More than ever before, NFL fans are having to make the tough decision of whether to stay in the comforts of their home to watch their favorite team play or pack a stadium with 65,000 of their closest friends each Sunday. With the advances of television quality, increased availability of NFL Games on cable, and rise in popularity of Fantasy Football, many former season ticket holders are rethinking their choice to make the journey down the their hometown stadium on Sundays. I am here to tell you that if there is ever an option to go down to one of the eight home games your favorite team has each year, don't hesitate.
The reasoning behind wanting to stay behind is obvious. Comfortable couch. Big screen HD television. NFL RedZone to follow each member of your fantasy team. But that is available for each one of the eight away games the team plays. When the option is there to attend a game in person why not take it up?
There is absolutely nothing like watching an NFL game live. From the tailgate, to the fight songs, to the post game celebrations, NFL games will always be better in person. This past weekend a group of friends and I traveled up to Philadelphia for the Eagles vs Ravens game Sunday afternoon. A highly anticipated game for all involved as the two teams only meet once every four years and each team had come into Week 2 at 1-0. The experience began with a tailgate in the parking lot hours before kickoff. The excitement in the air even this early in the day is palpable. After some food and drinks in the parking lot, the main event begins. The atmosphere is electric from the opening flyover until the final kneel-down. Nothing compares to singing a fight song arm-in-arm with complete strangers after every score. After shuffling out of the stadium, the group walks a few hundred yards to the newly constructed Xfinity Live; a congregation of indoor and outdoor restaurants and bars where the entire Eagles Nation comes to celebrate the recent victory, while catching the West Coast games on the big screen TV's throughout the complex. The day is finished off the right way, with a cheesesteak from Geno's in South Philly.
What can't be obtained from a couch each Sunday is an experience. That is what fans are paying for. They are paying for more than just what happens between kickoff and the final whistle. That is why fans take up their entire Sunday for these games. That is why most NFL stadiums remained packed each weekend. So when your neighbor offers you tickets to the game next weekend, don't pass them up. Unless however, you live in Cleveland, Jacksonville, or St. Louis. Then find a new city to live in.
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