Do you still enjoy attending games?

I probably make it to about four pro sports events per year, which is about half as many as I used to go to. Part of it is that the thrill has worn off after all these years. Part of it is that I dislike the in-game audio assaults our local ownership groups seemingly can't get enough of (EVERY-BODY CLAP YOUR HANDS and similarly silly canned cheers, "boings" and breaking-glass sound effects on foul balls into the stands, deafening music). Economics are a factor, too, -- ticket prices are always rising and my income isn't, and the future is uncertain, so I only go if friends are looking to dump tickets or if I can find a deal through StubHub or a similar outfit.

On the other hand, I attended a high school football game a few years ago at my Chicago-area alma mater (first one I'd been to there in more than 30 years) and thoroughly enjoyed it -- I'd probably go to as many games as possible if I lived there. Granted, the atmosphere is more "big-time" than high school events typically are -- the team plays in a 4,500-seat stadium with artificial turf and a JumboTron and usually advances deep into the state playoffs -- but it was quite nostalgic, inexpensive and a lot of fun.

 

As far as the in-stadium experience goes, I'll do almost anything to avoid the NFL. When there's a break in the action I can't stand the mind-numbing, god-awful music you can hear 20 miles away, the plea to "turn your attention to the field" so I can applaud the Cheerleader of the Week, the barrage of commercials I have no interest in, the need to scream "first down" because, evidently none of the other 75,000 people around me can see the chains being moved, a three-hour scroll of fantasy stats, etc., etc.

Every time I walk out of an NFL stadium I'm just thankful my head hasn't exploded.

 

I am really not a fan who lives and dies by a team, but I like going to see just about any sporting events.

My son finished his senior year wrestling this year and that's a sport where you can really tell who has put the work in and where one quick move can mean that match. No hiding in right field in wrestling.

That has been fun to watch. And you spend a LOT of time watching kids other than your own in wrestling.

But in any competition you can see players succeed or fail and maybe find a villain or two. So it's (almost) always fun still.

 

My answer: it depends. I go to a few MLB games a year, and while I enjoy that for the most part, a lot depends on the people who end up in the seats around me. I had a bad experience a few years ago when I took my mom to a game. There was a young couple sitting next to me, seemingly sober, but yelling (and I mean yelling) horrible things at the opposing team. They weren't cursing, but it was really disruptive and uncomfortable. The guy was huge and menacing. There was a family sitting behind us and the father politely asked them to keep their voices down and the woman went off on him. He complained to the usher, who didn't do anything, although the couple quieted down for awhile. Then they started up again. So that wasn't fun. Another time, we were sitting in the busiest row ever at a sporting event. I've never seen so many people getting up during a game before, and not just between innings. The seats and rows were really close together so you kind of had to stand up to let the other person by, although after having to stand up about eight times in half an inning, we just made them climb over us. Again, not fun.

But when the people around me aren't obnoxious and I'm able to find reasonably priced seats, I love going to baseball games. College basketball, too.

Pro basketball is a mixed bag. Someone upthread mentioned Wizards-Nets. I wasn't sure which arena you went to or if it was the NJ or Brooklyn Nets, but if it was the former, I'm not surprised. Both the Wizards and the (NJ-era) Nets have someone the worst game night experiences in the NBA. It's like all the energy is sucked out of the building. I was at a Lakers-Nets NBA Finals gane and there was no energy in the building.

I went to an NFL pre-season game a long time ago and we left when the guy sitting in front of us stood up and the gun he had tucked in the small of his back was exposed.

 

It gets tougher and tougher to justify going, especially with a family of four with two younger kids (9 and 7).

I still enjoy going to college basketball games. We have two big-time teams and one mid-major locally and we go to about 6-7 games a year. We went to two NFL games last year.

 

Even though we're five hours from the nearest MLB city (Seattle), we still get to either a regular-season or spring training game once a year. Including this year, when we'll be visiting my parents and other family in the Phoenix area next week, for spring break. As Batman noted, if you only go once a year, you're more willing to splurge on tickets, overpriced ballpark food, etc. (BTW, the Mariners have an excellent array of ballpark food — and maybe a team to match this season).

