For Those Who Have Been to Texas Stadium

[Smithian]

How was it? I have tickets to the game Sunday and was wanting to know people's opinion. Any advice on parking? How early to get there? How are the fans? Anyone else going?

Thanks for the help.

If this post shouldn't be here, I'm sorry.

[Judge]

Sunday will be my 17th consecutive Cowboys/Redskins game there.

Parking, unless you know where to, is a pain. Don't park on the stadium grounds or you'll be stuck there for three hours after the game. Find one of the cash lots off of 183 and Loop 12.

Google Map for your reference.

My advice: 183 East past the stadium, exit Grauwyler. Grauwyler west to Maryland Drive, then north into the industrial buildings where you can park for between $12-$18. Then follow the crowd across the street.

I live in Fort Worth, which is 25 minutes from Texas Stadium with no traffic. (Or at least how *I* drive it is. I'm a bit of a lead foot.) I'll leave my house two hours before game time, and I'll easily be in my seat half an hour before kickoff, and I'll be parking in the place I've described.

The Cowboy fans are...well...they're exactly what you'd expect. Very ugly, very drunk, very loud, very smelly, very obnoxious, and very unaware of the rules of NFL football in that not EVERY play warrants a flag on the opposition.

Furthermore, the Cowboys call themselves "America's Team." In terms of the makeup of the Texas Stadium crowd, they seem to be "Mexico's Team" these days. So unless you habla espanol, you'll be in the minority. And they'll give you crap about wearing burgundy and gold, but it's all in Spanish. So if you're a white guy like me, it'll go in one ear and out the other.

The concession lines suck. There aren't enough of them and if you go for beer and nachos at halftime, you'll miss the third quarter. So get everything you need before the game and ration it.

The bathrooms are no better. Dirty and disgusting and smelly, much like the team that calls the stadium their home. And again...the lines, EVEN for the men's room, are ridiculous at halftime. So go before you leave home, and then wait for a television timeout during the game to go again if you have to.

If the Cowboys win, the fans will hoot and holler and you'll hear it all the way to your car. Some will probably even try to pick a fight with you, since they've got the benefit of having drank seventeen beers during the game and they'll have the good judgement that goes along with it. And that includes the females. Just smile and remind them that as of Sunday, it will have been THREE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SEVEN GLORIOUS DAYS since the Cowboys last won a playoff game. Not that I'm counting...

If the Redskins win, it will be silence. Deafening, beautiful silence...interrupted only by the mumbles of drunk, angry men on their way home to beat up their wives/girlfriends. Because it's HER damn fault. (Domestic violence goes up FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area on days that the Cowboys lose.)

Traffic getting out of there isn't as bad as getting in if you're quick enough. Just get away from the immediate vicinity of the stadium as fast as you can, because invariably someone has a wreck on 183 or 114 and it snarls traffic for miles while they wait for a tow truck and the cops. And then the cops arrest them for DUI and the traffic backs up even more. So do yourself a favor and get outta there ASAP before that all has a chance to happen.

Good luck.

*EDITED to fix directions to parking. Forgot that Loop 12 is a nightmare going south before a game. Much easier to go past there and take the Grauwyler exit off of 183.*

[Texas Hog]

Sunday will be my 17th consecutive Cowboys/Redskins game there.

Parking, unless you know where to, is a pain. Don't park on the stadium grounds or you'll be stuck there for three hours after the game. Find one of the cash lots off of 183 and Loop 12.

Google Map for your reference.

My advice: South on Loop 12 to Grauwyler. Go east and park in one of the industrial lots on Maryland Drive. Expect to pay $12-$18 there. Follow the crowd to the stadium.

I live in Fort Worth, which is 25 minutes from Texas Stadium with no traffic. (Or at least how *I* drive it is. I'm a bit of a lead foot.) I'll leave my house two hours before game time, and I'll easily be in my seat half an hour before kickoff, and I'll be parking in the place I've described.

The Cowboy fans are...well...they're exactly what you'd expect. Very ugly, very drunk, very loud, very smelly, very obnoxious, and very unaware of the rules of NFL football in that not EVERY play warrants a flag on the opposition.

