Thinking of traveling to NE USA in Sept/Oct next year
How easy is it to get tickets for NFL games ?
Which of NY/NJ, Buffalo, New England, Philly, Baltimore, Washington would be easiest ?
Do visiting fans for the road team have a separate section as in English soccer
If not how is cheering for the road team viewed by home fans
Any serious advice appreciated
Thanks in advance

Easy. Just depends on how much you want to pay. Buffalo and Washington are probably the easiest.

No separate section.

If you cheer for the other team in Philly you'll probably get shanked or beat up. Other cities not as bad but still better to keep a low profile.

Don't go to an NFL game. I'm serious. It's awful; the fans are 75% idiots looking to get into fights, regardless of team/stadium. Watching games on TV is infinitely better in terms of strictly viewing what's going on during the plays

If you like baseball you could go to MLB games in Baltimore and Philly and spend less money than 1 NFL game. Those cities should be easiest to get tickets and their atmospheres are better. Then I suggest watching NFL RedZone at an American bar to catch some NFL action.

Go to a college football game instead. Much more fun tailgating and you'll have a better time at the game. Just a million times better experience. Any game really but preferably a big time match up for the best fan experience. You'll spend less money and generally most fans are a million times nicer at college games.

This is better advice.

If you are in the NE go see Army play. You can get there early and walk around West Point. Not going to cost you nearly as much and it will be a fun experience.

This is what the stadium looks like

An NFL game is going to be a million times better in the areas he is talking about. Definitely don't go to a college game unless it is 2 good teams, which is really only likely in the South during that timeframe.

westpoint is cool but if he's wanting a college football experience, he should not go to westpoint. Game of a big time college program (SEC, etc) would be a much better football atmosphere.

agree with this. A SEC football game would be the best experience (or other teams in the south). But if he's going to the northeast, then NFL would be better than college.

people saying college are forgetting that OP is from europe, and we're more likely to have seen ultimate frisbee, kabaddi or quidditch on TV than college football. might it be a better atmosphere? possibly, but none of us here have any connection to any of the teams, and if we're aware of it just see it as a feeder league to the NFL. it'd be like someone from the USA asking whether what Premier League team they should see while in London, and us saying don't bother with Arsenal, the Emirates is dull, go and watch Dulwich Hamlet

People are making an nfl game sound terrible. It sounds like he wants to fly here and see an nfl game, which might be considered a bucket list type event. I think he'll have a great time. Don't root for opposing team though. Lol.

Agree with sixfour. If you are a 22 year old white American guy who went to an American College then yes, you'd probably rather go see college and get drunk with other little white kids and perv on 19 year olds. We don't even know how old op is.

My recommendations is try for Philly, Washington, or Baltimore. Depends on what city you are trying to visit the most, but definitely don't go to Buffalo since that's going to be out of the way and not worth visiting otherwise.

To be fair NFL games are terrible. 80% of the time nothing is happening because the ball isn't even in play.

But at an actual game you don't need to listen to Phil Simms

I cheered for Seattle in Detroit. Wasn't a problem.
Going to Detroit again this weekend. Will be cheering of the Lions this time.

This is just blatantly false. I've been to around 100 NFL games and I don't think I've ever even seen someone throw a punch.
Sure, some fights happen but making it sound like every NFL stadium is thunderdome is just absurd.

People say this all the time, but it really isn't true.
Below is a typical example of why.



This is the standard TV framing of an NFL play in progress. I see 13 players on the screen. That means there are 9 more out there somewhere off screen.

Is anyone open downfield? What routes are they running? What does the coverage scheme look like? No one at home has any idea.

Will you find out on replay? Maybe, maybe not.

Can the people at the game see where those other 9 guys are? Absolutely.

MLB games are cool.

The OP is going to be visiting from overseas and your suggestion is to watch on TV? You sound like a lot of fun.
If you ever find yourself in Paris, definitely skip the Louvre and just google the Mona Lisa from a cafe across the street.

I'd only go to a NFL game if I got luxury box tickets. Freezing my ass off sitting in a ****ty chair next to a bunch of drunken dbags is not my idea of a good time.

The NFL experience is ultra-enhanced if you are going to go up with a group of people and participate in the tailgating experience. Either way I'd just go there early and walk around and see what it's like. Some dumb Yanks will find your accent amusing and invite you to join their tailgate. Some will also probably make fun of you and want to beat you up, but it's the risk you take.

I can totally see why a Euro would want to go to an NFL game. The experience isn't that great, definitely not what it used to be, but it's still worth going to. The new Giants Stadium is a morgue, but I can probably get you tickets for face value if you really want to go. Cowboys is always a tough game, and Patriots this year probably tough as well, but otherwise can get you tickets. Let me know what you need.

NoodleMan, what NFL games are you going to? I think I've seen a punch and multiple ejections at pretty much every Giants game I've ever been to, and I was a season ticket holder from like 95-2005

Lions fans are all dead inside.

Lol like being able to see all 22 players live means you actually know what all 22 are doing. Action happens so fast and each play only lasts a few seconds.

I've had Colts season tickets since 2005.
Every now and then I'll see people getting escorted out of the stands, but even that is probably like once or twice a season. Fighting is just not a factor.

Lol I grew up a colts fan and went to prob 30 games. The only time I saw someone throw a punch was a game against? The Giants of course.

Here's your answer by the way. Fly into Chicago on Thursday night. Do three nights in Chicago. Drive the four hours up to Green Bay. Great team. great tradition. Chicago is a great city to spend a long weekend in and has tons of direct flights from euro land.

Edit. I recommend doing this before November for weather reasons.

I've always thought the USA crowd on this forum were overly harsh on seeing games live. I went and saw Denver play Seattle at Mile High in a preseason game with a rain delay and I even found that decently fun. I will agree I wouldn't go every week, you give up way too much (REDZONE) for it.

Can also confirm this happens