Going to road games

[Alidar Jarok]

With some teams, I've noticed that their fans are extremely well-traveled and will go to any road game they possibly can (you'll watch games on TV where they're on the road and hear them cheering like they're the home team).

So who here has gone to a road game to support their team? It can be any sport, it doesn't matter. How did you behave when you were there and how did the home fans treat you?

Myself, I've only been to one road game (college football) and my team had almost half the people in the stadium, so it doesn't really count. I didn't even talk to a home fan, since they were on the other side of the field.

 

[1001001]

I go to Candlestick (3Com, Monster, whatever) pretty regularly for Rams vs. Niners games. The fans there are a lot of fun. Good natured back-and-forth. Too bad it's such a shitty stadium.

I've been to Mile High for a Rams vs. Broncos game. That was a lot of fun. The fans there were very cool.

I have also been to a Raiders vs. Rams game in Oakland. BIG MISTAKE. That place is a fucking nightmare. Civilization has completely broken down, and even the laws of physics don't apply there. The fans are complete assholes, crossing into physical contact, throwing things, swearing at children, etc. Classless, toothless, drunken parolees seem to be their primary ticket holder.

 

[tomalak301]

I go to Candlestick (3Com, Monster, whatever) pretty regularly for Rams vs. Niners games. The fans there are a lot of fun. Good natured back-and-forth. Too bad it's such a shitty stadium.

I appreciate the compliment Digits. Even though I don't go to 49er games (I would love to but they are so damn expensive) I like to hear that the fans are well behaved. I'd like to think that Niner fans are some of the best in the NFL, but that might be a little bias.

Anyway, I've gone to road baseball games. Heck, in a month I am going to see the A's and Orioles in Baltimore. Yeah Yeah, both teams suck, but I'm going to the east coast, and we're continuing our baseball stadium tour, and the A's just happen to be in town.

 

[1001001]

I think most fans appreciate and respect the long rivalry between the Rams and 49ers. We give each other a hard time, but it never crosses a line, and it's always in good fun.

I remember I was at a game there in 1989 (the year we played each other in the NFC Championship). Tom Rathman fumbled for the first time in his career. Jim Everett drove the Rams down for a last second field goal, and we won 13-12. Afterwards, everyone shook hands and laughed about "next time" and went our separate ways.

Good times!

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Road Games (aka Away games). When I lived in Sydney, I travelled to other areas of the city to see games, and also Wollongong (which is about 100km south of the city). But I know people who go to New Zealand, and other places in the country to watch a game of rugby league. One day I would like to go to Melbourne to watch my eels play the storm.

 

[Captain Ice]

Does it count when one's favorite team comes to one's home city for an Away game?

 

[Pegaritaville]

Every year we go down to Kansas City to watch the Twins play. It's only about 450 miles, so there's usually quite a few Twins fans at the games. I've also gone to see the Twins play at Milwaukee, Texas and Boston.

I've watched my Packers play at quite a few away games, usually in warm weather cities. I've gone to Packers games at Tampa Bay, Carolina, New Orleans (going again this year), San Diego, Arizona and Kansas City. I've also seen them play at Minnesota a number of times, but that's my home area, so I'm not sure if that counts.

I've never seen the Wild play anywhere other than the Xcel center, but when I was a kid I went to a North Stars game in Winnipeg (back when the Jets were still around).

For the most part, the home town fans have been pretty good. With the Packers games, there's usually a fairly large percentage of Packers fans. A few times some of the home fans can get a bit resentful about that, but the harrassment has been mostly in jest. Never had a problem as a Twins fan in "enemy territory" either. IMO, Kansas City is the friendliest place to see an away game (football or baseball): Their fans have always been very courteous, even when we've gotten a bit obnoxious.

Edit to add: I forgot that I also attended a pre-season football game in Cincy many years ago. Probably the drunkest I've ever been at a game.

 

[BRG]

It's very differant for football fans in the UK.

I used to go to all Kilmarnock away games for years, until it just got too dear. Now I go to a few every season.
Of corse, it helps that most away games are under 50 miles away in Scotland, and the two long ones to Inverness & Aberdeen are under 200 miles.
Most of the time it is a good atmosphere, with the usual slagging off the opposing fans, however I have been ambushed a few times at Hibs, luckily nothing worse than a pie off the head.

I do work beside a few Celtic fans who travel to European away games every year. Usually 1 or 2 hand picked games against glamorous opponents.
BRG

 

[Roger Wilco]

I do work beside a few Celtic fans who travel to European away games every year. Usually 1 or 2 hand picked games against glamorous opponents.
BRG

European away games are always great fun, possibly even more so for a supporter of a club like Celtic that is actually somewhat competitive in the European Cup (unlike my club).
But primarily it's the atmosphere of having an opponent that's out of the ordinary, different from everyday life in the local league; attracting attention (negative or positive, doesn't matter) and causing harmless disorder in a foreign country - kind of like a carnival of sorts.
If Kilmarnock FC ever qualifies for the European Cup I really recommend you shouldn't miss that occasion, it is something special.

Away games within Austria tend to be rougher in my experience, although that might be in part because football supporters generally have a bad reputation here (not entirely undeserved) and the ones from my club especially, so the police reacts appropriately. I usually go to ~half the away games a season, but it isn't always fun, some people show their worst sides at such occasions, and I've seen stuff I really didn't like.