Championship Basketball

            Yesterday I attended the national championship of the Iraqi basketball league.  I have no idea what the name of the league is or anything like that, but I think they play in the West Asian Basketball Association (WABA.)  I went to one of the Duhok team’s games before as they scrimmaged a Kurdish team from Erbil.  Fans were sparse and it wasn’t even a close game as the Kurdish team got absolutely thrashed.  Granted, it was a warm-up game for the Duhok team and everyone knew the outcome before the game began. 

            The opponent for yesterday’s game was a team from Baghdad, supposedly one of the best in the league.  Both teams are composed of primarily Arabs from different areas.  The Duhok team has an Arab-American who hails from Detroit named Jenero; he also lives in Zeri Land and I have spoken with him a few times now.  There are some large individuals on the teams, compared to “regular” sized people, but nobody who you would mistake for Shaquille O’Neal.  The players are clearly talented and physically gifted, but to be honest, I think the top American high school teams may be able to beat them.  The level of competition is just not what you see back home in a country where so many people play. 

            Right from the outset it was evident that the crowd was going to be amped for this game.  Although capacity is only around 1,000-2,000, they were LOUD.  A lot of people were yelling, chanting, and banging drums.  They were into it.  The fans would have been the best part of the game had they not ruined it by polluting the air with their incessant chain smoking.  Add that to everyone rudely walking on other people’s seats to get by, staining them with their muddy sandal prints and forcing you to sit on the back of the seat, and I was slightly frustrated.  However, the way the game turned out left no room for anything but pure bewilderment at what was taking place. 

            I don’t know the history between these two teams, but it is clear that there is one and it is quite acrimonious.  The team from Baghdad was quite chippy and despite a discrepancy in fouls called in their favor, they seemed to take offense at every call that went against them.  Their whining and exhortations to the referees, even grabbing them to try and plead their case, eventually earned them some well deserved technical fouls.  This team exhibited zero sense of discipline whatsoever, and even the couch seemed to be a hot-head who probably cost his team the game.  Numerous temper tantrums got the coach tossed from the game along with a few other players.

            To make matters worse, the crowd was feeding off this negative energy.  They were indefinitely exacerbating the entire scene, especially as they were throwing trash at the opposing team’s bench.  At one point I thought there would be a fight between players and fans!  It was really like watching a basketball game mixed with an old Clint Eastwood western: chaos and lawlessness.  Despite numerous security guards menacingly dressed in military uniforms, but clearly not masking their ineffectiveness, the rowdy crowd continued to throw stuff at the other bench.  Shocked at this whole debacle, I then witnessed the other team simply storm off the court! 

            A coach who looked like an Arabic version of the Pringles man was livid.  It looked like he wanted to kill somebody, and he too almost got into it with a fan.  The entire team just left, went straight to the locker room.  I stood there not knowing if they forfeited the game or what happened.  There was still 3 minutes left in regulation and it was only a one point game; it was far from over.  Granted, there were just 4 technical fouls called, but to concede defeat like that was mind boggling.  The only thing was, 15 minutes later the team came back! 

            After the previous scene began to repeat itself (angry teammates, a disobedient crowd, and fuming coaches) security finally began to allay the concerns that they were completely inept.  They organized themselves and clear the entire section behind the Baghdad team’s bench.  After another 10 minutes or so of sitting in a smoky arena, play was finally resumed.  Evidently, these two teams always get into it and, surprise, surprise, the team from Baghdad always storms off the court only to return later to a mixture of mocking cheers and boos. 

            Duhok started with 8 free throws and possession of the ball so the team from Baghdad effectively shot themselves in the foot and killed any chances they had of coming back.  The game was over, Duhok became champions and the crowd loved it.  Large trophies were handed out, the team celebrated and the crowd was overjoyed.  I, still unable to grasp what had just transpired, stood there wondering…what the fuck just happened?