The Average Joe got his first official football fix of the season last weekend at a Titans-Buccaneers preseason NFL game.  It might not have been the real thing, and it left a lot to be desired, but it was on the right track.  Sort of like being presented an O'Douls after being stranded in the desert.

I like watching games on TV as much as the next guy.  There's something to be said for having the fridge stocked with beer and your choice of available snacks.  And air conditioning is good, too.  But I'm a stadium guy.  I prefer to be there, to feel the crowd's excitement.  When I'm in the stadium at an exciting game, there's usually no place I'd rather be.

So I went to The Coliseum (which has remained sponsor-less for several years following a scandal at Adelphia) to see the Titans, knowing that I wouldn't get much of the starters.  The Titans have sold out every game since they built The Coliseum, but scalping is legal in Tennessee, so finding tickets is never a problem.  It isn't a Green Bay situation.  My buddy and I got good lower-level seats for less than face value and were pleased with our view.  It was our surrounding fans, though, that were a downer.

Everybody who goes to games regularly knows what I'm talking about.  There are certain people who go to the games as much for the chance to complain loudly in public as anything else.  We were seated in front of just such a woman.  Her husband looked like a burly, take-charge kind of guy, but when The Complainer opened her mouth, it was obvious who wore the pants in that family.  And she opened her mouth a lot.     

This woman had a burning disdain for just about everything the Titans did.  Granted, they didn't play very well and wound up losing 20-17 in overtime.  But every incompletion was met with derision, every defensive play was too soft, and even the punts weren't good enough.  Craig Hentrich was averaging 45 yards per punt, and to hera The Complainer, you would have thought he was shanking 15-yarders.  

Apparently, this was par for the course with this woman, because most of the fans in that section seemed used to it.  She got a couple of looks that seemed to say "Great, she's back", but not much else.  As the game wore on, my patience grew thin.  Finally, I challenged her to put her money where her mouth was, betting her that the upcoming Hentrich punt from the end zone would clear the 50.  She declined to take the bet, and when the ensuing punt was fielded at the 49, just short of midfield, she cackled like a witch.  She should have taken the bet.  But it was the first happy noise she had made all night, and she did seem to ease up after that.

Sadly, obnoxious fans are a stadium fact of life, like urinal troughs and stale nachos.  You'll find them everywhere.  And I don't just mean loud, abusive fans.  I don't mind heckling, as long as it's done with a sense of humor.  I'm talking about the just plain unhappy people who complain constantly, whether it be about play-calling or the general sorriness of their team.  Those people draw my ire.  You go to games to have fun.  If you're not having fun, you should find another hobby.  

The same goes for old folks who tell you to sit down during games.  I understand that some old people may have physical liabilities that prevent them from standing for long periods, and they have every right to watch the game too.  But some folks need to recognize when their stadium days have passed them by.  If you spend most of your time complaining about not being able to see, or climbing the steps, or the uncomfortableness of the seat, it's time to admit that you need to hang it up.  Wouldn't you have more fun at home in front of the TV in your recliner, where you get all the replays that you missed when you dozed off?  

But I digress.  Overall, it was a mildly entertaining experience.  The crowd left early and the Titans stunk it up for much of the game, but they did pull out a long touchdown pass and scrap together a two-minute drill and field goal to force overtime.  There were more cute girls in my section than normal, which is always welcome.  And I didn't have any trouble getting bourbon into the game, so I was spared the inflated beer prices.  And the halftime show consisted of a whole bunch of Jazzercizers doing their workout for charity.  It was funny to watch a ton of middle-aged ladies shake it to Beyonce songs, and the fact that there was one man among them drew laughs from our section.

But I'm a college fan first, and NFL games just aren't the same.  The fans (at least in the South) don't get into the game as much, and the whole fan excitement experience is a big part of what I love about football.  Luckily, the college season is fast approaching.