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.
