Anyone else giving up their season tickets?

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

Oh sorry man, I forgot I wasn't allowed to have my own opinion. Won't happen again sir.

 

[rbh24]

I would give everything I have for Pats season tickets.All my money(isnt alot) and most of my personal possesions.I wants to see a sports game in general we have no tennant at Mile One centre both hockey teams moved away.You guys should be so thankful you guys have the Pats,Bruins,Red Sox and Celtics to watch we have nothing here outside of Rugby which I dont really like.You guys have everything all I want is to see just one game.

 

[crowell33]

I get weary of this argument on behalf of a "virtual experience." If everyone felt this way, there would be no football. But the fact of the matter is that being AT the game is such a superior experience there absolutely is no comparison. I believe that those who put their creature comforts and television above that do not understand the game well enough to truly know what they're missing.

Better watching at home. NFL ticket. 52" HDTV Samsung. Tivo. Pause, Rewind, Slow Motion etc. Watch the other games during commercials. Bigger seats. Warm. Private bathrooms. Better beer. No Traffic.

 

[Wolfpack]

Oh sorry man, I forgot I wasn't allowed to have my own opinion. Won't happen again sir.

I think you came up with 6 really good reasons, and I have another reason which to me is the most important factor:

When you go to the game, you miss all the other action across the league. Sorry, but SportsCenter and NFLN replay just isn't the same.

 

[PatsDeb]

I wouldn't buy season tickets obviously since I live in NS (unless I got super rich and then they'd be skybox tickets)

But to comment on the whole being there vs watching on TV thing I'd like to visit Foxboro some day just because I believe it's a pilgramage every Pats fan should make. But if I lived in the area I'd consistently much rather watch on TV. #1 it's a Hell of a lot cheaper, #2 you get commentary and instant replay, pregame and post game shows and are able to more easily watch other games that effect the Pats before and after the Pats game. #3 it's far more comfortable, #4 I don't get gouged by food prices, I can make my own snacks and feed my whole crew for the same cost that I by myself would pay to get food at the stadium, not to mention the booze prices, the hassle of parking and driving and wading through other people, running into opposing fans, etc. #5 it's a Hell of a lot warmer in Nov/Dec in my apartment than it is at Gillete. (I do have mad respect for the people that brave the elements to go to the games and cheer tho, I couldn't do it, so I salute you) #6 if I wanna go to the bathroom I don't gotta walk for 5 minutes and open the stall to see a big soggy log some jackazz didn't bother to flush and pizz all over the seat. (Unless I was drunk the night before)

I enjoy going to live sports every now and then, but for the most part I'm a watch it in the comfort of my own living room kinda guy, but hey everyone is different.

Maybe it's because I am a chick, and more importantly, a Mom (whose 2 youngest (out of 4) still don't "get" football), but I just cannot get the same experience at home vs. at the game. At the game I am there focussed on every play. At home I have kids crawling all over me, and since we have a movie-sized screen and projector tv in the family room, we usually have a crowd over for big away games, and I end up entertaining rather than concentrating on my team!

I like to tailgate, but I don't get all jacked up about it - in fact, I try not to drink too much because I don't want to have to visit the bathroom multiple times and I am usually driving home. They flash the out-of-town scores on the scoreboard and that is enough for me. I don't understand people who want to watch other games while the Pats are playing. The Pats are playing!! I get mad at my husband who flashes over to the Fox game and makes me miss a play, even if it's a 2 yd. loss. Don't get me wrong, if the Pats aren't playing I will happily watch another NFL contest. Just don't try to make me miss one play for the Pats!

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I don't understand people who want to watch other games while the Pats are playing. The Pats are playing!! I get mad at my husband who flashes over to the Fox game and makes me miss a play, even if it's a 2 yd. loss.

Looks like a good case for irreconcilable differences to me.

 

[zoostation]

Note to RK...

Please update the video boards!

Of all the stadiums built in the past decade, they are the worst.

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

Maybe it's because I am a chick, and more importantly, a Mom (whose 2 youngest (out of 4) still don't "get" football), but I just cannot get the same experience at home vs. at the game. At the game I am there focussed on every play. At home I have kids crawling all over me, and since we have a movie-sized screen and projector tv in the family room, we usually have a crowd over for big away games, and I end up entertaining rather than concentrating on my team!

