3 Notes on Attending an Atlanta Falcons Game
I got to go to an Atlanta Falcons game. I grew up going to Atlanta sports as well as college and high school level American football…but ironically I’ve never Atlanta football.
While much of the event reminded me of a Georgia Bulldogs football game (or just a generic sporting event), it was also very different.
The Play Is Crisper & Professional
A lot of the fun of college football is the chaos – the missed blocks, misread defenses, mismatched players, etc. The chaos creates all sorts of crazy, unpredictable plays. The National Football League (NFL) is truly professional. The players don’t mess up. It’s all about the pure skill, planning, and competition.
Watching the game in-person allowed me to see entire plays developing, which are usually outside the frame on television. And yeah, it’s interesting to just see the level of play at every position.
I’m used to seeing that difference between the Atlanta Braves (baseball) / Atlanta Hawks (baseketball) / Atlanta United (soccer), but to see it with American football is really fun. Seeing just how skilled people can be in a specific field has always fascinated me.
The Event Is Very Well-Run ($$$)
We (the city of Atlanta taxpayers) committed so much money to building Mercedes-Benz Stadium along with the Atlanta Falcons and the State of Georgia. I don’t know if it’s worth it, but it’s definitely that good of a facility.
Everything from the transportation (free bike valet parking! and heavy rail subway to the door!) to the food to the seats and bathrooms and views and everything else is nice. Also, there is so…much…money just sloshing about. Even compared to other well-heeled professional sporting events, the National Football League is just on another level. It is Exhibit A for just sheer American wealth and prosperity.
There Are Not a Lot of Games
The NFL has 17 regular season games. That means that the Atlanta Falcons play either 8 or 9 games…every year. That’s it.
That lack of games is the main reason I had never been before. There just aren’t many options during a very busy time of year. Once I rule out a few weekends for family / other events and commitments, there are like…two options. And then I check ticket prices, and with supply limited, at least one game will be $$$ (I’m looking at you, Kansas City Chiefs)…so there’s like one game to go to?
This whole situation contrasts with the Atlanta Braves (81 home games) and the Atlanta Hawks (41 home games), which are much more my speed for spending money & time on one or two sporting events per year. There’s just more choice.
That said – A+ event. I will be back, but not often…because the games are not that often.
