Kragthorpe: Watching the Jazz from above is a cool view, but eating all those hot dogs? Unfulfilling

Jazz forward Joe Johnson’s tying 3-point attempt looked good when he launched it from where I stood, high above the court at the other end of Vivint Smart Home Arena. The basketball disappeared briefly behind the video board, then came back into view, bouncing off the rim. Same story with Joe Ingles’ shot from the other corner a few seconds later in the last minute of the Jazz’s disheartening loss to New York.

The defeat might have left me with a hollow feeling, if not for that fourth hot dog.

I went right to the top in my initial effort to experience life as a sports fan in Utah. The view of the Jazz is surprisingly sharp from Level 6, home of the cheapest seats in the building and an all-you-can-eat assortment of food that comes straight from a nutritionist’s nightmare.

My concession strategy was a mistake, especially the part about trying to get extra value for the $20 built into the $37 inclusive ticket price. Everything else about the game was fun, even being so far from the court and so close to the banners.

That’s because this is basketball — unlike football or soccer, where the field is 100 yards long. I figured I would be spending most of the game watching the video board, but I hardly glanced at it. The arena’s steep design creates such a vertical vantage point that not even the other end of the court seems terribly far away.

Fans sitting or standing near the top of the arena can walk around and look out the windows onto South Temple and 300 West during timeouts. I chose to stand throughout the game, even with an assigned seat four rows down. The environment bonded me with nearby fans as we watched the Jazz rally from 10 points behind in the last 2 minutes and give themselves multiple chances to tie the game.

The best moment of the night came when New York’s Tim Hardaway Jr., having made 6 of 7 shots from 3-point range, missed two free throws with 32 seconds remaining. Whenever a Jazz opponent does that in the fourth quarter, every ticket is redeemable for a Chick-fil-A sandwich.

I was relieved to learn the offer was valid for five days. That’s about the next time I would need food.

The all-you-can-eat opportunity, or “AYCE” as printed on my ticket, at a sporting event is believed to have originated in Dodger Stadium’s right-field pavilion about 10 years ago. I would say the concept fits better at a ballpark, where hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn and soda almost seem mandatory.

In the arena, there’s something to be said for having food as close as your own kitchen, but I later discovered better ways to have spent $20. Getting that much value in the AYCE area requires moderate effort, although making direct price comparisons with items at the concession stands is not easy. The skinny, boiled hot dogs on Level 6 are not J. Dawgs-quality, in other words.

Stories are told from the ballparks about fans’ determination to get their money’s worth, such as eating two Dodger Dogs per inning. Nobody was overdoing it at the Jazz game, as far as I could tell. My modest goal, in addition to sampling the other stuff, was one hot dog per quarter.

I estimated my consumption value at $30, but the financial victory was unsatisfying. I would rather have bought a regular ticket ($17), grabbed the free popcorn and drinks available pregame in the Ford Fan Zone on Level 6 and spent $12 for a sandwich or salad and $8 for an Iceberg shake at the lower-level stands.

The food dilemma aside, I was struck by the feeling of walking through the arena’s new entrance behind the “J” note on the northeast corner of the plaza. As the doors open into a view of the court, the vibe is a lot more inviting than going into the concrete bunker of the employee/media entrance on the other side.

The way the sound travels in the arena is the most noticeable difference between the media seating at the concourse and Level 6. It’s not nearly as loud up there. At the top, though, there’s less of a corporate feeling among the rank-and-file fans. And the experience of being around people who cared about the outcome of the Jazz-Knicks game was instructive.

Fans may believe in their minds that losing games and improving the Jazz’s draft position may be good for the franchise’s future, but you never would know that by their heartfelt response during games. Everyone around me moaned in dismay when Johnson and Ingles missed those would-be tying shots.

I returned to my usual duties as the Jazz played the Los Angeles Clippers the next night. Wouldn’t you know, hot dogs were the featured item in the media room. Those dogs were grilled and looked much healthier than the Level 6 version. Even so, I chose the beef broccoli.