If you've been to a lot of football venues.....

[CentralVaBills]

Let's try it this way.......

 

I've been blessed to go to and work at many......here's a starter to just get it going a little bit........

 

This is for atmosphere..........not for stupid stevestojan like sight lines and stuff.....all stadiums now, for the most part have good sightlines.....but overall experience, that's what I'm looking for.

 

Somewhere you've been where you thought the fans were cool, or something at the place was cool or tailgating or the setup or whatever.

 

Anyway, here's my top 10.

 

1. Green Bay - Their so good at football tailgating, they almost make Brewers games fun beforehand.

 

2. Buffalo - The blue collar set-up and atmosphere is unlike any other. It's kinda dirty and you gotta love all the all goofy characters and in-stadium atmosphere.

 

3. Kansas City - See Buffalo, but with a touch more sophistication. The area around the two stadiums in KC is set up for great tailgating.

 

4. Denver - Mountain people with educations. They do things the right way also. It sems like these are sophisticated people that still act like idiots. Pretty cool.

 

5. Pittsburgh - Bar none, the best totally urban tailgating going. They'll eat anywhere and everywhere, and the Steeler fans can still whoop it us with the best of em. I was there once....Browns and Steeler fans were playing a pickup game in the parking lot. A Browns fan went deep....and caught the ball over his shoulder and ran into a cement girder from the interstate overpass and was knocked out......everyone paused in shock, and as the Steeler fans gathered around, they started their "Here we go Steelers, her we go" chant. LMAO Priceless. Ummmm, the Browns fan........he made the catch as the ball came to rest on his chest/arms.

 

6. Cleveland - I havne't been to the new one in Cleveland, but the old one was something outta the Buffalo mold. I imagine alot of it carried over.

 

7. Chicago - I haven't been to the new one, but Soldier Field was pretty good. I was there when the Bears were playing the Pack and Vikes so it was amplified a little bit, but nonetheless, pretty good.

 

8. Miami - Yeah, I know, but the only reason I have them on here is because, my god some of the women are hot around that place. And it's usually skimply clothes all the time. Or so it seemed.

 

9. New England - I was only there once, and didn't get to look around much, but besides traffic nightmares, the lots seemed to be jumping and have that big game feel to it.

 

10. NY Jets - I like the atmosphere at the Meadowlands for Jets games. The fans there seem to be more blue collar than the Giants fans and can whoop it up IF the Jets have a good team.

 

Bottom Five

 

1. Indy - For such a good team, the NFL experience blows.

 

2. Carolina - Talk about borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.

 

3. Atlanta - Worst sports town, period.

 

4. Minnesota - this isn't so much because of bad fans, because they are pretty passionate......but the stadium is THE WORST in the NFL. Ugly, dingy, dirty, and in a horrible setting to set up the excitement.

 

5. Arizona - there just aren't enough people to make that place work! lol

[aussiew]

Add Texas Stadium to the bottom five. Dirty and very expensive to park.

[BeantownRob]

Besides Buffalo, I have been to NE, Pitt, Cle, Den, Giants, Jets, Eagles.

 

Buffalo and Pittsburgh are a tie for intense tailgaiting, lots of great food, loud raucous fans and music and some crazy sights.

 

New England has a good tailgate scenario, not as wild as ours and I haven't been to Gillette nor do I plan on going.

 

Denver? I thought it sucked. But I was there when they had a losing team in November against a horrid Seahag team.

 

Cleveland? Was there when we stomped them in '90. The tailgate was like being in Buffalo only everything was Brown.

 

Philly? Rowdy, crude and intense.

 

Giants? More resevered, possibly the best food spreads.

 

Jets?? See Philly.

 

 

But from what I hear I would have to put

Green Bay

Kansas City

San Diego

up there on the list.

[udonkey]

Cincy is an up and comer - the people in this town forgot what it was like to have a football team, but its been a blast these last two seasons.

[jester43]

1. the ralph...enough said

 

2. mile high...loved it! like a huge erector set...cool mountain air and a gorgeous view of the rockies from our nosebleed seats...now i know where that term comes from!

 

3. pro-player(fish)- maybe it was because i was there for a playofff game, but i have to say i had a great time there. loud rowdy crowd that was fairly respectful...though i did get hit with an ice cube out of someone's soda at one point...the little dancing dolphin on the jumbo tron made me chuckle...i don't know, i was mad we lost, but i had a good time there. the tailgate was great too. plenty of room to party.

 

4. three rivers...mainly for the atmosphere...can't get any more blue collar...although some guy started giving me stevestojan in the men's room for standing there wearing a bills hat...and i was in the middle of a 5-minute piss so there was not much i could do.

 

5. raymond james (tampa)one of the "new" designs ...nice place, but sterile

 

6. heinz field...see above. if i was a steelers fan i would hate that place because it is so "pretty" it just sucks the life out of the crowd. 3 rivers used to just shake...this place just gets "unsettled" when the steelers score.

 

7. the vet- like 3 rivers...but with more anger and less room to tailgate. glad it's gone.

 

8. meadowlands - parking lot was the worst tailgating experience of my life. way too crowded.

[BillsFanNC]

Add Texas Stadium to the bottom five. Dirty and very expensive to park.

86467[/snapback]

 

Went to the Bills game there last year, thats a really stevestojantty stadium.

[Fezmid]

4.  Minnesota - this isn't so much because of bad fans, because they are pretty passionate......but the stadium is THE WORST in the NFL.  Ugly, dingy, dirty, and in a horrible setting to set up the excitement.

