“The public gives that little extra soul which leads them to surpass themselves. The one that makes you jump a little higher than your opponent in a duel … “ The president of Le Mans Sarthe Basket (MSB), Christophe Le Bouille, was not mistaken. This Thursday, May 20, the Manceaux have not yet overcome the Monegasques, European champions and leaders of the Jeep Elite ranking, the first division championship of French basketball. But they thwarted the forecasts which saw their workforce, amputated by several of its key players injured, largely dominated.
The Tango left the Antares hall with the final score of 71-86, to loud applause and standing spectators, who also delivered a high-flying performance for their return to the stadium since October 24, 2020. “For many months now, the MSB players have been waiting for just that: your return ladies and gentlemen. So there are only 800 of you this evening, but you will have to make the noise of 6,000 people ”, called the announcer at the entrance of the teams on the floor.
Could it be thanks to this group of fans, orange and black MSB jerseys on their shoulders, matching masks, and equipped with several bass drums? Or perhaps simply because we have become accustomed in seven months to having only the echo of silence? Whatever, the magic operates. From insults against an arbitration decision to cheers to salute a great action, passing by the name of a player chanted in unison: closing your eyes, one would have thought the stands less sparse.
The social distancing puzzle
We are, however, far from a return to normalcy: wearing a mask permanently obligatory, direction of movement in the spans of the stadium, while the refreshments and the club shop still had their curtains down.
It was also necessary to allocate the 800 seats authorized in the stands – barely 13% of the capacity of Antarès – to some 1,500 partners and subscribers. Two tickets were thus offered to each of the partner companies, the rest reserved for subscribers in order of registration. How to make the least possible dissatisfied? “The system we found is that once we reached the quota for Monaco, we switched the places on the other matches”, explains Arnaud Leproux, administrative director and ticketing manager of the club. The disappointed Thursday will therefore have priority for the next home game.
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