I've decided to write a sequel to my post about my experience at two basketball games. Since attending the Indiana Pacers game, I have now attended an event from all three major sports, NFL, NBA, and MLB. So I've decided to compare the three and come up with the best experience between the 3.
I will start with the NFL experience. I along with my father, brother, and cousin attended Texas Stadium to see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. This is hard to compare to because this game took place in 1995. The Chiefs traveled to Dallas in what they hoped would be a Super Bowl preview. The Colts and Chiefs kicker Lin Elliot had the final say in the matter, but that was much later. I remember walking into the stadium and seeing the field for the first time. That "wow" feeling will remain with me forever. As kickoff approached, the stadium filled up. What was surprising to me is how well both teams were represented. Texas stadium had two levels. The lower level was mostly blue for the Cowboys, and the upper level was mostly red in support of the Chiefs. Our seats were VERY good. My uncle had got us four tickets from a friend of his. Problem was they were two tickets together in seperate locations. My brother and cousin sat in the lower level, on the Chiefs sideline towards the corner of the endzone. My dad and I sat in the lower level in the middle of the field on the Cowboys sideline. I remember sitting there surrounded by cowboys fans. I remember a small group of Chiefs fans sitting behind us that were, let's say, supporting their team. My dad and I sat quietly, thinking it wise to not say too much being surrounded by the blue. Another memory that stands out is the crowd chanting "MOOOOOOOOOSE" when Daryll "Moose" Johnston touched the ball or made a play. I remember Justin asking why the crowd was "BOO"ing him, as it did sound like that. But it was a good game, coming down to the wire. That is the only NFL game I have attended and that was over 15 years ago. Troy Aikman and Steve Bono were the quarterbacks. Jay Novacek was the tight end for the cowboys. While it was pretty amazing to see one of the greatest Cowboys teams in history, featuring Troy Aikman, Emmit Smith, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders. It was a long time ago, and left a very memorable impression on me. The NFL has come a long way since then. That was only one game. While it might be hard to find a better fan experience than Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, I'm sure there are. Some people say the NFL best fan experience, and they may be right.
Last night in my blog I talked about attending an Indiana Pacers game versus the Detroit Pistons. What stood out in my mind more than anything was the magnificent venue, Conseco Fieldhouse. It's a very modern building nestled into the downtown landscape. Anyone wanting to build new stadiums often want to build in the downtown of the respective city. Well, the architects, designers, and planners got it right here. Every new facitlity should model itself after Conseco. My biggest fear with any downtown facility would be parking and coming and going. Conseco has a parking garage right across the street for a resonable rate you can part in an enclosed garage and walk across a a walkway into the Entry Pavillion without having to enter the elements, rain, snow, wind, etc. The other plus for me was the "Star Power". There were several players on both teams with big name players that you hear about all the time, watch on Sportscenter, and watched in college not to long ago. They put on a pretty impressive show. But the downside for me was the lack of attendance. Probably half the magnificent arena sat empty. So it's hard to judge this experience. I'm sure it would be a completely different and electrifying atmosphere if the Pacers were a top team and playing someone like the Knicks, Heat, Bulls, Lakers, etc. It was a good game, and very entertaining. And you don't get a much better ending than Brandon Rush taking a pass from Danny Granger and dunking it with authority taking back the lead with just a few seconds to go. But I would have to give it an incomplete because I know there are much better environments than this and would lead to a better grade.
The third is an MLB game. I have had the opportunity to attend two different venues, unlike the NFL and NBA. I have been to see the Kansas City Royals on many occasions. I have also been to Coors Field once, to see the Rockies take on the San Francisco Giants. I remember going to my first Royals game. We were kids and a good friend of the family got us tickets to see the Royals take on the Chicago White Sox. My brother was a White Sox fan at this time, so it would be pretty cool. We were all SO excited and couldn't wait to go. We wanted to get there early and get some autographs but we didn't get there in time. It was still a fun game. I remember getting a foul ball his right to us, and it his the concrete under one of our seats and bounced up and hit the bottom of the seat and rolled away. It's everyone's dream to get a foul ball hit to them. The ball rolled away and someone else got it, but that's the closest i've ever been to getting that precious foul ball. Some people go years without even getting close to a foul ball, and we got that close on our very first game as kids. I have been back to Kauffman stadium several times. Every time has left a lasting impression on me. My most recent visit was to see the Royals take on the Minnesota Twins. Luke Hochevar pitched a good game, and got out of a few jams. Still having plenty left, then Royals manager Hillman decided to pull him, and on the VERY next pitch, the relief pitcher gave up a 3 run homerun, tieing up the game. The Royals eventually lost in extra innings. But what I love most about going to a game is the electric environment. Every time I go, I just feel so alive and greatful to be there. It is hard to describe the feeling I get. It is a feeling I did not experience at the NFL or NBA game. The downside is the lack of support the Royals receive, much like the Pacers. I attended a game on Labor Day weekend several years ago. This was a Saturday night, and they were taking on the Chicago White Sox. The Sox were the defending champions, having won the World Series the year before. Our seats were behind the White Sox dugout on the 3rd base side, so we were around many other White Sox fans. During this game there were a handful of great plays by Royals fielders, worth of being and ESPN "Webgem". Yet there were more and louder cheers for the White Sox. The visiting team's fans supported their team better than the HOME team Royals fans did. As a deep down Royals fan this really bothered me. But it was still a pretty good game and an amazing feeling. I still got the wow feeling I can't explain despite all this. I have decided that if it feels this awesome and amazing to attend a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium, how would it feel to attend a Cubs game at Wrigley? A Red Sox game at Fenway? A Cardinals game at the Busch? A Giants game at Pac Bell? (yes, I know it's AT&T park now, but which name sounds better?!?!)? or a Dodgers game at Dodgers Stadium? If I felt that good about attending a Royals game, I can't imagine the feeling I would get walking onto the Wrigley Field Concourse. With my current location I am only 2.5 hours from Cincinnati and 3 hours from Chicago and St Louis. I am hoping before the summer to attend a few more games and get a better analysis, so stay tuned for that.
Those that know me, know about my passion for baseball. Between my passion for the game, the feeling I get, and my knowledge of the game, I feel pretty confident in saying my MLB experience was the best of the 3. I don't want to take anything away from the NBA or NFL. If I were offered tickets to Arrowhead Stadium to see the Chiefs, or Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks, I certainly wouldn't turn them down. But I still prefer the baseball experience. It's tought to beat.
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