Sports | Game

Many NFL fans live a long distance, even on the other side of the country, from their favorite team’s location, making it difficult to attend their home games. An alternative is to look for the team’s “away” or road games that are in your region. Some NFL fans even believe that supporting their team on the road is part of being a true, loyal fan. The home team’s fans, however, may resent having the other team’s fans in their stadium, and even be openly hostile toward them. Having a fun and memorable road game experience requires planning and following a few simple rules of etiquette.

Safety in Numbers
It can be a lonely feeling taking your seats in the middle of an endless sea of people dressed in the home team’s colors. You’ll have more fun if you are with other fans of your own team. Look for travel agents that specialize in creating sports events, packages arranging tickets, lodging and air travel for the visiting team’s fans. Some teams even have dedicated tour groups that buy blocks of tickets in one part of the stadium so these fans can all sit together. An alternative is to attend the game with friends of yours who are fans of the home team. They can act as a buffer so you won’t have to interact with strangers who may not like having fans of the opposing team in their stadium.

Cheer For Your Team But
Never jeer or boo the home team, which can provoke an angry reaction from the home team’s fans sitting near you. If you behave like you’re a guest in someone’s home, you’re more likely to be welcomed.

Research the Venue
Some NFL teams’ fans have a reputation for being more hospitable to the visiting team’s fans. Conversely, there are sections of certain team’s stadiums where the home team fans have a reputation for rudeness to visitors. Check out Internet discussions forums dedicated to your team. Ask fans who have attended games in the city you intend to visit how they were treated, and which part of the stadium they were in.

Make It a Mini-Vacation
Most NFL teams have more difficulty winning on the road than at home. This means that even if your favorite team is one of the elite teams, there’s a significant chance they will lose, and losing can make the long trip home seem even longer. Try staying an extra day or two and including sightseeing or recreational activities on the trip so you will have some happy memories to take home even if your team suffers a defeat.

Avoid Conflict
If you encounter a rude person on your way in or out of the stadium, someone who makes insulting remarks about your team, its players or fans, don’t respond in kind. Defuse the situation by saying something positive about the home team or the city. It this happens before the game, surprise the ill-mannered individual by telling him you think his team is going to win that day, or that his team is obviously superior. He won’t know you’re being completely insincere. calculate rakeback