This weekend, I had the opportunity to go to the Kansas City Chiefs-Oakland Raiders game in Kansas City with my two little brothers, dad and grandfather. It was only a day long trip, but I will definitely remember the trip for the rest of my life.
However, the most lasting memories will not be anything about the Chiefs' 24-7 victory. Instead, I will remember the atmosphere.
I had been to Kansas City several times, but I had only gone to Kansas City Royals games. To put it nicely, Royals games are nothing compared to Chiefs games.
Unlike Kauffman Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium is almost always sold out and all 80,000+ are the loudest in the world. Literally.
While we were at the game, the Chiefs fans made an attempt to regain the record for the loudest stadium in the world, which was broken Sept. 15 by the Seattle Seahawks fans.
Seattle's record was 136.6 decibels. At Arrowhead Stadium's peak, the noise level reached 137.5 decibels. By comparison, a jet engine at 100 feet has a decibel level of 140. Some charts list 130 decibels as the threshold of pain and can cause ear damage.
To say the least, it was LOUD. You could tell that it affected the Raiders, as they committed more false start and delay of game penalties than I can ever remember seeing in one game.
Also adding to the atmosphere was the fact that 70 percent of the attendance was at least slightly intoxicated (a very rough, unscientific estimation). Throw in the fact that the Raiders and Chiefs are one of the best rivalries in the NFL and that Raiders fans are always a little "crazy," and you have a perfect storm.
During the second half, after the fans around us had consumed alcohol for the better part of the morning and afternoon, a Raiders fan started causing a ruckus about four seats from us. Next thing you know, the Raiders fan and several Chiefs fans were in a "spirited" debate.
When the Chiefs fan gloated about his team being 6-0, all the Raiders fan could say was, "But when was the last time you won a playoff game?" Well, this is not a very good argument. The Raiders and Chiefs have both sucked in the recent past. Sure, the Raiders reached Super Bowl XXXVII, but that was 10 years ago. I would have said something, but I value my life and decided against it.
The other source of entertainment during the game was a young lady wearing a Raiders shirt. When she got to the game, you could tell she had already been drinking. She continued to drink during the first half, and by halftime, she was completely wasted.
Of course, when you drink a lot, you have to go to the bathroom. She got up to go during halftime and I had no idea how she'd make it. They were on the very top row of Arrowhead Stadium and she could barely stand up, much less walk down narrow, steep steps.
To my surprise, she made it down and back up to her seats...where she promptly passed out. This had my brothers, dad and I rolling. We thought it was hilarious, but then we starting thinking. "How is this girl going to get out of here?" She was not a very small girl, so there was no way her boyfriend/significant other would be able to carry her.
Luckily, she finally woke up near the end of the game and walked out, but not before providing plenty of entertainment. I kind of felt bad for her, because she looked terrible. I was just glad she didn't puke all over someone.
My grandfather wasn't too excited about all of the drunk people, but he did find humor in the guy that, in the middle of the parking lot, stopped and peed on a random person's Jeep. As my brother recalls the event (I hadn't made it back to the car yet), "He just whipped it out and started peeing."
This was the third NFL game I have ever been to and it was by far the most fun. The atmosphere was like nothing I had ever experienced. There have been times that the noise level at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium was close to that at Arrowhead (like when the Razorbacks sacked Johnny Manziel), but it was not sustained like it was at Arrowhead.
I look forward to my next Chiefs game.
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