Do you actually go to games at the stadiums? (1 Viewer)

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

Defending Super Bowl Champion New York Football Giants season ticket holder here. (Full disclosure: My seats suck. Like, upper level endzone, 20+ rows up suck.)

I usually go to one or two games a year. This year I'll probably go to zero. I already sold the tickets for 6 of their 8 home games and will likely sell the other two soon. The only reasons I keep the tickets are (a) when my son is older I'd like to have the option to take him to a game here and there (and eventually pass the tickets on to him if he wants them), and (b) I continue to turn a profit on the tickets every year (even when I end up giving away the preseason tickets for free and attend a game or two myself, I've never failed to make enough on the other 6-7 games to cover the price of the whole package).

I'm sure all the reasons have already been mentioned in the thread. The view of the game from my couch is infinitely better than the view from my seats. Getting in and out of the stadium is a huge hassle. Food and drinks are too expensive. I have to wait on long lines to use the bathroom. Other than a span of a few weeks in early-mid season, the weather is either too hot or too cold to enjoy being outside for that long. I can't flip around and watch a different game from the upper deck. Etc. etc. I was excited that they were building a brand new $1.5 billion stadium but the place is a dump. From the outside it looks like a giant air conditioner and on the inside (at least in the upper levels) it's about the same as the old one was. I did have an opportunity to head down into one of the giant VIP clubs they built downstairs, so I saw where all that money went. I suppose if I had access to something like that, I'd go more often.

This year I'm having a hard time even coming up with a single reason I would want to go. I guess it's cool to be surrounded by people who are all rooting for the same team, but I can get that experience at my local bar if I want to, and half the time the fans at the stadium do more to annoy me than anything else. Tailgating is fun, but again, that's an experience that I can roughly recreate elsewhere if I wanted to. It's just soooo much better at home, it's not even close at this point. I do think, however, that once my son's old enough to go, I'll appreciate it much more through his eyes, and I'll start going more frequently as an experience we can share.

 

[pizzatyme]

Colts fan here. I will never forget the experience of being there during the 2006 Colts/Patriots AFC Championship game.

There are no TV experiences that come even close.

TV is awesome during fantasy season. Live is AMAZING during playoffs.

 

[Short Corner]

Used to go once a year if the Title Company we used offered free tix. Otherwise not really worth it, worst of the 4 major sports to watch live IMO. I have passed on free tix as well.

 

[GregR]

Cross posting something I just put in the Jags-Texans game thread:

Have the game broadcast on in the background while I'm working. Just saw the sack where Gabbert got injured.Interesting thing, being at the stadium versus watching the broadcast. If you watch the broadcast it just seems like Gabbert got hit, the ball came out, and a Texan kind of hesitantly picked it up. Then they cut to replay.In reality, the Texan picked it up and was unsure if it was still live or not. Teamates were yelling at him to run. The Texans then returned the ball for a touchdown, while a ref on the far side of the field away from the play came on the field to mark the spot, while the other ref was waving him back to stop because the ball was still live. But the ref from the far side of the field blew his whistle, so Texans got the ball at the spot rather than the touchdown.But you'd never know that was what happened watching the TV broadcast.

 

[solorca]

Panthers fan...and I have gotten to the point where I hate going to the stadium.

On the walk in, you see tents set up with catered service for the club seat owners, where they are literally serving wine and cheese. When you enter the stadium and find your seats, you can expect to have plenty of legroom and space until about halfway through the first quarter (at least) until people decide to finally get to their seats to watch the football game. You also have the same open space for the first half of the third quarter.

When the panthers are on defense and you stand up to make a lot of noise, expect to be asked to sit down (or at the very least, expect people to be annoyed by you blocking their view as they sit and watch the game). The life is out of the stadium anytime the team is down more than a touchdown, and people will leave the stadium if the team is down more (or up more) than 10 points when the fourth quarter starts.

