NFL stadiums give fans the real experience

Soldier Field, home of the Bears

Soldier Field, home of the Bears

By Matthew Petrovitch, Staff Writer

It’s the 4th quarter, fourth and goal from the opponent 5 yard line, shotgun snap…Many people wait their whole lives to hear or watch these types of moments of their favorite football team on TV, but would you spend the money to see it live? When you break the ticket price down, you are paying for more than just your ticket. It is the whole experience of the game, tailgating, the venue, and the atmosphere.

When you go to a game you want the atmosphere to be playoff like (if it isn’t already), the food to be just right and the beer to be ice cold. You have an expectation when you see a professional stadium and the chills it gives you when you walk in for the first time. That is really what you are paying for. The experience every fan wants.

Here is my perception of the top 10 stadium experiences you cannot put a price on.

  1. Lambeau Field-Green Bay Packers

Lambeau Field is always electric on Sundays. The average ticket price last year was $107.12. Not bad for a team who is 141-42-1 at home since the 1992 season. You can expect the small town of Green Bay to grow because Lambeau Field can hold up to 81,435 people. The community is down to earth and home grown according to Packers fan, Joey Collins. “I have gone to four games here and when the game is over, I do not want to leave. It feels like home” Collins said. Lambeau Field was named after first coach, Curly Lambeau. Also, the Super Bowl trophy is named after the Packers legend who won the first two, Vince Lombardi. When you are there, you can see them on display and see the 50-foot replica in the atrium. The Pack added a new Hall of Fame which has two stories and covers 15,000 square ft. Green Bay has started something great for fans all around the league.

  1. Arrowhead Stadium-Kansas City Chiefs

Arrowhead Stadium is home to the loudest fans in the NFL. According to Sports Illustrated: “Chiefs fans registered a record 142.2 decibels on September 29, 2014.” This was in a week 4 game against the Patriots where they won 41-14. Chiefs tickets average $73.76 a seat and as a fan you know, but for those who want to experience the atmosphere this fan base brings to the table, it is well worth it.

  1. Centurylink Field-Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks fans call themselves 12s. They are the 12th man the opponent has to face. It is one of the loudest stadiums, and the way the stadium was built helps. It is half a dome with the middle open, to help sound stay inside the dome part to echo out onto the field. As you enter the stadium they hand you lime green Seahawks earbuds. The average seat costs $96.36. A very manageable price in the NFL today. Seattle wants their stadium loud and that is exactly what you can anticipate.

  1. Sports Authority Field (Mile High Stadium)-Denver Broncos

Speaking from experience, this is one, if not my favorite stadium. The pregame festivities will blow you away. Before kickoff, the have skydivers land in the stadium and the crowd is just going nuts as if they scored a touchdown. During the game, when the opposing team drops a pass you will hear the loudest crowd chat ever screaming, “incomplete!” Being a part of the playoff like atmosphere for an average ticket price of $103.05 you will get your money’s worth.

  1. Heinz Field-Pittsburgh Steelers

The views the stadium has are unlike any in the league. While sitting in the upper west level of the stadium, you can look out past the scoreboard and have the best view in the city. The Pittsburgh skyline in the background of the cities favorite team. You will look down and see 68,400 of your closest friends dressed like you, waving the same terrible towel as you. The tickets average $104.60 a piece, so if your heart bleeds black and gold this has your name written all over it.

  1. AT&T Stadium-Dallas Cowboys

I have been here before for Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott’s first NFL game and the fans were full of anticipation. It seemed like there was a press conference for the fans. Every radio station wanted to get a fan response to Dak potentially taking Tony Romo’s starting job. It always seems like the world is surrounding “America’s Team.” They have endless amount of food courts and in the suits, they have people cooking right in front of you. The Cowboys are the wealthiest franchise in the NFL and their stadium shows it. Their jumbotron is so large that it goes from one 20 yard line to the other. Your average ticket price of $112.05 will give you endless amounts of options to have the best game day experience.

  1. Gillette Stadium-New England Patriots

The 2018 average ticket price was $127.04 and no matter where you sit, there is not a bad seat. Every seat in Gillette Stadium is centered towards the middle of the field for the fan to get the best view possible. The fireworks that go off right before every game will send chills down your spin. When the Patriots score, the Patriots militia will shoot off and it is one of the loudest sounds you will hear during a game. The thrill the fans get from this is unlike anything else in the league. You can also see all 6 Lombardi trophies on display and in 2019, they look to get a Hall of Fame at Gillette.

  1. Mercedes-Benz Superdome-New Orleans Saints

The beloved Superdome has a capacity of 74,295 fans and has an average ticket price of $90.14. Over the past few seasons there has been plenty of records broken and of course every game is like the Mardi Gras parade. The electricity in the air of having one of the best fan bases and teams in the league right now, every game is do or die. As a football fan, this has to be on your bucket list of stadiums to visit.

  1. Soldier Field-Chicago Bears

Being from the Chicagoland area, Soldier Field was the first NFL stadium I have ever been to. It was an experience I will never forget. It was truly a once in a lifetime feeling. My first game was in 2009, and as we all know, a lot has changed since then. New coach, new team. The thrills and joy this team will bring to the city is worth every penny. The average cost of tickets are $111.19. The history this storied franchise has, it has to be on a bucket list of NFL fans across the world.

  1. US Bank Stadium-Minnesota Vikings

Holding 66,655 people the Vikings newly done stadium costs $1.061 billion and the average ticket price is $99.72. I was there for a weekend when it was being built and thought to myself, there is no way this will be done in time for the Super Bowl, but it was. It was home to Super Bowl 52 between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. The fans were in for a real treat. When you are outside the stadium looking at the glass wall and its reflection, you will see the city’s skyline. Before Vikings games, they will have a special guest blow the Viking horn to keep start the game.