An American Institution

Day 9
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??

We managed to settle in and get some sleep in our (un)cozy little apartment and awoke ready for what was sure to be a memorable day. We had tickets to the Denver Broncos @ San Diego Chargers game and although kick off wasn't until 5:30 p.m., it was the only thing we had on tap. I've been pining to go to an NFL game for at least a few years now, so we planned on arriving early to soak it all in.

Our hosts were good for one thing (and still, for this one thing only): they gave us great advice on how to get to the game. We were only a 10 minute drive away from a shopping complex with ample parking and a trolly station. We only had to ride east for two stops to arrive at Qualcomm Stadium; it took all of three minutes.

In our excitement we (unfortunately) forgot our sweaters and (fortunately, we thought) built in lots of travel time, just to be safe, so when it only took 15 minutes we found ourselves there 3.5 hours before game time! Excessive, maybe, but when is the next time we'll have a Monday Night Football experience? It's an American Institution and in case I wasn't sure of that before, I am now.

We were clearly out of towners, being the only ones there without team gear on (don't worry, we rectify the problem later). There were way more Broncos fans than we were expecting, but everybody was branded with their support for one team of the other, right down to toe nail polish and hair dye. We appeared neutral and therefore, were losing respect by the minute. We spent some time at the tailgate party and I forked out $7 for a beer within an hour of finishing my morning coffee (you know it!)

Once the gates actually opened we eagerly made our way in, again excessively early, and swiped some plastic at the team store. I exited feeling like a Chargers fan with a new hat and tee, Darrell was ready for some football, literally, with an official team ball in hand. We went up, up, up (this seems to be a bit of a running theme) to our seats in the very top row of the stadium. But to our delight, the view was stellar, we had some extra personal space because we were seated at the end of a row, and the concrete wall behind us would prove to be a friendlier neighbour than beer drinking, chest pounding men.

There was hardly anyone else in the place at this point, so we munched on some snacks and observed carefully as the thousands of fans started pouring in; all 68,700 of them. The parachuters, team intros, anthem, fireworks, and F18 fly-by that followed was unlike anything we've experienced before. It goes without saying that goosebumps and a throat lump made an appearance.

The game itself was absolutely everything I had hoped for. You know the yelling, jumping, painted-face, jersey-wearing, fist-pumping fans you see on TV? Ya, in case you were wondering, they're all like that. See the two buggers wearing masks below? You get the idea...


We stood, danced, hollered and cheered; every time the Broncos were on third down, and every time the Chargers made a quick tackle or gained any yards to speak of. We even had a token close encounter with drunk assholes; two guys looking for trouble were seat-hopping, sat right in front of us, and instigated a near-fight with the guy next to them. Darrell's testosterone boiled and he was ready for talkin smack and throwing all 135 lbs. of his body weight around (that's why we call him Heavy D) if the need arose. It didn't. To make sure our experience was totally complete, we spent $25 on two hot dogs, a pop and a water. I don't eat hots dogs, that's insanely expensive, and I drew the line at refusing to pay $9.75 for draft so there was no more beer for me.

It was a close game for the first three quarters and although the home team lost in the end, we were thoroughly entertained. Security had their hands full and had to cuff and evict a few rowdys (including the two seat hopping assholes), there were insults being hurled, and some douche launched his full beer bottle into the air. Somewhere below, that probably hurt.

Once the game ended, we made it out of the stadium and into the epic trolley lineup unscathed; arriving back to our apartment within an hour and a half.

The verdict: Monday Night Football was a smashing success!