Furthermore, the Cowboys call themselves "America's Team." In terms of the makeup of the Texas Stadium crowd, they seem to be "Mexico's Team" these days. So unless you habla espanol, you'll be in the minority. And they'll give you crap about wearing burgundy and gold, but it's all in Spanish. So if you're a white guy like me, it'll go in one ear and out the other.

The concession lines suck. There aren't enough of them and if you go for beer and nachos at halftime, you'll miss the third quarter. So get everything you need before the game and ration it.

The bathrooms are no better. Dirty and disgusting and smelly, much like the team that calls the stadium their home. And again...the lines, EVEN for the men's room, are ridiculous at halftime. So go before you leave home, and then wait for a television timeout during the game to go again if you have to.

If the Cowboys win, the fans will hoot and holler and you'll hear it all the way to your car. Some will probably even try to pick a fight with you, since they've got the benefit of having drank seventeen beers during the game and they'll have the good judgement that goes along with it. And that includes the females. Just smile and remind them that as of Sunday, it will have been THREE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SEVEN GLORIOUS DAYS since the Cowboys last won a playoff game. Not that I'm counting...

If the Redskins win, it will be silence. Deafening, beautiful silence...interrupted only by the mumbles of drunk, angry men on their way home to beat up their wives/girlfriends. Because it's HER damn fault. (Domestic violence goes up FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area on days that the Cowboys lose.)

Traffic getting out of there isn't as bad as getting in if you're quick enough. Just get away from the immediate vicinity of the stadium as fast as you can, because invariably someone has a wreck on 183 or 114 and it snarls traffic for miles while they wait for a tow truck and the cops. And then the cops arrest them for DUI and the traffic backs up even more. So do yourself a favor and get outta there ASAP before that all has a chance to happen.

Good luck.

Hilarious post! Thanks for the advise. I too am heading to that hole they call Texas Stadium for the first time this weekend.

After reading your post I'm a little concerned about the safety of my wife - and hell my own for that matter. I've purchased her a jersey and I'll have my jersey on and B&G cap on as well - but don't want her hasseled or harassed to the point where I have to throw down with one of those idiots.

I want to go and show my support, but don't want to regret doing it. Are they really that obnoxious?

[HEROHAMO]

Hey Brethren, Be careful out there.

I once went to a Raiders Chargers game with my Redskins gear and am lucky to have made it out alive.

I hope they are not as bad as the Raiders fans. I am sure all you will hear is a bunch of heckling. Usually it is a good idea to go to a game like that with a good group of your toughest homies. Thats what I usually do.

[VetSkinsFan]

Never wen tot a game out there. I know TX in general is insame about their college/high school football, I can't see NFL being any more peaceful. Good luck, be safe and if you have to, KICK 'EM IN THE JUNK!!!!

[Smithian]

I can handle obnoxious; I sat between a few Kentucky basketball fans one time. What worries me is I'll have some drunk idiot behind me who will start puking halfway through like I have seen happen around me a couple times at Redskins game.

If I am planning on getting to the game about 2-2.5 hours before the game, how will the parking be in the $20 lots?

[DEHog]

The Cowboy fans are...well...they're exactly what you'd expect. Very ugly, very drunk, very loud, very smelly, very obnoxious, and very unaware of the rules of NFL football in that not EVERY play warrants a flag on the opposition.

That sounds like FedEx to me. Dallas fans have been great as far as I have expirenced. Now the stadium is a different question. Hard to believe America's Team plays in a hole like that!!

[Texas Hog]

The Cowboy fans are...well...they're exactly what you'd expect. Very ugly, very drunk, very loud, very smelly, very obnoxious, and very unaware of the rules of NFL football in that not EVERY play warrants a flag on the opposition.

That sounds like FedEx to me. Dallas fans have been great as far as I have expirenced. Now the stadium is a different question. Hard to believe America's Team plays in a hole like that!!

DEHog do you go to games at Texas Stadium regularly? Wear our colors?

[langleyparkjoe]

they seem to be "Mexico's Team" these days. So unless you habla espanol, you'll be in the minority. And they'll give you crap about wearing burgundy and gold, but it's all in Spanish. So if you're a white guy like me, it'll go in one ear and out the other.

