It’s like a heart rate monitor. The voices crescendo in a spike, the room erupting in roars. They quiet, settling down for a few beats before breaking out in cheers once again.
Voices overlap each other, mingled with the voices from the TV screens, and it’s hard to tell what’s what.
Every seat is taken, red hats and black shirts scattered throughout Nicky Rottens Bar & Burger Joint in Coronado. A total of 16 screens line the four walls of the bar, the flow of sound constant.
The NCAA National Championship game begins.
A minute goes by and the heart beats; the crowd cheers as San Diego State University makes a basket. In the same minute, voices raise again. The claps overwhelm every other noise in the room.
The noise peaks and troughs as points are made, and when baskets are missed. A collective sigh travels through the room when the University of Connecticut scores points.
Odds were in Aztecs favor
Out of the 10 games when trailing at halftime, the Aztecs have come back to win eight. That gives them an 80% of upsetting an opponent that thinks they’ve got it in the bag.
And going into halftime on Monday night, San Diego State trailed 24 to 36.
Sitting by the windows is Scott Fredericksen, sporting a SDSU Athletics shirt.
“Anything can happen, I’m hopeful.”
-SDSU fan Scott Fredericksen
He has a nephew at San Diego State, “anything can happen, I’m hopeful,” Fredericksen says, a few minutes after halftime as the Aztecs drag 30 to 41.
Susie Keeney, a San Diego State alum and former softball player for the university sits with a group of eight.
Their table is arguably the essence of the watch party at Nicky Rottens. They start the Mexican wave multiple times, leading chants and cheers as the game progresses.
“It’s incredible that [the Aztecs are] here at the NCAA championship game. We just need the drive and to believe in ourselves,” Keeney says.
Pats on the back
Throughout the night, Keeney and her table are joined by the hundred other people in the room, jumping in excitement with every point scored.
And at the end of the night, when the outcome of the game seemed imminent, low-spirited hugs and pats on the back were exchanged.
Isaac Micha, owner of Nicky Rottens, could be seen making his rounds and visiting all his guests.
“With the change of ownership last year, we really wanted to build a community in Coronado,” he says to the Coronado News, describing the watch parties they host.
“There is more to come,” Micha says, looking around at the crowded bar.
San Diego State may have been runner up, but the heartbeat of the fans gathered together never stopped beating; and these people, in this place, were the heart of the game Monday night.