If you talk smack to an opposing team's fan and it is considered even slightly offensive, you will be ejected.

Basically, the entire stadium experience is sanitized and terrible, and the wine and cheese crowd have sucked the life out of it just as much as the terrible team on the field has.

I went to last weeks game and two guys behind me spent the first 3 1/2 quarters talking about a business presentation for their company. The only time they even talked about the game or showed any interest was when Carolina was down by 20 in the fourth quarter...and they talked about how terrible the team played.

 

[ThePittbully]

Saints season ticket holder. There's a lot of reasons why some people would rather just watch at home, but for me nothing beats the excitement of actually being in the Superdome during a competitive game. Last week versus the Falcons being a perfect example, if you're a real fan it's like being on a rollercoaster for me. You don't get that level of excitement from your couch, or at least I don't.

 

[ThePittbully]

Colts fan here. I will never forget the experience of being there during the 2006 Colts/Patriots AFC Championship game.There are no TV experiences that come even close.TV is awesome during fantasy season. Live is AMAZING during playoffs.

Totally agree, I was at the NFC Championship game for the 2009 season where Saints played the Vikings in the Superdome. It's something I will never forget, there are very few experiences that would equal something like this to me

 

[jbblan5]

Went to the Lions/Packers game this past Sunday and my goodness what an experience. The game was awesome but trying to park was a pain and the price to park was between $30-$50 which is outrageous and theres no cell service and the Wi-Fi was not working. I love watching games live but when parking cost as much as it does along with high concession prices, I'd rather sit on my couch with my $0.60 beers and the Sunday Ticket Mix channel

 

[cstu]

Panthers fan...and I have gotten to the point where I hate going to the stadium.

On the walk in, you see tents set up with catered service for the club seat owners, where they are literally serving wine and cheese. When you enter the stadium and find your seats, you can expect to have plenty of legroom and space until about halfway through the first quarter (at least) until people decide to finally get to their seats to watch the football game. You also have the same open space for the first half of the third quarter.

When the panthers are on defense and you stand up to make a lot of noise, expect to be asked to sit down (or at the very least, expect people to be annoyed by you blocking their view as they sit and watch the game). The life is out of the stadium anytime the team is down more than a touchdown, and people will leave the stadium if the team is down more (or up more) than 10 points when the fourth quarter starts.

If you talk smack to an opposing team's fan and it is considered even slightly offensive, you will be ejected.

Basically, the entire stadium experience is sanitized and terrible, and the wine and cheese crowd have sucked the life out of it just as much as the terrible team on the field has.

I went to last weeks game and two guys behind me spent the first 3 1/2 quarters talking about a business presentation for their company. The only time they even talked about the game or showed any interest was when Carolina was down by 20 in the fourth quarter...and they talked about how terrible the team played.

I agree completely with everything except this. There's no need to trash talk fans of the opposing team. Everyone there paid a lot of money to see the game and has a right to enjoy it without being harassed.

 

[meyerj31]

Panthers fan...and I have gotten to the point where I hate going to the stadium.

On the walk in, you see tents set up with catered service for the club seat owners, where they are literally serving wine and cheese. When you enter the stadium and find your seats, you can expect to have plenty of legroom and space until about halfway through the first quarter (at least) until people decide to finally get to their seats to watch the football game. You also have the same open space for the first half of the third quarter.

When the panthers are on defense and you stand up to make a lot of noise, expect to be asked to sit down (or at the very least, expect people to be annoyed by you blocking their view as they sit and watch the game). The life is out of the stadium anytime the team is down more than a touchdown, and people will leave the stadium if the team is down more (or up more) than 10 points when the fourth quarter starts.

If you talk smack to an opposing team's fan and it is considered even slightly offensive, you will be ejected.

Basically, the entire stadium experience is sanitized and terrible, and the wine and cheese crowd have sucked the life out of it just as much as the terrible team on the field has.

