How well do you handle opposing fans at the Razor?

[DarrylStingley]

I went to the Niners game.

I drove up from NJ and was pumped to sit with my brothers and sisters of Patriots Nation. After all, I'm surrounded down here by NY sports fans and I get very psyched to watch games with Boston sports fans.

On that Sunday night, I got to my seats along 17 rows up from the Niners sideline. Directly behind me were Niners fans. Directly next to me were Niners fans. In the few rows in front of me there were tons of Niners fans.

Whenever anything good happened for the Niners, there was much noise in my ear about it. These were very loud fans.

I was rather unhappy about all of this. After all, part of the reason to make the long trek to Foxboro is to watch among fellow Pats fans.

A few questions:

1. How do you deal with the presence of opposing fans? Does it bum you out at all?

2. Does the prospect of teams with fans who travel really well make you less excited about going to games? Does it change whether you buy tix?

3. Are there much fewer opposing fans along the Pats sideline than the visiting sideline? I assume that the answer is yes but don't exactly know.

4. Do you have other thoughts about this general issue that you want to share?

 

[OMGWTFJUDD]

I've always preferred to be at a stadium when the crowd is 50/50.

Yes, the other team supporters give you the ****s but it also allows you to rub it in the face (in good nature of course) of some stooge with a big yap.

Just adds a bit of spice for me.

 

[jmt57]

I have never heard of their being a 'home side' and 'visitors side' the way there is in college sports or with soccer in Europe. My guess is that area must have been what is allotted to some particular group (e.g., the opposing team, or to travel agencies), and the tickets you scooped up just happened to be in that section ... which is highly unfortunate for you.

I don't know if there's any way of knowing that ahead of time. You could inquire with the Pats, but I wouldn't expect that they make too much of that type of information public.

Official Website of the New England Patriots | Tickets - General Information

800-543-1776 or email [email protected]

 

[DarrylStingley]

Yeah, I didn't mean a "formal" side.

I meant behind the Niners bench or the Pats bench. It seems like there's a greater percentage of Niners fans behind their bench than the other side of the field but I can't be sure.

 

[DarrylStingley]

I've always preferred to be at a stadium when the crowd is 50/50.

Yes, the other team supporters give you the ****s but it also allows you to rub it in the face (in good nature of course) of some stooge with a big yap.

Just adds a bit of spice for me.

I hear that. I get no pleasure in rubbing it in anyone's face. I do admit that I enjoy seeing visiting fans leave all bummed out. But that pleasure doesn't offset the displeasure I get when sitting near visiting fans during the game, especially the loud ones.

 

[shmessy]

Do you know Diana Swonk?

 

[DarrylStingley]

Do you know Diana Swonk?

Define "know" please.

Just kidding....got an e-mail with her picture in it and it struck me as funny to use her face as an avatar.

 

[shmessy]

Define "know" please.

Just kidding....got an e-mail with her picture in it and it struck me as funny to use her face as an avatar.

Definitely a non-sequitor for a football fan board!

 

[dannydyn]

If I'm travelling with the Pats to opposing stadiums, I try to keep it low profile, especially when the Pats travel to scumbag teams, like the Jets. I may even skip wearing any of my Pats gear, just to avoid being 'spotted'.

But when at Gillette, I say screw them all. This is MY house, and even when surrounded by some opposing fans, even if the group I'm with is outnumbered in the immediate section, we don't give a rat's ***. We're loud as can be. I know no one will be dumb enough to start 5hit when he's on the 'road'.... Hasn't happened yet at least. And if someone does turn out to be dumb enough.... well then, I'll be damned, only god will save them.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

There are always some but not very many opposing fans behind the Pats bench. I think that visiting fans seats get assigned to behind their teams' bench for the most part

 

[Nikolai]

As long as they're cool, I'm cool. I even chatted for a couple with a few Jest fans before the Jest game this year. I've never had a problem with opposing fans, even the Steeler fans during that utterly ****ty 2008 loss. Maybe it's because I'm 6'4" 220?

Seriously though, I think it's because, in person, people are a lot more civil than they are when hiding behind the internet.

 

[facemask]

I think they just buy tickets wherever they can get them, I sit on the Patriots side and there were a lot of niner fans, probably the biggest turnout of any visiting team all season

 

[Joker]

funny...myself, I NEVER have any problems with opposing fans...perhaps it's my good manners and breeding....

 

[murphysbuddylove]

I travel so i've seen both sides. If you're at Gillette supporting you're team thats fine, the second it becomes anti-patriot or bashing i'm done. I live by same philosophy when i go on the road. Cheer for the pats and nothing bad about the other team. I had a Denver fan yelling Brady you suck for about 12 seconds. I let him know where he was, about Elways teeth and showed him how the scoreboard reflects the scores of each team. He was quiet from their on out.

 

[patman52]

I think it is great, the back and forth. Big smiles, screams . It is part of going to the game that makes it special.The Monday night game against Farve and the jets was great, they must have been 5000 jet fans and the back and forth was great.

 

[PatriotDynasty_12]

As long as they're cool, I'm cool. I even chatted for a couple with a few Jest fans before the Jest game this year. I've never had a problem with opposing fans, even the Steeler fans during that utterly ****ty 2008 loss. Maybe it's because I'm 6'4" 220?

Seriously though, I think it's because, in person, people are a lot more civil than they are when hiding behind the internet.

That's definitely it