I‘m not a basketball player—I‘m only 3‘4″ in my stocking feet—but I am a basketball fan. So I was on pins and needles—make that common nails and wall anchors–watching the first game of the NBA finals. I‘m sure I was a lot more comfortable watching from my foam insulated wall cavity than were the 20,000 fans watching from their seats in the AT&T Arena in San Antonio. That‘s because the temperature INSIDE the arena was almost as high as the temperature outside! Fans had fans. That‘s right, they were fanning themselves like a Mikado dancer at a Gilbert and Sullivan musical. But when it‘s 90 degrees, there‘s not much you can do to cool yourself down outside of pouring a cold one over your head.
Of, course the players had it worse. Not because they couldn‘t fan themselves at the free throw line, but because they were exerting themselves for 48 minutes in the extreme heat. That‘s a prescription for cramps—and, by golly, the best player from the away team, King James, got cramps and had to leave the game. That opened the door to a big victory for the Spurs. Too bad they couldn‘t have opened the door to the arena and let some cool air in. But like I said, the temperature outside was hotter than the temperature inside.
All this could have been avoided easily. Yes, the air conditioning failed. Or perhaps it was planned. But had the arena been properly insulated, the heat never would have built up inside the arena to the point it did. Insulation on the outer walls and roof would have prevented heat from pouring so quickly into the venue and kept the cool air from escaping. So the fans and players would have stayed cool and comfortable throughout the game until the air conditioning unit could be fixed—probably right after the Heat leave town.
LeBron James would have stayed in the game. A few driving dunks, steals, and 3-pointers later Miami might have ended up winning Game 1. Poor insulation turned the tide in the NBA finals. That would make quite a headline. Actually, it did! (See above)
By the way, insulation can do the same for your home. It will keep the heat out and the cool air in this summer—and will save you a whole lot on your energy bills! Maybe enough that you can afford to go an NBA finals game—with fan to boot!