I went to last weeks game and two guys behind me spent the first 3 1/2 quarters talking about a business presentation for their company. The only time they even talked about the game or showed any interest was when Carolina was down by 20 in the fourth quarter...and they talked about how terrible the team played.

I agree completely with everything except this. There's no need to trash talk fans of the opposing team. Everyone there paid a lot of money to see the game and has a right to enjoy it without being harassed.

There's a difference between harassment and friendly banter. I think what he is saying is that you can have friendly banter but easily have it misconstrued (due to security being sensitive?) and be ejected.I wouldn't like that at all. From the Packers games where I've tailgated there was always banter going back and forth, talking crap but in a friendly way, and it was a lot of fun.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Went to the Lions/Packers game this past Sunday and my goodness what an experience. The game was awesome but trying to park was a pain and the price to park was between $30-$50 which is outrageous and theres no cell service and the Wi-Fi was not working. I love watching games live but when parking cost as much as it does along with high concession prices, I'd rather sit on my couch with my $0.60 beers and the Sunday Ticket Mix channel

You gotta be ####ting me. Brush Park doesn't have public wi-fi for the side by side stadiums? Unreal.Nevermind...I'd be more surprised if Detroit had done that. What a dysfunctional city.

 

[solorca]

Panthers fan...and I have gotten to the point where I hate going to the stadium.

On the walk in, you see tents set up with catered service for the club seat owners, where they are literally serving wine and cheese. When you enter the stadium and find your seats, you can expect to have plenty of legroom and space until about halfway through the first quarter (at least) until people decide to finally get to their seats to watch the football game. You also have the same open space for the first half of the third quarter.

When the panthers are on defense and you stand up to make a lot of noise, expect to be asked to sit down (or at the very least, expect people to be annoyed by you blocking their view as they sit and watch the game). The life is out of the stadium anytime the team is down more than a touchdown, and people will leave the stadium if the team is down more (or up more) than 10 points when the fourth quarter starts.

If you talk smack to an opposing team's fan and it is considered even slightly offensive, you will be ejected.

Basically, the entire stadium experience is sanitized and terrible, and the wine and cheese crowd have sucked the life out of it just as much as the terrible team on the field has.

I went to last weeks game and two guys behind me spent the first 3 1/2 quarters talking about a business presentation for their company. The only time they even talked about the game or showed any interest was when Carolina was down by 20 in the fourth quarter...and they talked about how terrible the team played.

I agree completely with everything except this. There's no need to trash talk fans of the opposing team. Everyone there paid a lot of money to see the game and has a right to enjoy it without being harassed.

There's a difference between harassment and friendly banter. I think what he is saying is that you can have friendly banter but easily have it misconstrued (due to security being sensitive?) and be ejected.I wouldn't like that at all. From the Packers games where I've tailgated there was always banter going back and forth, talking crap but in a friendly way, and it was a lot of fun.

Yeah, that's what I meant. I've seen people get kicked out for relatively innocent banter. In fact, I almost got kicked out two years ago for talking smack to a falcons fan, just by pointing at my Panthers jersey after a score. The only reason I wasn't ejected was because the

Falcons fan told security that it was ok, and we had been talking smack to each other the entire game.

 

[simey]

The life is out of the stadium anytime the team is down more than a touchdown, and people will leave the stadium if the team is down more (or up more) than 10 points when the fourth quarter starts.

I don't agree that is always the case, but people do leave by mid 4th if the team is down by 10 points often. I can't say I blame them. In almost every game this season the Panthers have imploded in the 4th quarter, and it is a pain in the ### getting out of the parking lots around BOA Stadium. Sometimes it can take about an hour to get out of there, and many people have a long ride home.

