"Hoopla" or "Practice"?

Last week I spent three days in the heart of Big 12 country--Kansas City--and read in the newspaper each morning about the festivities associated with the birth of basketball season there. Three examples of events scheduled for Friday night:

• Late Night in the Phog (Kansas University, Phog Allen Fieldhouse),
• Madness in Manhattan (Kansas State University), and
• Mizzou Madness (Missouri University)

These spectacles for both men's and women's teams are attended by thousands and involve skits, music, video highlights from last season, and speeches, in addition to a short scrimmage after midnight.
Our Stanford "first practice" was less festive, but certainly more satisfying in a traditional basketball way--shooting, drills, practice games. Was anyone else as heartened as I with:

• Ros warming-up,
• the referees stretching and working out as well as the players, and
• Tara signing a new contract?

Isn't it great that basketball season is finally underway! As Tara said, "Every new season begins with promise."