Halloween SDSU Aztec Style

We are back to knocking off FBS stadiums this week. I am heading out to San Diego for the Aztecs homecoming game against Washington State. I have never been to San Diego so hopefully I will also see a little bit of the town. Unfortunately, I couldn’t drum up any interest in friends/family to tailgate so this will be a walk and talk event. No worries on that. I could use a lighter load after a week and half of schlepping bags across Europe.

Let me be clear, we had a great time seeing new places and visiting old friends. However, I tend to pack my agenda too full (according to my wife – I always pack the agenda too full). It results in not enough sleep and poor eating habits. A lack of vitamin C early in the trip has left me with a head cold that I hope I am over before I head to California.

Enough of my whining, onto a review of Stade de France and the Steeler – Saints Game

Logistics

Getting to Paris is generally easy, once you get over the cost of a flight. We packaged this trip as part of a longer one where we started in Hungary (Budapest) and worked our way through Austria (Vienna), Switzerland (Zurich, Interlaken) and then France (Djion, Paris). From what I have gathered, folks paid generally anywhere from $58 to $500 for rooms / airbnb’s in Paris. (See later for more on what people say they spent)

We, on the other, had the pleasure of being hosted by some dear friends who live in 17th Arrondissement. Their hospitality was amazing, complimented by delicious meals from our host. For us, it made the stay very easy and they gave us a quick primer on Paris transportation logistics. They even had some metro cards set up for us to use.

The most direct metro line to the stadium for us was Metro 14 and it was a short walk from their place. It had been dressed up and revitalized for the 2024 Olympics. It was modern, clean and fast. There are other options to the stadium, of course, including trains and other metros. I heard one of the other lines broke down, but I can’t confirm that. Our trip to and from was seamless.

We like Paris and had been there before so we did not spend much time sight-seeing. Our friends gave us a heads up on areas to avoid because of previous and potential rioting. We saw some evidence from the last week, but with beefed up police and military presence we felt entirely safe. It was clear though that even locals were taking precautions. The streets off of the main tourist attractions were very light. It was almost an eerie feeling. Not scary, but different from our other times visiting the City of Light.

The Site

Stade de France is a large stadium although not quite the size of the monster college football stadiums in the U.S. It has quite the pedigree – hosting the Olympics, World Cup Finals in both Soccer and Rugby and many other major European sporting events. Given that French parking is primarily done in garages, there was not exactly any place where you could tailgate.

It didn’t stop private entrepreneurs from stepping up to the plate. There was a Jerome Bettis tailgate that was all you can eat and drink. Tickets for that went up to $300. There were also other bars: The Moose, The Top Hop, and Paname, among others offering a place to drink prior the the game. The general consensus was that they were packed. In some cases, too packed to be enjoyable/practical.

I had figured that to be the case. European vendors tend to underestimate American food and drink consumption – we go longer and harder in the States. Customer service in Europe doesn’t do “easy” well, and I sensed they would be understaffed and under-supplied. It was a common theme both at the pre-game venues and in the stadium later. Given that, combined with a desire to hit an NFL store, we decided to head to directly to the stadium. The NFL store, along with a lot of other NFL related venues / events, had been closed Saturday out of precaution. So, the stadium was our last chance to get the Paris Game branded souvenirs.

Getting in the stadium was easy with good direction and crowd maintenance. Once inside the perimeter we headed straight to one of the four NFL store pop-ups. We then waited in line for at least an hour. A plus was that they had roving beer vendors where you could get a draft beer in a souvenir cup for 11 Euros. Between the beer and some good conversation with a Miami based Steeler fan, waiting in line was easy enough. There were also some food and beverage stands outside the stadium so you could sort of tailgate.

Thankfully our store location still had everything available. We stocked up on Le Torchon Terrible’s, t-shirts, and scarves. A young Latvian waved my wife down right before we got to the front of the line and asked if we would buy him a Rodgers Steeler jersey. I said no problem and he gave me 200 EU to cover that and a towel. It was a smart move on his part, because not very long after we made our purchase, the NFL shop closed. He would not have gotten that jersey if he had waited in line. I was more than happy to support another citizen of Steeler Nation.

Inside, Stade de France is a very nice stadium. Good sight lines with two jumbo-trons over each end zone ensure nearly every seat had a good view. The seats, if maybe a little small for the average American posterior, were fine with each having a seat back (as best I could tell). The Saints were the home team, so appropriately, all the signage, videos, and music were geared to New Orleans. It looked very good and definitely gave their fans a boost.

We paid $100 dollars on Ticombo for middle level – end zone corner tickets with a face value of nearly 200 Euros. I waited until the Thursday prior to the game to buy them. I probably could have gotten an even better price had I waited a little longer. However, by experience, I know that Ticketmaster releases the tickets late in the week and I wanted at least one business day to chase down any problems I might have had with the transaction.

I paid far less than most folks – for a couple of reasons. I go to a ton of games so I know that patience is the key. We went into this game with the idea that if we had to pay $500 for a ticket once in Paris, we’d just watch the game at a bar (or our friend’s house – the game was nationally televised). That approach makes it easier to let the ticket market come to you. Secondly, I had used the same strategy at the Steelers Dublin game the year before. My confidence was high that we’d get tickets.

