I am a full-blooded Atenean. And when I say that I mean I spent my entire education life (all 16 years of it) in the Ateneo in my hometown.
So when Rocky invited me to watch a UAAP game last Sunday, I grabbed the chance to cheer for my alma mater’s sister school, Ateneo de Manila University. And because Rocky happened to be from La Salle, the competing team and arch rival of Ateneo, it promised to be even more interesting.
We grabbed a bite at Taco Bell in Gateway Mall before entering the big dome where the game was to be held. We even bought ourselves some Mentos clappers.
My gentlemanly companion agreed to sit at the Ateneo side because it would seem weird, wouldn’t it, if we sat on different sides of the bleachers?
Now I know next to nothing about basketball, but I was there yelling “Get that ball!” with the band and groaning and cheering along with the blue-garbed fans.
It was interesting to note that these fans took their roles seriously and dressed in blue (Ateneo) and green (La Salle) and waved clappers and banners in said colors too.
Unfortunately, La Salle was one mean team and threw Ateneo 74 to 57 points. Darn it!
Oh well. It was only a game.
And that was the point of the movie we watched afterwards, “Perfect Catch” (released as “Fever Pitch in US). That movie had me laughing so much, I would recommend it.