Auerbach's Daughter: "In a way, I'm glad my father is not around to see this."

[Forza Juventus]

Some people will always hate progress.
And the cheerleaders are the best athletes on the floor.

TP

[Donoghus]

Some people will always hate progress.
And the cheerleaders are the best athletes on the floor.

TP

I don't know if I would label it "progress" per se.  More like an evolution of in-game entertainment. 

I'm not sure something like the Dunkin' Donuts race really signifies "progress".

[csfansince60s]

Oh puh-leeze. Red also had to walk uphill, both ways in the snow to get to school. Without shoes.

I grew up a Celtics fan in the 80s. I remember what the Garden was like. It was fun.

I have season tickets now. It's still fun. Yes, the dancers are obnoxious (and don't even get me started on Lil Phunk), but it is a game "experience," whether Bob Ryan likes it or not (and with the recent death of Andy Rooney, I hereby crown Ryan "crankiest person alive."). Yes, fans look at their cell phones. Big deal. You think they wouldn't if all the music went away?

Ya know what I like? I like that I can take my kid to a Celtics game and know that he's going to be thoroughly entertained. I don't have to worry that some drunk will spill beer on him. He likes being on the Jumbotron - I don't see what's wrong with that. Want to develop fans? Good, come up with an experience that they'll enjoy.

Sorry, maybe I'm one of these people that Red and his daughter so clearly dislike but, as long as I shell out money for season tickets, they'll have to deal.

Mike

I'm with you, mef.

My first Cs game was on an autumn Saturday afternoon in '59 vs Wilt and the Warriors. I had seasons from '79-90-1. Had 4 kids in succession, and couldnt afford games for awhile. When I could go on a regular basis in the 2000s, taking my kids was more fun because of all the stuff going on, including the promos and projectile tee-shirts and parachutes and especially the dancers/cheerleaders.

The music volume can be  a little intense, but of course the kids liked it. Honestly, from '02 to '07, when we went to a lot of games because tickets were more affordable because we sucked, having all those diversions was good.

This purist stuff, not just about the in-game experience, but also the holier than thou stuff about certain players not fitting the "Celtic" mold used to validate or invalidate someone's opinion on a player drive me nuts too.

No one, not 5 decade fans nor 5 day fans nor Red's daughter have a lock on this whole Celtic thing.

[walker834]

I kind of agree with her. The TD Garden presentation kind of sucks.  Some of it is good like the fan  inclusion.  Other parts of it really take away from the game itself though and are obtrusive for fans that want to go and watch a game.  It doesn't cater to every fan that way. There is too much noise in general and just clutter.  From a basketball purists point of view I definately see her point.

Fans today want it to be about them and to be included.  That's a nice gesture by the celtics but at the same time it's kind of an oxymoron. If you want to be included you'd really watch the game and not need a cheerleader shaking her ass in your face while you do that and the tv screen on you. 

The game to me should be enough if you really care about basketball in other words. 

[walker834]

I also t otally disagree that she's saying she had to walk a mile in snow both ways and liked it.  I think she is just a basketball purist. 

I think people today are more saying that actually.  It doesn't have to be the way it is. People today love progress but they are also morons that way. They aren't really progressives.

It's really  you who is walking a mile in snow and liking it. Progress would be removing all that ****.

Stupid people everywhere nowadays.  Messing up the atmosphere in more ways than one and think they are progressives.

The garden used to be smoke filled and that was wrong too.  Red had a lot to do with that as well.  I more see what she is saying though as a basketball purist without any of that clutter. Just a fun atmosphere without any clutter at all.

[SHAQATTACK]

It's not so bad...I can still have fun.  I m old but , young at heart..... I enjoy the dancers and music while the game is not being played. Still I'm mad about coming to see a loss, I'm concentrating on the court action first and formost .  I'm still there for the GAME itself first.   Then pizza , beer and all rest .

I like the party atmosphere, I want everybody to have a great time...I'm there to have a great time not be at a funeral.   I like seeing kids laughing , clapping , enjoying the entertainment.

Sports are now a more social event for younger folks ...like going to,the mall and hanging out.  That's cool , long as it's all in good taste.

I think it s a movement to be inclusive of the WHOLE family , not just hard core BB fans. 

I just hate phones and being tied to one, I can not understand the infatuation with "diddling " all the time messing with a dumb device while I'm at a event . It's rude and antisocial behavior in public. I refuse to carry one most of the tine unless I'm driving , it's a device for emergency since there are no pay phones .