I've attended a few college football and basketball games since moving to the Northwest six years ago, and they've been enjoyable. But yes, cost is a factor — Idaho and Washington State aren't very good football schools, but they still believe you should pay BCS-league prices for tickets. Their poor attendance reflects how well that pricing works.

We have a WHL team nearby and I've been meaning to attend a game, but with my work schedule and everyone else's busy weekends, haven't been able to do it yet. It's quality hockey, though, and they make it fun and quasi-affordable with various promotions.

 

MLB is the only sport I really care to attend in person. Atlanta is the closest team at about 5 hours away, but we usually hit one or two games a year. I'm working on seeing all 30 teams play at home (I'm up to 20 now), and hope to see the rest at some point. We have a Double-A minor league team in town, but we probably only go to 1 or 2 games a year.

I used to make it to at least one college football game every year, but my schedule changed last year and now I work on Saturdays. But if it wasn't for comp/heavily discounted tickets from college friends, I'd probably never have gone to the ones I did.

I've been to one NFL game as a fan and don't care to go to another. The only two NBA games I've attended were with comp tickets because I was covering a bowl game in that town. Never been to an NHL game.

I'd like to attend the Kentucky Derby, Indy 500 or Masters at some point, but it's not a priority.

 

I really don't like going as a fan to see the local NFL team (that I used to cover) play, but my kids like going, so I man up and deal with it. I'm not going to deny them going to games because it's a little uncomfortable for me.

 

I love going to baseball games. You get some beer, a hot dog and sit in a relaxed spot and watch the game. I've been to plenty that were really exciting to cancel out the ones that weren't so good. The fans just talk about nothing. A few heckle the opposing team (or even the home team). With the exception of Dodgers Stadium, I've never been to a major league game where I didn't feel safe or didn't otherwise enjoy myself. Minor league games are fantastic as well. I love the little gimmicks they have, like passing the hat for the player who hit a homer and the weird games they play between innings. By the way, a bachelor's party in a suite at a minor league game with a dozen of your most obnoxious friends is quite possibly the Best. Experience. Ever.

Football is another matter. I've been to three in my life and all three were OK, but not great. The first I went with my dad the year Steve Young got his bell rung for the last time, so the Niners were garbage and the fans were only slightly better. The second time, it got so cold in Candlestick I thought I was going to die. My fully charged cell phone did die. The third time was this past year at Levis Stadium. It was hot, uncomfortable and the fans were obnoxious. My wife and I just didn't feel right in the stadium. As an example, people who leave early from games get on my nerves. I was asking my wife if she was ready to go in the third quarter. I probably won't go back to another NFL game.

 

Agree with what Dyno said up thread. I am far from a prude but don't really want to hear someone dropping f bombs for 3 hours whether I have my kids or not. If you are surrounded by fun fans it makes all the difference in the world.

A buddy and I took our girlfriends to a CFL game and 2 hosers in front of us were fun hammered and yelled the entire game, their chants of BC SUCKS..and SASKATCHEWAN SWALLOWS were awesome, especially because neither BC or Saskatchewan was playing.

Conversely a group of us sat behind SUPER INTENSE baseball guy at a Spring Training game in Viera, Florida (Go Nats!) What should have been a fun afternoon in the sun wrecked by one idiot screaming his head off the entire time. Despite that we still try to hit a Spring training game when we are Florida for March break, kids usually only last 6 innings but that is fine for us.

I usually try to get an NBA game in if I am in an NBA city for work, still enough of a novelty that has not worn off.

 

Would never take my children to an NFL game these days.
I enjoy fun and merriment as much as any dude alive, but that's not what a lot of these folks are there for.

I have seen this simian behavior start to pervade baseball games, as well.

So f-k all of it. I will drink my own cheap beer in my own comfortable living room with no potentially violent people around me and mine.

 

This aspect also has turned me against attending NFL games in this market. Not only are ticket sales for the local team soft, but we're in a Sun Belt state with a lot of transplants. If the opponent is from the Northeast or Midwest, or if's an opponent such as the Cowboys with a big national following, 25 percent to 50 percent of the fans are cheering for the visiting team. Combine that with heavy alcohol consumption, and there are fights from the opening kickoff until the end of the game. And if it's a rivalry game, you can count on brawls even during pregame tailgating.