If the Redskins win, it will be silence. Deafening, beautiful silence...interrupted only by the mumbles of drunk, angry men on their way home to beat up their wives/girlfriends. Because it's HER damn fault. (Domestic violence goes up FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area on days that the Cowboys lose.)
[/color]

Brutha that was soooooooo friggin hilarious!!!! You may not know where I live, but over here it's like 1,000,000 % S-A's as I call them and like 2% other.. the other being white, black, asian.. so your post was just to great for me man... AND the domestic violence thing was just too funny!!!

[DEHog]

The Cowboy fans are...well...they're exactly what you'd expect. Very ugly, very drunk, very loud, very smelly, very obnoxious, and very unaware of the rules of NFL football in that not EVERY play warrants a flag on the opposition.

That sounds like FedEx to me. Dallas fans have been great as far as I have expirenced. Now the stadium is a different question. Hard to believe America's Team plays in a hole like that!!

DEHog do you go to games at Texas Stadium regularly? Wear our colors?

Gone the last two years as a Hogette. Couldn't make this year (son is playing in a championship football game) I'm headed to Tampa next week!!

[Judge]

After reading your post I'm a little concerned about the safety of my wife - and hell my own for that matter. I've purchased her a jersey and I'll have my jersey on and B&G cap on as well - but don't want her hasseled or harassed to the point where I have to throw down with one of those idiots.

I want to go and show my support, but don't want to regret doing it. Are they really that obnoxious?

Well, like in most sports stadiums, you can count on the majority to be there to just cheer for their team and have a good time. But there's a small percentage that make it their business to be total jerks to anyone not wearing their team's colors. This is especially true with Cowboy fans, in my experience. So I'd tell you to hope for the best, and be prepared to deal with the worst...because Cowboy fans are THE WORST.

I can handle obnoxious; I sat between a few Kentucky basketball fans one time. What worries me is I'll have some drunk idiot behind me who will start puking halfway through like I have seen happen around me a couple times at Redskins game.

If I am planning on getting to the game about 2-2.5 hours before the game, how will the parking be in the $20 lots?

Never been puked on at Texas Stadium. Yet.

I can't guarantee anything, but based on my experience the parking at those lots should be wide open if you're there that early. I get there anywhere between an hour to 90 minutes early for the game, and I've never seen it full at that point. You should be just fine if you're going to be there so early.

The Cowboy fans are...well...they're exactly what you'd expect. Very ugly, very drunk, very loud, very smelly, very obnoxious, and very unaware of the rules of NFL football in that not EVERY play warrants a flag on the opposition.

That sounds like FedEx to me. Dallas fans have been great as far as I have expirenced. Now the stadium is a different question. Hard to believe America's Team plays in a hole like that!!

No, the Cowboy fans are in a class by themselves. They smell worse than Raider fans and they have that arrogant sense of entitlement (think: Yankee fans) that makes the rest of the world hate them...even though the Cowboys haven't won anything in over a decade.

As for Texas Stadium, I agree. It's a toilet...complete with a hole in the top.

But the NEW place? Sheesh. It's ten miles from my front door and I go past the construction site just about every day. It's a MONSTER, and Jerry is spending a boatload of money to make it the nicest stadium in the league, and one of the best sports venues period.

Click here and have a look.

they seem to be "Mexico's Team" these days. So unless you habla espanol, you'll be in the minority. And they'll give you crap about wearing burgundy and gold, but it's all in Spanish. So if you're a white guy like me, it'll go in one ear and out the other.

If the Redskins win, it will be silence. Deafening, beautiful silence...interrupted only by the mumbles of drunk, angry men on their way home to beat up their wives/girlfriends. Because it's HER damn fault. (Domestic violence goes up FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area on days that the Cowboys lose.)
[/color]

Brutha that was soooooooo friggin hilarious!!!! You may not know where I live, but over here it's like 1,000,000 % S-A's as I call them and like 2% other.. the other being white, black, asian.. so your post was just to great for me man... AND the domestic violence thing was just too funny!!!

It's funnier because IT'S ALL TRUE.

[Texas Hog]

The Cowboy fans are...well...they're exactly what you'd expect. Very ugly, very drunk, very loud, very smelly, very obnoxious, and very unaware of the rules of NFL football in that not EVERY play warrants a flag on the opposition.