I ve always wondered about the cheerleaders / dancers etc.....being a distraction for players ...LOL ....but as fan it's part of the party of a game .

I am glade the smoke is gone .   I never liked sitting with smokers .

I'm not saying the old ways were bad, they were great memories for then.   But ,   I want to continue to try new things,  try to get along with newer generations.

I think it's best for everybody to try and get along ,  I just do my best to ignore stuff that I don't like and concentrate on the part I do.

[Dino Pitino]

And if you were to take an exit quiz on the way out: Who just played and who just won? A lot of them would flunk,” Ryan continued.

Someone should call Ryan's bluff.
Almost nobody would flunk that quiz.
Maybe 100 people total, not including infants.

When did the old Garden install the organ?
Was there purists whining like this back then?

All that being said...the particular choices for music, timeout diversions, and pump-up gimmicks could be improved. Having the same exact crap as every other arena is embarrassing. Innovate, man.

[Neurotic Guy]

I have only been to a couple of games in the past 10 years or so.  I don't like the dancing, the music, the "everybody clap your hands", the flying t-shirts, etc.   HOWEVER, I really couldn't care less.  The blessed memories of the sweltering, dirty, smelly, rat-infested Gahden of my youth, have a nostalgic and proud feel now...  I was nowhere near the germophobe then that I am now, but even then (70's and 80's) I remember being grossed out by the Garden.  In hindsight, it was wonderful; in reality, it was old and filthy.   

But the biggest difference between now and the old days is the fact that every game is now on cable TV, every game has a cblog game thread, every game has an NBA.com stat-tracker...   It's way better to watch at home than to go to the game (for me), and if it were still as smelly, dirty, sweltering (in May/June) and rat-infested as it used to be, I'd be even more glad to be home. 
 
Today's Celtic's brass has had to deal with an entirely different set of circumstances than the Auerback era.  They've adjusted fine and Randy should relax. 

Change isn't always good, but it is life's only certainty.

[walker834]

The old Garden and Fenway were not funerals. They didn't have the loud music or any of that stuff. The only difference was peopel smoked and drank and got in fights sometimes.  That should have just been removed. The atmosphere was so much better when people made their own fun.  The issue is fans think they need that extra kick and buzz and it's bleh.

All this extra clutter is just buzz and addictive gimmicky crap and it's not good for anything.  People feel like they have to walk 2 miles in the snow regardless is the problem.   The atmosphere would be so much better without any of the stuff like that.

As long as people aren't running onto the field and doing buzz stuff distracting from the game and just having fun enjoying the game, you don't need any of that.

The world would be a better place.  Replacing drinking and smoking with more distracting crap is somewhat progress but it's still not the progress that should have been made.  It's just them trolling us.  It actually sucks.

[vinnie]

Long time no post, but this topic interests me. The thing that bugs me, and it includes the entire NBA, is the fact that it is the only sport that allows music and sound effects to be played during game action. There's no need for it and I just don't get why the league does it.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Who cares? It's 2016, things are going to change and should! I bet parents parents didn't like the changes in the 90s!

[2short]

It is kinda funny that I've been an NBA fan long enough that my early years are now "the good old days", even though I can still remember that at the time the "good old days" were inexplicably 20 years before that.  So it goes.

Amen
Hate the cheerleaders, miss the organ but I do like the music from drop kick murphys when it comes on 

[chambers]

As I said at RealGM about this...

wah wah wah.

Time for a dose of reality guys. The Celtics are a business. We're just lucky to have owners that care about the actual basketball part of that business too.

Anyone go to the 2012 playoffs vs Philly and Miami?
Tell me the TD Garden wasn't BUMPING like 2008?

We went to Miami for the away games and the Celtics fans were so much more into it than the Miami glamoratzis and hanEdited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. huggers.

[Ogaju]

MUSIC is a bit loud but other than that I generally have fun when I go to NBA games....its the entire experience that is enjoyable.

[2short]

As I said at RealGM about this...

wah wah wah.

Time for a dose of reality guys. The Celtics are a business. We're just lucky to have owners that care about the actual basketball part of that business too.

Anyone go to the 2012 playoffs vs Philly and Miami?
Tell me the TD Garden wasn't BUMPING like 2008?

We went to Miami for the away games and the Celtics fans were so much more into it than the Miami glamoratzis and han**** huggers.

Thing is the playoff loss against Miami when Boston fans were cheering non stop.  That waasn't piped in cheers or any other modern tom foolery  that was old school Boston Celtics fans.  Awesome moment in a loosing series, can't actually think of another like that in my time