 

[packseasontix]

Packers have it right:

Free Parkings all around the stadium or $15-20 in a front lawn

Tailgate anywhere and everywhere

Small town - easy to get to parking (15 mins from the edge of town to my parking spot)

Slow yet steady entrance to stadium (just enough time to finnish off my mixed drink before getting to security to get ticket scanned)

No bad seats in the original stadium bowl (never sat and would never sit in the expansion part of the bowl)

Lots of clean bathrooms (sure its packed at halftime but you should expect that, and either go at the 2 min warning or wait until about 15 mins after the first half)

Huge Jumbo screens on both ends (plus my NFL Sunday ticket to keep up on other games if needed)

BEST PART: (Same reason I love the brewers for the similar reason)

Even with 70k+ still in the stadium when the game ends you can get out to your car very quickly

You can then get out of the city extremely quick (especially if you know some of the secret ways)

I haven't had to sit in a traffic jam in 3-4 years (I always leave right after the game ends go right to the car/truck and drive home)

Bam couple hours later even if we stop for dinner and I am back home in the Milwaukee area

EDIT:

Forgot its always a great crowd, never much for any issues, and everyone is usually behind the team even when they were pitiful a few years ago. By the way the only issues are usually Bears and Vikings fans who bring their "big city" attitude to the game thinking they are better than everyone. Most teams like the 49ers, Cowboys, Jags, Jets, and others are all just happy to take in the game and the stadium. There is friendly banter but thats the difference between Green Bay and probably every other stadium, you don't need fear getting jumped for wearing the "enemies" colors.

 

[49er fan]

Panthers fan...and I have gotten to the point where I hate going to the stadium.

On the walk in, you see tents set up with catered service for the club seat owners, where they are literally serving wine and cheese. When you enter the stadium and find your seats, you can expect to have plenty of legroom and space until about halfway through the first quarter (at least) until people decide to finally get to their seats to watch the football game. You also have the same open space for the first half of the third quarter.

When the panthers are on defense and you stand up to make a lot of noise, expect to be asked to sit down (or at the very least, expect people to be annoyed by you blocking their view as they sit and watch the game). The life is out of the stadium anytime the team is down more than a touchdown, and people will leave the stadium if the team is down more (or up more) than 10 points when the fourth quarter starts.

If you talk smack to an opposing team's fan and it is considered even slightly offensive, you will be ejected.

Basically, the entire stadium experience is sanitized and terrible, and the wine and cheese crowd have sucked the life out of it just as much as the terrible team on the field has.

I went to last weeks game and two guys behind me spent the first 3 1/2 quarters talking about a business presentation for their company. The only time they even talked about the game or showed any interest was when Carolina was down by 20 in the fourth quarter...and they talked about how terrible the team played.

For the longest time Candlestick Park had a reputation for being a "wine and cheese" crowd. Things have changed quite drastically in the past 10 years. The "wine and cheese" crowd has been replaced by the hoodlum/gangster crowd- mostly dudes who like the 9ers because red is their primary color....not sure what caused the change, although i'm sure the team's decade long ineptitude along with the decay of The Stick were major contributors. Basically, the combo of the new wave of fans and the stadium decay, Candlestick has now become (along with Oakland) theee worst gameday experience in the league...I'm a season ticket holder and I love watching my team play live, but if it weren't for the fact that they are Super Bowl contenders, I'd probably be selling or giving my tickets away every week...the only reason I've kept my season tickets is because of the new stadium...plus there is a tiny bit of nostalgia knowing that I'm attending the final games of Candlestick.

I'm reminded of the wine and cheese crowd every time I go to an SF Giants game at AT&T...trust me, it is so much more pleasant to watch a sporting event surrounded by people who actually have real jobs than to be around ignorant hoodlums who just wanna get wasted and start fights all in the name of "reppin' the bay, yo"

 

[GregR]

NFL mandates locker-room cameras for in-stadium viewing

NFL executive V.P. Eric Grubman announced Wednesday at the 2013 IMG World Congress of Sports that the league will require all teams to install cameras in locker rooms this year. The goal, via AdAge.com, will be to show home-team footage captured before the game and at halftime to the fans in attendance at the stadium, either on video boards or via a smartphone app.

