As I mentioned, I took a short road trip on Sunday to watch an NFL football game in Seattle. Although I tune in to my television every Sunday to catch some crazy pigskin action, this was the first time that I’ve ever watched an NFL game live and in person. Let me tell you, it’s quite different than strolling into BC Place Stadium to watch a CFL game with the BC Lions.
It was very loud and very busy. I suppose this should have been expected — I knew it was going to be loud — but it was still quite a shock to walk into Qwest Field surrounded by over 60,000 very rowdy fans. On the day, the hometown Seattle Seahawks took on the struggling St. Louis Rams. And when I say struggling, I mean it. Heading into Sunday’s encounter, the Rams were a dismal 0-6. By the end of the fourth quarter, Marc Bulger and the rest of the Rams were sent home with a record of zero wins and seven losses.
Known as the loudest stadium in the NFL, Qwest Field is a scary place for an opposing offense to find itself. Every time that you the have the ball under center, the Seahawks fans just go ballistic, creating an inordinate amount of noise and effectively making it impossible for any player to hear the snap count. The St. Louis Rams were called for no fewer than five false starts, bringing the total number of opponent’s false starts in Qwest Field to over 60 (since 2005). It was the Seahawks defense that won the game, getting 7 sacks, 2 fumbles recovered, and 2 interceptions.
It was no contest. The Seahawks trampled all over the Rams by a score of 33 to 6.
On a side note, if you’re wondering about the video above, it was taken using my trusty Canon S3 IS digital camera with 12x optical zoom. Although I was pretty much sitting in the nosebleeds (row JJ of the upper bowl), my camera was able to zoom in real close to the gridiron. Even without the camera, though, sight lines are actually quite good in Qwest Field… that is, until all the fans stand up to cheer, jeer, or celebrate. Which is pretty much every play.
I loved my first NFL live experience. It’s so different than watching it on TV or in a bar, because there is such a sense of camaraderie being shared between 60,000+ rabid fans. Game day is a major event, arguably getting much rowdier than any Vancouver Canucks hockey game. I’d definitely go again if given the opportunity.
A hearty thank you to Ratiopharm for organizing and funding the trip. I went for free, because Susanne works at a pharmacy that buys Ratiopharm products. This is the company’s third annual trip, which included free round-trip transportation from Vancouver, breakfast and drinks on the bus, concession vouchers for use at Qwest Field, and (of course) tickets to the game. Can’t beat the price of free, especially for such an awesome experience.
As much fun as it is to be at an NFL game, I’ve always enjoyed watching the actual game from home more than being at the stadium.
It isn’t just because there is no line at the bathroom and the beer is much cheaper either. I like being able to see the replays and closeups of key plays. But there is something to be said about the atmosphere at the game though.
It’s too bad your first NFL game had to be between the Seahawks and Rams! Some might say that isn’t even an NFL game, lol. 🙂
I was so young at the only NFL game I went to, I fell asleep and woke up at home. It is a 3 hr. drive from Lambeau to where I lived.
Still, I do remember it.