The fan environment inside the stadium was as good as any U.S. stadium. We had been to the Superdome for a previous Saints – Steelers game (and been to multiple LSU games) so I knew those Cajuns would represent well. Steeler Nation was as strong as ever. The third group in the stadium was that eclectic mix of European fans just happy to be there. It is always funny to see the jerseys of nearly every other NFL team in the mix at these international games.

The only negative was the concessions. We waited in line for at least a half hour to have the option to buy a hot dog, chicken sandwich, ham sandwich or, god forbid, a tuna sandwich. We were literally next in line when they announced they were out of everything except potato chips. This was before the game even started!?! Sacre Bleu! We got our chips and sodas and sulked off to our seats. Thankfully, there was also beer available which is not always the case at Stade de France.

It seemed like the restrooms were plentiful, if again, not fully stocked. On the men’s side, I did not have to wait in a long line. The women’s was, as usual, a longer wait with additional challenge of limited toilet paper. Oddly enough, in both bathrooms there were no paper towels or blowers to dry off your hands after washing. In a credit to fan behavior, almost everyone walked out shaking their hands dry.

The Game

The Steelers came in 4-2 and the Saints were 2-4. On paper this game had the looks of a blowout. It was not. And while I am not a conspiracy nut, at times it felt like the referees were making (or reversing) calls to keep the game close. Most, but not all of time, replays on the video board helped to clarify the call. But, it was a “Home” game for the Saints and it was used to their advantage (just as the Steelers would have done).

It was a good game with the two teams trading scores, keeping it close. However, the Steelers scored on their first drive and the Saints never took the lead. The closest they came was in their first drive of the second half where New Orleans was driving only to have Peyton Wilson make an interception at the Steelers ten yard line, ending a crucial drive for the Saints.

In this game, possessions were at a premium and execution was critical. This was primarily the difference between the Steelers and the Saints. Pittsburgh completed a classic Rodgers two minute field goal drive to end the first half. The execution of the field goal unit on a fourth down with the clock winding down was particularly well done. The Saints, on the other hand, ended one drive with a pick and nearly fumbled away two other opportunities. If not for an aggressive replay booth, it could have been much worse.

In professional football, the difference between winning and losing can be measured in the smallest of details. These teams and their records clearly show this. Statistically and on the field, this game was close, but the Steelers did more of the little things right. Like Vince Lombardi says, “You don’t do things right once and a while, you do them right all the time.”

That’s why the Steelers left Paris 5-2 and the Saints? Well, who dey? Dey 2-5.

Costs

I don’t normally do a deep dive on game costs, but I got a lot of responses on a Facebook inquiry so I thought I would share some observations:

• Average Ticket Price $305, Lowest $55, Highest $852. Those reported in Euros converted at same rate and, of course, costs typically go up the closer you get to the field. However, there was a real mix even within stadium levels.
• Average Cost of Lodging: $256, Big Baller: $1,213 per night. Airbnb’s generally cost less and I tried to make the average cost on the basis of two people per room. Certainly, some estimates were made
• Total Cost per Person: Probably the least accurate given the small sample size, but on average, it was about $3,200 per person, with a high of $12,500 to a low of $511. Again, what folks did – boat tours, visiting other sites, tailgate parties, and level of lodging and airfare all make the costs hard to compare.

For the math nerds in the group, here are some box and whisker charts for your enjoyment

Other thoughts

Everyone at this game was well-behaved. I like Saints fans. They know how to have fun and they represent their team well. The Europeans and Parisians could not have been nicer. Although at times, you could tell they were a bit perplexed by these manic American football fans. The stadium, other than the poorly prepared concessions, is a fantastic venue.

As mentioned, we felt safe the entire time we were in Paris. I understand the NFL canceling events for safety’s sake. But even if you can’t blame the NFL for the riots, anyone who has worked in or with France should know enough to plan extensively for civil disobedience. It made me recall an issue we had to work with a critical supplier and their French subsidiary back in my corporate days.

There was a massive strike and supply chain disruption due to a labor issue at a French plant. I recall their corporate representative saying there was no way to anticipate the strike. My French colleague looked at all of us in amazement, noting that not anticipating a strike in France is like not expecting wine, cheese and baguettes at a French dinner. So yeah, maybe the NFL could have had a better plan then “Let’s shut everything down”.

In the end, I think Paris is a good venue for an NFL game, but it needs to be improved. The Dublin game was an overall better experience. It is partly because of the difference in the size of the cities. In Paris, 50,000 football fans is a drop in the bucket. In Dublin, it felt like we took over the city. You never got the feeling like it was a big party in Paris. Now clearly, the riots of the previous week dampened enthusiasm, but culturally, I think American football is more suited to Irish sentiments.

Nonetheless, the public transportation, the cultural experience and the Stade de France are all huge positives. I would not hesitate coming back for a game. And, if you can’t have a good time in Paris, you must not like great food and wine. As for me, I’ll have another croissant and some more brie – S’il vous plait.