An Unrivaled Experience
- Coach C
- Mar 6
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 7
I woke up at 4AM on a cool Friday to start my journey to Miami. From Georgia, that’s a 10-hour drive when you’re avoiding tolls. I wasn’t looking forward to those hours on the highway, but all I could think about was the fun I anticipated having seeing some of my favorite players live and up close at Unrivaled.
Location and Parking
Wayfair Arena is in Medley, Florida, about 25 minutes away from where I was staying in Miami. The arena had two prepayable parking tiers: VIP or generic, priced at $25 or $15. I purchased generic parking, and I’d estimate the walk from my car to the main entrance to be about half a football field.
Security
Going through security was organized and easy. The workers at the front were proactively helpful. They told me what my tickets included and where I could find my seats and assured me that other workers would help me. I’ve gone to many sporting events, and I can tell you that this type of service is not the standard.
Entering the Arena
They have games and content stations for anyone to take advantage of. Everything is free and one of the games wins you a prize. There were two concession stands; one was outdoors, and the other was indoors. You’d reach it after you looked through the merchandise. It was across from the checkout area. Once you finished your shopping you walked down a short hallway before entering the arena floor. It almost felt like walking through a portal. The lighting switched from bright and white to dark and colorful.
Merchandise
The first night I purchased Rose and Lunar Owls BC t-shirts and a bracelet. Truthfully, I was upset that there weren’t any jerseys for sale. On Monday night I was talking to a friend outside near the concession stand when I turned to see jerseys hanging on the wall. As soon as I saw them I literally ran. Every player had a jersey. I purchased two of my favorites and my girlfriend got me one as a gift.
Perks of VIP and Court Side Tickets
On both nights, my tickets included food and drinks. I sat VIP for the Saturday game and court side for the Monday game. In VIP there were two different styles of meatballs, mozzarella sticks, some sort of eggplant dish, and a roll. Alcoholic drinks were included, and my girlfriend indulged. There was a server who assisted the entire booth.
My court side seats came with food but instead of a server for the area, it was self serve. The room was located near the court entrance. There was a bar, buffet, TVs of the game, and places to sit. The menu was a variety of boneless wings and cauliflower nuggets. Alcoholic drinks were not included.
The VIP booths are located behind the home team’s basket. This section isn’t the best if you want to see all of the action, because the basket obstructs your view. It is a good section to sit in if you want to have a chance to speak to the players after games. Lots of fans ran up to players for autographs or photos. Most players obliged every fan. I don’t know how long that will remain a thing, but for those who can take advantage of this time, consider yourself special. I caught a t-shirt from one of the dancers. I swear me and them made eye contact before they launched the tee. It was slightly to the right of me, but my coaches taught me how to meet the pass. I caught it despite the person sitting next to me grabbing at my arm. They were sitting down the entire time, but somehow felt like the shirt was supposed to be theirs.
The court side seats were not what I had anticipated. I thought that I was going to be on the court, not in the huddle with the visiting team. I felt like I should have been passing towels and water bottles. It was very surreal. I could hear all of the huddle talk. The cuss words that sneak through the broadcast were now in earshot. I could see what the coach was drawing up in crunch time. All I could think about was how thankful I was for the visiting teams to be the Lunar Owls and the Laces. Both of these teams were filled with OG shit talkers and avid complainers. I felt let in on a secret.
The Vibe
DJ Heat was great at controlling the vibes, but I don’t know how much the crowd appreciated the mixes. I’m a music lover, so I probably pay too much attention to music selections when I’m out. This DJ understood the assignment of keeping it current, giving us classics, and keeping it family friendly. These are balances that go a long way at events with a wide demographic. This type of setting could benefit from a host or a dance team that goes into the crowd and gets people to engage their bodies. I think a sporting event needs constant movement from everyone.
The Games
The Laces did a solid job at muffling their conversation, but they could not hide their annoyance with Rose BC’s physical play and the referee's inability to see things from their perspective. There were constant complaints of Angel Reese and Brittney Sykes using what they felt were illegal moves. Personally, I believe that their frustrations pulled them out of their game. There wasn’t much on court communication or chemistry. It looked like they had all retreated inwards; they started forcing looks instead of moving the ball around. Coach Andrew Wade and his team weren’t able to corral them in and their emotions lost them the game.
