Courtney Sargent/The Gazette
College basketball fans watch on a big screen at Wehrenberg Cine in Cedar Rapids as Iowa plays Wednesday night at Ohio State.
Now this is big-screen basketball
CEDAR RAPIDS — It’s a movie theater at 6 p.m. on a Wednesday.
One of the big screens is filled with action. The only sounds in the room are coming from the sound system.
There are 65 or so patrons. Nearly all are adults, many of them older folks.
As many women are here as men. Everyone watches intently and quietly.
Until, that is, a performer named Tony Freeman wearing a basketball uniform with the name ‘‘Iowa’’ on it makes a 3-point shot. That trimmed Ohio State’s lead over the Hawkeyes to 4-3.
Then, applause breaks out from the crowd. There is no vocal cheering, no shouts or screams. Just enthusiastic clapping.
You’ll never be around a better-behaved gathering to view a sporting event. But, you go to an arena and you make noise. You go to a theater, you let the production come to you.
You can get a debate when you ask for the definition of a ‘‘real fan.’’ Real fans supposedly buy the tickets, make the trips, wear the colors.
Fair enough. But here’s another real fan: someone who leaves the comfort of home on a weeknight to spend two hours among strangers to view a telecast of a game because it couldn’t be viewed in the living room.
Those are people who truly love to watch their team.
The Big Ten Network has had paid (and unpaid) advertisements in this sports section over the last several months but has yet to prove itself to be fan-friendly. If it were, it would have negotiated some sort of agreement with major cable companies across the Big Ten’s eightstate area. Most Iowa men’s basketball games are carried by the BTN. That means those who subscribe to the service of Iowa’s leading cable television provider, Mediacom, must go elsewhere to watch the Hawkeyes.
The Wehrenberg Galaxy 16 Cine theater in northeast Cedar Rapids showed some Iowa football games on one of its big screens last fall, got a good response from the public, and thus has provided a place to watch Iowa basketball games for free, too.
‘‘Attendance varies,’’ said Jeremy Faust, an associate manager at the Galaxy 16.
‘‘We’ve had five people to 50. It’s something to bring more guests into the theater.’’
It isn’t purely philanthropic, since a lot of the basketball fans buy soda and popcorn. But if you want to see a game without warding off cigarette smoke, background noise and the occasional drunk, the theater is a nice alternative to a sports bar.
‘‘It’s very convenient, very comfortable,’’ said Quinten Hofer of Cedar Rapids, who has season tickets to Iowa men’s basketball games.
‘‘I prefer this over sitting on a bar stool somewhere. I can drop my wife off at a movie and watch a basketballgame.’’
Many couples were in attendance Wednesday.
‘‘This is our first time here,’’ said Jody Keleher of Marion. ‘‘Usually, we go to someone else’s house if it has to do with the Big Ten Network.
‘‘My husband’s pretty upset we can’t get it.’’
She said they were told by Mediacom that this issue will be resolved before next football season. For the Big Ten’s sake, it better be.
For every fan who sought a neighbor or bar with satellite television, there had to be many more who stayed home and did something else.
Justin Johnson made a 3- pointer in the second half to cut Ohio State’s lead to a still-whopping 56-24.
Those watching in the theater applauded as if the shot meant something. The final score was 79-48, yet nearly everyone stayed to the end. No one had the use of a remote control.
The patrons came to see one specific performance and see it to its conclusion.
As they left, grumbling about the Hawkeyes’ poor play seemed to be minimal and muted.
In the lobby afterward, a man asked a theater employee for tickets to the screening of Saturday night’s Michigan State-Iowa game. It will be on the Big Ten Network.
• Contact the writer: (319) 368-8840 or [email protected] Read Mike Hlas’ ‘‘The Hlog’’ at gazetteonline.com
There had to be many more who stayed home and did something else.
