To get inside Humphrey Coliseum and find a seat on gameday for Mississippi State women’s basketball, one has to navigate and constantly moving (and laughing, eating and playing) maze of children and families. Middle schoolers sprint by on the steps into the arena, elementary students pop out of every possible door or crevice in the concourse, looking for their parents or their friends or where exactly the smell of popcorn is coming from. The seats themselves are filled with toddlers to high schoolers, parents and grandparents surrounding them.
They’re among the most enthusiastic during the games – both the kids and adults – and within moments of the game ending (typically a win for the Bulldogs here lately) the kids are swarming all the players on the team who have stepped over the understood boundaries of the court and climbed into the stands to take pictures, sign autographs and just talk with their fans.