That sounds like FedEx to me. Dallas fans have been great as far as I have expirenced. Now the stadium is a different question. Hard to believe America's Team plays in a hole like that!!

DEHog do you go to games at Texas Stadium regularly? Wear our colors?

Gone the last two years as a Hogette. Couldn't make this year (son is playing in a championship football game) I'm headed to Tampa next week!!

thanks and congrats!

[Justice Hog]

I met with a potential client yesterday, a Cowboys fan. She said that the Cowboys are no longer "Amerca's Team". They are now "God's Team" because they opened up the top of their stadium to the heavens.

Of course, I responded that the only reason God let them build their stadium like that was because he needed a place to take a dump and that hole on their stadium is perfect for that.

[RayNAustin]

Well, my one and only experience at Texas Stadium was in 2005 on Monday night football. We all remember that one, don't we? YES !

A little background: been living in Texas for 8 years. Have a friend that is a Die-Hard Cowboys junky...(I think it's a character flaw). Anyways, you can imagine the grief I've had to endure being a Redskin fan with us losing what was it....14 out of the last 15 up to that point? Well, he got tickets and we went....me wearing #26 Portis, him wearing R. Wiliams jerseys.

On the way up, all I heard was how we were going to get crushed. And quite eerily, I said "Watch out for Santana Moss...I think he is going to show his stuff tonight". How spooky is that?

As we arrive, we park in cash parking (about as far from the stadium as you could get and still be considered walking distance), and begin walking toward the stadium amongst a sea....no....an ocean of blue and white jerseys......nothing short of a friggin nightmare! And very few of them remained silent witnesses to the other 20 to 30 thousand which had something derogatory to say to me. And during that long trek, if a group happened to be distracted and didn't see me coming, my good friend was all too happy to yell out....REDSKIN FAN RIGHT HERE....I DON"T KNOW HIM....HE KEEPS FOLLOWING ME......and with that, the boos and jeers got even louder.

I'll have to say though that most of it was all good natured fun, and no one really got out of line....

Inside we took our seats, and as agreed, I went to purchase beer (he drove the 3 hours, I buy the beer) only to find out why Jerry Jones is so stinking wealthy 7-8 bucks for a plastic bottle of cheap beer (I think it was Natural Light or something. Well through 55 agonizing minutes and 100 bucks worth of beer later, my friend gets up and goes to the head (saying this game is about over). While he's gone, Santana scores two TD's as we all know....yet after several years of grief directed at me, that son-of-a-blank is missing in action at the head, and I don't even get the pleasure of seeing that stupid cowboy grin fall from his face!!! A travesty of justice I tell ya!

But, it was a pleasant ride home none-the-less.

And all of those loud, jeering Cowboy fans were as quiet as mice on the way back to the parking lot.

[KazooSkinsFan]

I've cheered for the best at the worst places, including the Sox at Yankee stadium (and every other team I saw play at Yankee stadium).

If you clap but aren't obnoxious, there are few places you really have a problem. It's the ones who draw it out and have a rub it in your face attitude that usually have problems.

In the case of the aforementioned Sox game a group sitting very near me was under constant bombardment of food, drinks followed by security guards and a lot of people looking at the sky whistling.

My group was politely clapping for the Sox right next to them and we had nothing at all thrown or said to us.

[KazooSkinsFan]

I've cheered for the best at the worst places, including the Sox at Yankee stadium (and every other team I saw play at Yankee stadium).

If you clap but aren't obnoxious, there are few places you really have a problem. It's the ones who draw it out and have a rub it in your face attitude that usually have problems.

In the case of the aforementioned Sox game a group sitting very near me was under constant bombardment of food, drinks followed by security guards and a lot of people looking at the sky whistling.

My group was politely clapping for the Sox right next to them and we had nothing at all thrown or said to us.

BTW, that doesn't work at Raider games. If you can't bring yourself to wear a Raider jersey don't wear any football paraphernalia. Seriously.

[BeeGee]

I went to a bunch of Raiders games as a kid, but during one (in particular) Raiders v 49ers game I saw a female 49ers fan knocked out cold, courtesy of a flying bottle, as she stood up and cheered. Raiders fans are every bit as crazy as advertised.