My tickets are in 148 and I couldn't hear a word of what the refs were saying and this was not the first time. Spoke to a buddy of mine who was two sections over and they couldn't hear anything either. It was really annoying.
I have gone to the games for 30+ years and am 41, but the amount of people who attend these games simply as an excuse to drink is just astronomical. I am not a down in front guy and I would like to think I am not a get off my lawn type of guy either, but the stadium experience is going downhill. I like to drink moderately just as most do, but if you are going to go to a game simply to get bombed, I would think the local bar would be a better option, cheaper and closer to your home. I don't care if people stand up on third downs or on any play that grabs their attention, but the amount of idiots who stand up in a middle of a play for no reason because they are bombed out of their mind is annoying.
Yep, that's Goodell's NFL. They're "growing the game", you see!
As for NFL games, that sucks to hear about the stadium experience at MetLife being so poor. It's one thing to have issues at an 'away' venue, but in your own backyard, so to speak, is a raw deal.
If I had the opportunity to go to Giants games 'locally' like many of you, I think I might cherry-pick non-conference or at least out-of-division games. At least in theory, it seems like there'd be less interest and fewer of the idiots to deal with when, say, the Bucs, Texans, Dolphins come to town.
The guys to the left of us host a huge tailgate and we have an open invitation all season, so it makes it easy if we do want to party. Otherwise, we'll typically get sandwiches from a deli, bring a cooler and hang out in the lot before we go in. We park far enough away that we avoid much of the traffic going in and out. The nice thing is, it gets me out of the house for a day doing adult things.
I do see people who get up in the middle of a play. Again, that's a function of all the new people going to games. You don't have to get all offended, just explain it to them. Most people are pretty cool if you make your case. If not, then its on them.
And don't get me wrong: I do not like the new stadium. My seats are farther away, getting into and out of the stadium is harder, and the food and traffic issues are not noticeably improved. It's still worth it to go to, but that's me.
And that was a free ticket.
I have zero interest in NFL games and stadium concerts. I can tell too many stories about how the "section drunk" was in the seat directly behind me.
Regarding the drunks, in the 30 plus years I've been going to Giants games, they've always been there. I've thrown back way more than my fair share, but now I'm older and don't drink much at all. As long as people aren't bothering me or the people around me then they can get their lode on. I hope these people aren't driving drunk, though I'm sure they probably are.
Shitty loss yesterday afternoon.... For chrissakes...
At halftime we were both able to hit the head and get something to eat. I was amazed that the lines were so short.
I like to watch stuff that happens away from the ball. You can't do that watching on TV.
Yeah, the constant up and down is a drag, and seems quite a bit worse than in the past. Drunkenness and fighting doesn't seem materially different to me than in the past, and, at least in my section, I can hear the refs just fine. It is frustrating that there are more people not really paying attention to the game in front of them, but that just seems to be the way of the world now - it's pretty much that way at every sporting event I go to, not just MetLife.
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and I'm 42, so I'm kind of in your same wheelhouse. What I've noticed over the years is the "knowledgeable" Giants fans that Madden and Summerall used to laud when they did game, has declined. Here is a small example, and it does have to do with the drinking. In the past, fans understood when to get up to get a drink/go to the bathroom/ etc. You used to wait for a play to be over. If you were coming down the aisle, you would actually kneel down and wait for a play to be over, and then make your way in. Now, in the middle of a play, people will just get up and stroll in, no clue that there is action on the field. Drives me insane.
Yeah, the constant up and down is a drag, and seems quite a bit worse than in the past. Drunkenness and fighting doesn't seem materially different to me than in the past, and, at least in my section, I can hear the refs just fine. It is frustrating that there are more people not really paying attention to the game in front of them, but that just seems to be the way of the world now - it's pretty much that way at every sporting event I go to, not just MetLife.
I agree with this. The drunkenness and fights in my opinion does not seem any different than it did 15 years ago. The way of the world is different in terms of people not paying as much attention to the game, on their phones, etc. But that doesn't change anywhere. The experience of the game is certainly a lot about who you attend with. I have had very few bad experiences and attend almost every game. And everyone has been a drunk before- there are very few Giants fans in my experience who would respond negatively if asked nicely to change a behavior.
I do miss Giants Stadium and so many of the things that go with it- the rustic feel, the continuity of the people around you if you are a season ticket holder or regular, and a lot of that has been ruined by PSL's/Stubhub over the last several years.
I am not a MetLife apologist- but I will say this. The experience at MetLife is 10x better than the experience of a game at new Yankee Stadium. I have been quite impressed how easily you can make a bathroom trip or get beers/food at MetLife. You can make very trip concession or bathroom trips, even at halftime. This has gotten better over the years, while at Yankee Stadium it's a 2-3 inning commitment if you want to eat or get a new beer. It's absolutely absurd.
Like was said above, early September games are a bit different. As the season goes on, less social-event crowd fans are at the games and the more hardcore fans fill the seats. Hopefully this team will still be competitive this year by then...
Actually, I never thought of this. That is a great idea. My wife and friends went to the US Open. I just figured the broadcast would be delayed from the live action but they said it was synced up. At the very least send it to the season ticket holders. I would have love to have heard either Bob Papa or even the Fox telecast when calls were challenged and they go to Mike Perriera for his perspective.
I had received an email from the team last week to fill out a survey. I filled it out this week and put my thoughts down as to the Skins game and the sound system, drinking etc.. I also think with 4 screens they can do a much better job with Red Zone. Don't need sound but why not play it continuously and the other screen has game highlights and stats. Make the game as similar to being at home as possible.