what is happening, we feel the suspense in the pits of our stomachs, and we see that to these players basketball is more than just a game; basketball their passion because we know from prior logic how people appear when they are passionate about something.

In the background the Cyclone Alley student section is visible. Cyclone Alley is perfect for the background because it is showing how "something bigger" than just a game is taking place. These students, like the players, are also passionate about this game- everyone is standing with their arms folded or at their sides and all eyes are on the ball. They are all wearing the same shirts which link them together and they are linked to the basketball players because they all attend the same school. The members of Cyclone Alley don't want to win just for the fun of it- they want to win for the pride and honor of their school and fellow peers.

One name: CY

This is a picture of Cy. He is the Iowa State mascot (we are the cyclones). Here Cy is hard at work cheering on the basketball team and pumping up Cyclone Alley. The original photo of Cy was much larger including his full body, an entire view of the court, and other seating sections of Hilton. Deciding to crop the picture into what it is now was done because Cy's face has many features that are important to this photo essay and we didn't want any distractions on the edges of the picture that took away from his face.

First, Cy represents the link that I mentioned in the previous photo- the players and students love Cy, he is common ground for all which brings them into a tighter bond. A tighter bond means that more passion and pride will be put into this game on all sides.

Second, look at his eyes and his gritting teeth. We know when someone looks as he does, it means passion and a strong desire for something. We can emotionally relate to Cy because we have all had strong desires for things in our lives. Cy is so intense because he wants to win, he wants Cyclone Alley to get crazy, and he wants the people he represents to be satisfied and we can all identify with feeling that way.

A Loss of Hope

A fan in Cyclone Alley shows his dissappointment with a somber facial expression and by resting his head on his hands. We can use our prior knowledge to figure out what is happening in the basketball game- it is not good for ISU fans. I like this photo because it shows one guy as a focal point, but the line of fans next to him all have the same feeling as he does. They are no longer standing to cheer on their team, they are simply leaning back in their chairs with dull looks
on their faces.

The previous photos relate to us as human beings by representing what it is like to passionately want something, but this picture shows what it is like to be dissappointed at the time you realize what you want is not going to happen. We relate to this fans dissappointment by thinking of our own experiences that have "let us down." As a member of Cyclone Alley, this fan wanted to win because he loves his team and school- could be similar to a parent wanting to see their child excel in something the child enjoys doing or a teacher wanting to see his or students excel in the classroom, but having to watch them fail.

Winning isn't Everything

A picture of the scoreboard is a great conclusion for this essay because it comes right out and tells what happened. At the end of the half the cyclones were losing by fifteen points and while it wasn't totally over yet, the chances of a win were slim to none.

However, the point I am trying to make with this picture is shown at the bottom of the photo- a screen on the scoreboard shows a section of fans who are still packed in their seats supporting their Cyclones. If the fans thought winning was everything, they would have left by this time in the photo. The fact that most fans were still at the game tells us that ISU fans, students, coaches, and players were all in this together; it lets us know that while winning is the purpose of the game, there is a "bigger," more meaningful reason to this game. All of these people are linked together, they want the same things, and they have an unmatched pride and passion for their school. It's like a family or close group of friends (on a much larger scale), where the members work together for the success and happiness of the person next to them.

O We Will Fight, Fight, Fight for Iowa State...