Professional basketball has found a new home in the Olympic Park. While the 2012 basketball venue is no longer, the London Lions recently played their first game in the “Copper Box” that was best known for handball during the 2012 games. A packed house of over 6000 rabid fans, including our own global sport enthusiast Adam Goldstein, welcomed the Lions as they took on a top amateur American side in a friendly. Adam fills us in on why you’ll be eager to check out the Copper Box and cheer on the Lions:
Those who were fortunate enough to attend basketball during the Olympics know that the sport brings with it an array of entertainment beyond the game itself and the Lions game was no exception. Before the game started, the lights came down and the teams were formally introduced. Both national anthems were sung, with the American edition handled by an impersonator of legendary Elvis Presley. The Lions mascot and twelve cheerleaders got the crowd worked up as the game began.
London's attempt to score is met by aggressive defenders
The difference between the American and English/European style of basketball was evident early on, as Iowa’s physical nature allowed them to control the game. Fans had a reason to cheer on the visitors too, as one of Iowa’s top players was none other than East London’s Gabe Olaseni. Olaseni appropriately had a number of thunderous slam dunks, truly rocking the Copper Box arena. With the game being just a friendly, the Lions invited talented British amateur Jordan Spencer to play for their side and he rewarded them with number of dunks while leading their side in scoring.
Even for those new to the game, the live commentary helped fans stay on top of things and keep them engaged. It also helped that the game was tight for much of the first half, until Iowa scored 10 of the final 12 points to take a 49-37 lead into the break. Similarly, the lead was just 13 with just 2 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter until Iowa scored 11 straight. The home fans then upped their energy in an attempt to get their team back into it, but unfortunately the physical nature of their American opponents left the Lions sapped of energy late in the game resulting in a 107-72 final.
Although the Lions’ opener was technically a game of unpaid amateurs taking on the hometown professionals, the American side from Iowa regularly entertains crowds in excess of 11,000 fans back home and can afford to pay their coach more than £800,000 ($1.3 Million US). As the Lions were still assembling their roster of players for the upcoming season, soon after the game they signed a talented American player, Ben Smith, to help them meet some of the shortcomings evident against a superior Iowa squad.
Lions cheerleaders keeping the fans entertained
The entertainment for fans also included a local musician performing at halftime along with the cheerleaders throughout the game. After the game, t-shirts were thrown out to the crowd while players offered autographs and posed with fans for photos.
The Copper Box is a nice compact venue with great views of the court from every seat. With tickets as low as £6 for a concession to regular season games starting next month, it’s great value for a night’s worth of entertainment and leaves little doubt that the Copper Box will continue to rock this year for the London Lions.
Regular season games start in September and continue through April. Further details can be found here.
Adam Goldstein is the author of Tailgate To Heaven: A British NFL fan Tackles America. You can follow him on twitter @tailgateknight