I like to tailgate, but I don't get all jacked up about it - in fact, I try not to drink too much because I don't want to have to visit the bathroom multiple times and I am usually driving home. They flash the out-of-town scores on the scoreboard and that is enough for me. I don't understand people who want to watch other games while the Pats are playing. The Pats are playing!! I get mad at my husband who flashes over to the Fox game and makes me miss a play, even if it's a 2 yd. loss. Don't get me wrong, if the Pats aren't playing I will happily watch another NFL contest. Just don't try to make me miss one play for the Pats!

Well yeah, if I had kids I'd spend every moment I could away from the house. But I don't like kids either so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[Tunescribe]

Better watching at home. NFL ticket. 52" HDTV Samsung. Tivo. Pause, Rewind, Slow Motion etc. Watch the other games during commercials. Bigger seats. Warm. Private bathrooms. Better beer. No Traffic.

What you describe is great for away games when you can't do the real thing. It's still a "virtual" experience.

 

[PatsWSB47]

I get weary of this argument on behalf of a "virtual experience." If everyone felt this way, there would be no football. But the fact of the matter is that being AT the game is such a superior experience there absolutely is no comparison. I believe that those who put their creature comforts and television above that do not understand the game well enough to truly know what they're missing.

Good analysis

As for me? I get goose bumps every time I see the Gillette Stadium sign flashing on 495 at the Rt 1 exit. I get goose bumps when I see the top of the stadium first appear over the Horizon on Rt 1. I get goose bumps as I turn into P11. It continues all the while I set up "camp." The interaction with the other fans and the occasional rival fans is unequaled in any home setting...............and I get the biggest goose bumps of all as I walk into the stadium and look down at the field. That always feels the same as it did the first time I ever saw the field back at old Foxboro stadium. All this before the players run out onto the field with "Crazy Train" blaring. Actually I'm getting goose bumps right now just thinking about it.

Now, who out there gets anywhere near this buzz at home?

 

[PatsDeb]

Looks like a good case for irreconcilable differences to me.

Ha! You should have heard me when he said he didn't want to renew the tickets (the account is in his name). I ordered him to "get thee to the computeree" if he knew what was good for him! He loves the Pats, just not the "game day" experience any longer. Luckily, I have plenty of takers for the place where his arse used to be.

 

[PatsDeb]

Well yeah, if I had kids I'd spend every moment I could away from the house. But I don't like kids either so take that with a grain of salt.

I love my kids, really! Just not for those three hours every Sunday during the fall.

 

[Tunescribe]

Good analysis

As for me? I get goose bumps every time I see the Gillette Stadium sign flashing on 495 at the Rt 1 exit. I get goose bumps when I see the top of the stadium first appear over the Horizon on Rt 1. I get goose bumps as I turn into P11. It continues all the while I set up "camp." The interaction with the other fans and the occasional rival fans is unequaled in any home setting...............and I get the biggest goose bumps of all as I walk into the stadium and look down at the field. That always feels the same as it did the first time I ever saw the field back at old Foxboro stadium. All this before the players run out onto the field with "Crazy Train" blaring. Actually I'm getting goose bumps right now just thinking about it.

Now, who out there gets anywhere near this buzz at home?

Thanks. And here's more:

The claim: "I can see better on television than I can in the stadium."
The answer: Total bullsh!t. You can't see pass patterns develop on television and you can't see line play nearly as well. And you absolutely cannot see what's happening on both sidelines whenever you want to, as you can at the stadium. Watching on television you're at the mercy of a narrow-angle camera feed that shows you only a small percentage of what's going on in the stadium environment.

The claim: "The traffic hassles, parking costs, bad weather, etc., aren't worth it."
The answer: Nothing beats the mounting excitement and communal atmosphere of not only being INSIDE the stadium, but tailgating beforehand on a crisp fall day. And if the weather happens to suck, all the more fun. Football is a game played in the elements. Some of my fondest memories are of games played in snow, driving rain, or hurricane-force winds. There is no such thing as "bad" weather, only inadequate clothing.

The claim: "You have to spend too much on food and beer at the games."
The answer: Hogwash. No one is forcing you to buy $7 beers at the stadium, or eat stadium food. I like the occasional beer but have not bought one stadium beer in my 17 years as a season ticket holder. I'll have a couple while tailgating and maybe one or two after. Loading up on beer during the game never made sense to me. Between getting looped and needing restroom trips, it interferes with your ability to focus on the action.

