Getting To Know the Boston Sports Landscape

It would be impossible to truly experience the city of Boston without immersing yourself in the local sports culture. To some extent, this encounter is unavoidable. From Back Bay to the North End, the streets are swamped with the licensed apparel of the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins. Bars and restaurants throughout the city have TVs tuned into ESPN, NESN, and CSN; the chatter amongst locals frequently centers around the merits and faults of teams, players, and personnel; and a “Yankees Suck!” chant will spontaneously break out anywhere from on the T to inside Sanders Theatre.

Without making a concerted effort, you can expect to be casually aware of the sports scene. But for someone with any interest in Boston or in sports, a little effort along the right avenues will unlock an unparalleled experience.

The adventure can begin inside your dorm room. Because Harvard fails to provide cable television, you will learn to wring every ounce of pleasure out of the internet. Rather than memorizing funny FML entries or becoming a Sporcle prodigy, try out ESPN360, a web site to which Harvard subscribes that streams live sports. The broadcasts include everything from cricket to handball, and every so often you can catch a Red Sox or Celtics game. If a game is not carried and you are trapped in your room, dust off the old radio and tune into 850 AM (for the Red Sox and Celtics) or 98.5 FM (for the Bruins and Patriots).

Actually watching a game on TV can be tricky. You could always go to a restaurant or bar to watch the game, but as a poor college kid, you probably cannot afford this luxury. The easiest route is to find one of Harvard’s many common rooms and hope the game is on. Of course, this approach can be problematic for a number of reasons. For starters, it only takes one student addicted to C-SPAN to miss a Patriots game. Instead of giving him an atomic wedgie, though, use the dorm e-mail list to stake your claim to the television ahead of time. Unfortunately, the prospect of watching the game with total dunderheads remains, but you must remember: no sacrifice, no glory.

These inlets to Boston sports are most beneficial to existing fans trying to follow their teams on a day-to-day basis. But everyone—locals, newcomers, and rivals alike—should strive to see a game live. The Patriots play in Foxborough, Mass., roughly 20 miles outside of Boston. Gillette Stadium, which offers its own stop off the Providence line of the commuter rail, resides in a mammoth complex that makes up a veritable shrine to New England’s football team. Since tickets are sold out before each season, you will most likely never get to see Tom Brady in the flesh unless you have good connections.

The Celtics and Bruins, both of which play at the TD Garden, are far more accessible. The arena is located at North Station, a short ride from Harvard Square on the Green Line. Any online ticket agency will carry an abundance of cheap nosebleeds to most games, and, in the case of the Bruins, you can walk right up and buy tickets. With lights flashing in the rafters, the Kiss Cam playing on the Jumbotron, t-shirts flying out of cannons, and music blasting from the speakers, these games are tailored towards those with ADD and are packed with entertainment.

Fenway Park, on the other hand, is like a landmark frozen in time. There is no sideshow—only the stadium, the game, and the crowd. Perhaps for that reason, the Red Sox are Boston’s golden ticket. Getting a hold of a pair is not easy. In the offseason, the team holds a lottery for the right to buy tickets at face value. Even though people all over New England sit in front of their computers hitting the refresh button, it is worth a shot to try your own luck. If that fails, you can always pony up some cash and be guaranteed tickets through an online agency. Your best option, though, might be joining several e-mail lists on campus (house lists, club lists, etc.) and waiting for other students to sell their tickets. Sometimes the opportunity will come on short notice, but it will definitely arise a few times during the spring. When such a chance presents itself, be sure to pounce. Boston’s most iconic venue—easily walkable from the Kenmore or Fenway stops on the Green Line—is worth the price of admission.

Nowhere else than at a sporting event can you gain a greater sense of the city. Because sports are the common denominator between the working stiff and the Brahmin, these venues play host to a mosaic that best represents the region: the civic pride, the self-deprecating humor, the external cynicism, the private hope—all the qualities that give Beantown its wicked distinct charactah.

—Staff writer Timothy J. Walsh can be reached at twalsh@fas.harvard.edu.

For more information on the ins and outs of Harvard life, visit the My First Year homepage.