Fans won’t get anything that would compromise the home team’s strategy. The home team will have the discretion to decide which footage to use, and whether to include audio.

The obvious goal will be to give the folks who pay for tickets something they can’t get at home, making it more likely that they will pay for tickets.

That’s one of the biggest challenges the NFL currently faces. As the in-home viewing experience becomes more advanced (and, more importantly, cheaper), the NFL needs to come up with ways to make fans want to be in the stands and not on their couches.

Well. They are trying at least.

ETA: If they were smart they'd put the cameras in the cheerleader's locker rooms. Though I guess the Eagles already got slapped down for something along those lines, so maybe not.

 

[Slapdash]

Panthers fan...and I have gotten to the point where I hate going to the stadium.On the walk in, you see tents set up with catered service for the club seat owners, where they are literally serving wine and cheese. When you enter the stadium and find your seats, you can expect to have plenty of legroom and space until about halfway through the first quarter (at least) until people decide to finally get to their seats to watch the football game. You also have the same open space for the first half of the third quarter.When the panthers are on defense and you stand up to make a lot of noise, expect to be asked to sit down (or at the very least, expect people to be annoyed by you blocking their view as they sit and watch the game). The life is out of the stadium anytime the team is down more than a touchdown, and people will leave the stadium if the team is down more (or up more) than 10 points when the fourth quarter starts.If you talk smack to an opposing team's fan and it is considered even slightly offensive, you will be ejected.Basically, the entire stadium experience is sanitized and terrible, and the wine and cheese crowd have sucked the life out of it just as much as the terrible team on the field has.I went to last weeks game and two guys behind me spent the first 3 1/2 quarters talking about a business presentation for their company. The only time they even talked about the game or showed any interest was when Carolina was down by 20 in the fourth quarter...and they talked about how terrible the team played.

I agree completely with everything except this. There's no need to trash talk fans of the opposing team. Everyone there paid a lot of money to see the game and has a right to enjoy it without being harassed.

Reminds me of having to listen to racial slurs directed at Vikings players during the last regular season Panther's game I went to. There is no excuse for that crap.

 

[Da Guru]

I have split Detroit Lions season tickets for over 20 years and for the first 10-12 years always went to 4 games. The last 8 years or so I only go to one game a season that I pick out that looks good and sell my other games.

For a 1pm game I was leaving my home at 10am and getting home at 5-6pm. Toss in the 20.00 parking, 10,00 beers, 5 dollar hotdogs,dealing with a bunch of idiots, and walking a 1/4 mile to go to the restroom..I would much rather be in my home with the grill going... watching a 60 inch HDTV and drinking my own beer.

I still look forward to going to one game in person, but one a year is enough.

Now if we are talking a playoff game I would love to be there in person..but in Detroit we do not have to worry too much about home playoff games..or playoff games in general.

 

[Evil G]

As a Canadian fan of the NFL, I have travelled to Cincy, Cleveland (x4), Detroit and Buffalo. Just for the live experience and road trip with the lads. Personally I am a Packers fan, but it would be a 14 hour pilgramage around the Sault and into Wisconsin.

Cleveland is a good experience - clean downtown, R&R Hall of Fame, decent bars/restaurants and amusing scalpers (look for Bill). I feel for a team that has consistantly sucked as bad as they, the Browns tickets cost way too much (when you buy from the secondary market). The fact that season ticket holders pay a huge license fee is insulting to me and hell, I live in another country.

Cincy was decent too, but a much longer drive. Not worth it for these clowns.

Detroit was pricey because we did StubHub. For other Canadian Fans - never use StubHub unless you are aiming to burn your wallet with truck grease and a match. Do your homework and negotiate with a scalper - be friendly and timely and you'll get a decent price.