The claim: "You can follow what's happening in other games more closely at home."
The answer: So what? Catching up on other games' highlights and final scores is something to look forward to afterward. Regardless, they show highlights of other games at halftime on the stadium screens, and give regular updates on out-of-town scores on the scoreboard.

 

[PatsDeb]

Sad fact - I cry every year during the opening game when the team runs out of the tunnel and they announce their names (even though they have already all run out onto the field en masse).

 

[Tunescribe]

Sad fact - I cry every year during the opening game when the team runs out of the tunnel and they announce their names (even though they have already all run out onto the field en masse).

Another great point -- you miss out on all the pre-game and post-game stuff if you're not there.

 

[jmt57]

Good analysis Tunescribe.

The only caveat I would say is that certain seats (e.g., low end zone) don't allow for that perspective, though that's offset by how close the players are when they are on your side of the field.

I think much of the 'better on tv' debate comes from casual fans, and for those people they may be better served with television. The challenge for the NFL is to not only retain and expand the casual fan base - which they have been doing very well for quite some time - but to now retain and expand the hardcore fanbase that is willing to spend their money to experience the game live. Percentage of ticket sales have shifted from individuals to corporations for a long time now, but I think that well is is almost dry right now.

 

[Wolfpack]

Thanks. And here's more:

The claim: "I can see better on television than I can in the stadium."
The answer: Total bullsh!t. You can't see pass patterns develop on television and you can't see line play nearly as well. And you absolutely cannot see what's happening on both sidelines whenever you want to, as you can at the stadium. Watching on television you're at the mercy of a narrow-angle camera feed that shows you only a small percentage of what's going on in the stadium environment.

The claim: "The traffic hassles, parking costs, bad weather, etc., aren't worth it."
The answer: Nothing beats the mounting excitement and communal atmosphere of not only being INSIDE the stadium, but tailgating beforehand on a crisp fall day. And if the weather happens to suck, all the more fun. Football is a game played in the elements. Some of my fondest memories are of games played in snow, driving rain, or hurricane-force winds. There is no such thing as "bad" weather, only inadequate clothing.

The claim: "You have to spend too much on food and beer at the games."
The answer: Hogwash. No one is forcing you to buy $7 beers at the stadium, or eat stadium food. I like the occasional beer but have not bought one stadium beer in my 17 years as a season ticket holder. I'll have a couple while tailgating and maybe one or two after. Loading up on beer during the game never made sense to me. Between getting looped and needing restroom trips, it interferes with your ability to focus on the action.

The claim: "You can follow what's happening in other games more closely at home."
The answer: So what? Catching up on other games' highlights and final scores is something to look forward to afterward. Regardless, they show highlights of other games at halftime on the stadium screens, and give regular updates on out-of-town scores on the scoreboard.

Just out of curiousity, why are you so upset that there are actually people with different tastes than you? Obviously you prefer the stadium experience but why does it upset you so much that not everyone shares that same view?

 

[Tunescribe]

Just out of curiousity, why are you so upset that there are actually people with different tastes than you? Obviously you prefer the stadium experience but why does it upset you so much that not everyone shares that same view?

It doesn't upset me at all. I simply find it odd that someone would argue watching football on television is a better fan experience than actually being there.

 

[zasw]

I had season tix during the parcells era. I gave them up after my name came up on the ny giants waitlist. I opted to pay the psl for my season tickets this year (psls are a screwing of the fans) but I love going to the games and would not give up my tickets.

I just want to give my 2 cents about tv vs live. If someone wants to watch "the game" tv is better. Football in my opinion is the best tv sport there is it gives angles that you just can't see in the stadium. However there is more to football than just "the game". For me it's the whole experiance of the tailgating, the crowd, even the highs and lows you feel when driving home. Also each football game is an event unlike baseball or other sports that play so many games a loss or a win can be meaningless, there is so much riding on every single game(unless your the colts throwing the last 2 games of the season)

 

[Smash-MouthD]

Re: fgssand

Wow - are you in the middle or closer to 133 or 135??

I have two in row 22 and 4 in row 29!!

We are really close, actually from where yo uare you probably here Signbabybrady all the time (he tends to project his voce a bit -- understatement). He is right there with me.

Well we are right near the end of the row closest to sec 135, we were in sec 117 in foxboro stadium almost the same location in the new one. Well there are a couple guys who yell a lot, the sorry thing is you can hear them clearly because many people these days tend to sit on thier hands and yell at you for standing up. too funny.