 

I've only been to Buffalo, Green Bay and Minnesota. Green Bay is VERY good -- just as good, if not better, than Buffalo, in terms of tailgating. The seating is all bench seating which is different, but it works I guess.

 

Minnesota is terrible - nobody here likes the Dome. The tailgating is almost non-existant because there's really noplace TO tailgate. The fans (for the most part) suck; they back the team when they're doing well, but nobody talks about them when they suck. Hell, even this season I havn't heard all that much Vikings talk. Going to school at the U of Minnesota in the late 90's, I literally saw more people wearing Bills gear than Vikings gear. Minnesota just does not impress me as a sports town and never has. Maybe it was different when the Twins won the WS a couple times 10-15 years ago, but sine '94, I havn't been impressed.\

 

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention - they pipe in music and noise during the game. It's obnoxious. Yeah, the stadium is loud, but 95% of it isn't even real. The NFL warned (fined?) the Vikes about this a couple of years ago, but the practice seems to keep going on.

 

CW

[BF_in_Indiana]

Of the ones I've went to.

 

1. Buffalo - It just has the best tailgating around, period.

2. Cleveland- I have been to both the old and new stadium, the new one isn't set up that great for tailgating, but their fans make it work, the stadium is great.

3. Cincy- I haven't been to the new one, but the atmosphere at Riverfront was good.

(The following two suck)

4. Indy- Dingy, boring. Tailgating sucks there too.

5. Detroit- The Silverdome (not the new field) was the absolute worst place for an NFL game, the parking was horrid, the fans were boring, and the Silverdome was the worst NFL stadium I've been to. I have been to the Vet for Phillies games, but I won't count that.

[buckeyemike]

Anyway, here's my top 10.

 

1.  Green Bay - Their so good at football tailgating, they almost make Brewers games fun beforehand.

 

6.  Cleveland - I havne't been to the new one in Cleveland, but the old one was something outta the Buffalo mold.  I imagine alot of it carried over.

 

 

Bottom Five

 

5.  Arizona - there just aren't enough people to make that place work!  lol

86451[/snapback]

 

I think it's not just Green Bay; tailgating is a WISCONSIN thing. It must have something to do with beer, brats, and cheese. I once saw people tailgating at a Brewers game in late July, on a Thursday afternoon with Milwaukee a million games out of first.

 

As far as my hometown is concerned, the city started enforcing the open container laws, but most of the cops have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy of what's in the cups. But Cleveland has put up fences along the railroad tracks that are about a Jeff Garcia pass from the stadium, because so many drunk fans were putting their lives in danger by crossing the tracks on foot. About 11 years ago, somebody was hit by a train and killed. And it's not unusual for drunken idiots to be dodging traffic on the Shoreway (the highway that runs right in front of Browns Stadium) BEFORE a Browns game.

 

Arizona is actually supposed to have a pretty good tailgate scene. For a description, go to those famous Buffalonians, Peter and Andrew, at their website, The Ultimate Sports Road Trip.

 

Mike

[CentralVaBills]

I think it's not just Green Bay; tailgating is a WISCONSIN thing.  It must have something to do with beer, brats, and cheese.  I once saw people tailgating at a Brewers game in late July, on a Thursday afternoon with Milwaukee a million games out of first.

 

As far as my hometown is concerned, the city started enforcing the open container laws, but most of the cops have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy of what's in the cups.      But Cleveland has put up fences along the railroad tracks that are about a Jeff Garcia pass from the stadium, because so many drunk fans were putting their lives in danger by crossing the tracks on foot.  About 11 years ago, somebody was hit by a train and killed.  And it's not unusual for drunken idiots to be dodging traffic on the Shoreway (the highway that runs right in front of Browns Stadium) BEFORE a Browns game.

 

Arizona is actually supposed to have a pretty good tailgate scene.  For a description, go to those famous Buffalonians, Peter and Andrew, at their website, The Ultimate Sports Road Trip.

 

Mike

87081[/snapback]

 

I hear ya on Milwaukee. LOL, I went to see the Cubs afternoon game agaisnt SL some years ago. I went to college in Indiana. Then we trecked up to a Brewers game for the Pirates (I like them) and the Brewers. Two games, one day. The Cubs game was really cool. Jacked up. When we got to MIL, I thought it was gonna suck big time, and inside it did. But outside, they were tailagating like it was a football game. I thought it was hilarious.

 

I didn't know about tailgaiting in WISC until I worked for FOX. Then I understood that Brewers thing a little better!

[CentralVaBills]

Of the ones I've went to.

 

1. Buffalo - It just has the best tailgating around, period.

2. Cleveland-  I have been to both the old and new stadium, the new one isn't set up that great for tailgating, but their fans make it work, the stadium is great.

3.  Cincy-  I haven't been to the new one, but the atmosphere at Riverfront was good.

(The following two suck)

4.  Indy-  Dingy, boring.  Tailgating sucks there too.

5.  Detroit-  The Silverdome (not the new field) was the absolute worst place for an NFL game, the parking was horrid, the fans were boring, and the Silverdome was the worst NFL stadium I've been to.  I have been to the Vet for Phillies games, but I won't count that.

86602[/snapback]

 

LOL, I hear ya on the INDY thing. I went to Ball State BF. And in the early 90's it was great because the upper deck was filled with Bills fans. The place was louder when the Colts had the ball then when the Bills had it.

 

The tailgating in Indy would make one puke.

 

Horrible NFL City! And such a fun team to watch, it's a shame!