I was thrilled last Thursday when my team, the Syracuse Orange, handed Indiana, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Bracket, a defining loss. What I didn't expect was what occurred next. On Friday when I got home from work, my son said, "Dad, is there any chance we can go down to Washington, D.C. to see Syracuse play in the Elite 8 game?" Being that D.C. was only a six-hour drive, I did my due diligence, got tickets, and planned for a drive down and back the same day. What I didn't expect was when I went to pick up my tickets; the company I bought them from upgraded me to the front row! So there I was in the first row of the stadium right behind the Marquette team. The only downside, of course, as an SU fan, but anyone who saw the game knows it was an SU crowd anyway.
I was amazed at the physicality of basketball. Being that close to the action just less than 10 feet away from the court and hearing the grunts and seeing the physical pushing, shoving, etc., I was amazed. As a former football player and wrestler, I always attributed basketball to be a finesses sport. I learned different.
Needless to say, my orange again prevailed and progressed to the Final Four, at which point my son again said, "Dad, do you think we can go to Atlanta?" Well, without further ado, I'll be there, heading to Atlanta to the Final Four and the championship game. Look for me. I'll be waving and wearing my orange. Go SU!
David J. Zumpano, Co-founder of Lawyers With Purpose
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