Buffalo was cheap but the weather is often bad and so is the team. Spiller is, however, electric. Tickets and parking were cheap: I paid $5 to park in a guy's backyard, next to a schoolyard where we played catch, smoked cigars and drank. Pretty good. Bought the tickets for face from the Bills themselves, but quite honestly - in December - when it was raining slush in Buffalo, I could have paid less than face from a desperate scalper.

Another 'driveable' location is Pittsburgh, but my hate for the Steelers runs deep. I could not cheer for the home team, which is mostly the point. Without having to fly, I could also check out Indy, at the edge of weekend do-ability.

Why does every NFL team near the borders of Ontario suck the donkey?

 

[griff321]

Panthers fan...and I have gotten to the point where I hate going to the stadium.On the walk in, you see tents set up with catered service for the club seat owners, where they are literally serving wine and cheese. When you enter the stadium and find your seats, you can expect to have plenty of legroom and space until about halfway through the first quarter (at least) until people decide to finally get to their seats to watch the football game. You also have the same open space for the first half of the third quarter.When the panthers are on defense and you stand up to make a lot of noise, expect to be asked to sit down (or at the very least, expect people to be annoyed by you blocking their view as they sit and watch the game). The life is out of the stadium anytime the team is down more than a touchdown, and people will leave the stadium if the team is down more (or up more) than 10 points when the fourth quarter starts.If you talk smack to an opposing team's fan and it is considered even slightly offensive, you will be ejected.Basically, the entire stadium experience is sanitized and terrible, and the wine and cheese crowd have sucked the life out of it just as much as the terrible team on the field has.I went to last weeks game and two guys behind me spent the first 3 1/2 quarters talking about a business presentation for their company. The only time they even talked about the game or showed any interest was when Carolina was down by 20 in the fourth quarter...and they talked about how terrible the team played.

I agree completely with everything except this. There's no need to trash talk fans of the opposing team. Everyone there paid a lot of money to see the game and has a right to enjoy it without being harassed.

Reminds me of having to listen to racial slurs directed at Vikings players during the last regular season Panther's game I went to. There is no excuse for that crap.

That's a bit over the line, but you can and I have seen people get booted for even using an expletive. Or getting the boot because someone complains that you're standing the entire game. I get into the game and you better believe I'm going to get loud when my team is on D and scream "What the #### are you doing Ponder" in the heat of the moment. The price of tickets has ushered in a new era of whiney yuppie fans that care more about cruising their smart phones than watching the game. This is especially problematic at twins games and I expect the trend to continue when the Vikings open their new overpriced and cramped hunk of junk.

 

[POTA]

Steelers fan, but I'm in Austin, TX so seeing an NFL game is usually not a weekly option. I've been to a couple Cowboys and Texans games over the recent years, and a variety of other teams as I've moved or visited.

I enjoy the game day experience, even if I have little or no rooting interest in the outcome. But it's definitely not something I could (or would) pay for all season long assuming I was local to my home team (whichever it might be). What surprises me is the lack of free WiFi access in some stadiums. That seems like a no-brainer service to offer.

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

I went to a Browns game last year and thought it was a great experience. Obviously it helped that I caught one of the wins. I would love to be in that stadium sometime when Cleveland has a good team. In the meantime I'll probably go to two or three games this year.

They are supposed to have wifi in the stadium this year.

 

[pecorino]

we pulled the trigger and sold our Steelers seat license for a fat profit. i am done with the hassles, the fan experience has never been great at Heinz Field with respect to many little things. theNFL rules changes over the past few years have also taken its toll. i will be happy to get a ticket here or there but otherwise we'll watch the games at home. all in all, the cost of the games are reasonable imo (under $100 per ticket for good seats) but still tough to deal with ten of them per year, including the two preseason duds.

 

[FUBAR]

Haven't attended an NFL game in close to a decade, no MLB games in 15 years, and no NBA games since the bad boys beat Jordan. we go to college games and minor league hockey games and have a blast. Part off this is the cost, but it's also better fans. nobody takes minor league hockey too seriously and just have fun.