Rose BC is a team with strong vocal leaders who will back up their words with tenacious play. I consider myself a basketball nerd, and I was truly geeking out listening to Angel and Chelsea Gray communicate on the court. They were always talking to each other, their teammates, and the refs. Angel did a better job with controlling her emotions to officials and Chelsea is good with having productive dialogue. Nola Henry didn’t say much, just occasional one liners like, “I like that look”. She held a piece of paper and referenced it for actions during the game.
Dj Sackmann
The Lunar Owls are coached by Dj Sackmann and he is my favorite coach in the league. I’ve watched his training videos on Youtube for years, and he’s an inspiration to me and what I want to do with my own platform. Before the game, I watched him close his eyes and go into a meditative state.
Skylar Diggins-Smith
Skylar Diggins Smith was there to entertain! She has become my favorite player in Unrivaled. I could always feel her passion through my TV screen. I also admired her physique because it’s a testament to the work she puts in off of the court. Seeing her in person proved to me that she is everything that she thinks she is and people hate her for it.
People often wonder how she’s able to talk to the referees as much as she does without getting a technical foul. Seeing it in person I wondered this myself, but I think the difference is that she has emotional conversations versus describing a call as “bullshit”. Her physical antics exaggerate the words, but if you listen, she’s mostly trying to plead her case and understand. I did hear her call the Phantom coach a “pussy” during a heated interaction while she walked back towards the bench. I laughed about that one for a while.
I love Skylar’s fire and see myself in it. I think that her and Tiffany Hayes are cut from the same cloth. The way they hoop is straight pick-up ball style. It’s physical. It’s competitive. It gets ugly. It’s a lot of trash talk. It makes people uncomfortable. When Skylar competes, she’s trying to destroy you. I don’t know how many other players in Unrivaled are playing with this mindset. She clapped hard during a sequence and I saw Brittney Griner roll her eyes and wave her off.
During the first quarter of the Owls vs Phantom game she was subbed out and gave the bench an earful. “Why the f-ck you take me out?” She said as she clapped everyone’s hand. Players typically sit down after this, but Skylar continues to stand, "You have to stick with what’s working, and the starters are what’s working.” No one appeared to give her a response. She sat down.
The Phantom had some successful possessions and started to build a lead. A timeout was called and DJ put together a new game plan. She was put back into the game. The momentum began shifting in the Lunar Owl’s favor. Sometimes a person’s confidence is rooted in knowing their ability. I appreciate players like Skylar.
Brittney Griner dunked
BG dunked and the place was in shock for a moment before it erupted in cheers. I had no reaction. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think we were going to get another in-game dunk from BG after the 2024 season and her dealing with a foot injury. The next play down, she hit a three, and the whole building was on its feet. This was one of my favorite moments. Her and Natisha Hiedeman were locked in with each other.
Cameron Brink
Cameron Brink was inactive but her presence on the sideline was felt. She is unbelievably tall at 6'4 and her heels added two to three inches. The woman is a great basketball player, but her aura gives high fashion. She is a model through and through whether she knows it now or not. Despite being sidelined, she was always attentive in the huddles.
Marina Mabrey
Marina Mabrey was just as feisty in person as she is on TV. I’ve learned that she gets frustrated easily and doesn’t like to be handled aggressively. She wildly threw elbows at Skylar during a tie-up. She didn’t connect on the swings, and Skylar laughed. Shortly after, she and Courtney Williams got into a shoving match. I like that she won’t allow herself to get bullied.
An Unrivaled Experience
This was by far my favorite professional game experience. There’s nothing to compare it to. It’s a one of one experience that I hope every W fan can experience one day. People traveled from all over. One night, we sat next to a woman from Turks and Caicos and another night it was a couple from Colorado.
The Cost
To give you an idea of what you would spend on something like this, I purchased two VIP and two court side tickets. That cost me around $876. I spent around $327 for a rental car and $598 for four nights in an Airbnb. The jerseys were $149 each and the shirts were $19 and $39 each. The inspiration I got in return is priceless. I met friends from social media, connected with players, and got to see a new city. I’m able to dream bigger now because of this experience. If you haven’t been, I urge you to make plans for next season.
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