In-Depth
Tough enough?
We asked: "What's the toughest place to watch a game if you are a fan of the visiting team?"
A word of advice. You may not want to go to a Philadelphia sports venue — any of them — and cheer for the visiting team. That’s the message delivered when readers of sister publication SportsBusiness Daily were asked to vote for the toughest sports facilities for fans of the visiting team.
Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, received the most votes overall.
GETTY IMAGES
Philadelphia venues received the most votes among NFL, MLB and NHL facilities. Our unscientific survey was administered online by Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, and a total of 153 readers participated between Oct. 31 and Nov. 10. Here are highlights of the top vote-getters, along with comments from some of the readers who voted.
NFL Stadiums
| Stadium | Respondents |
Lincoln Financial Field
(Philadelphia Eagles) | 42% |
O.co Coliseum
(Oakland Raiders) | 23% |
Gillette Stadium
(New England Patriots) | 5% |
Heinz Field
(Pittsburgh Steelers) | 4% |
Lincoln Financial Field: “Took a group of opposing NFL fans/clients to an Eagles game there once. Never again.”
“Philadelphia fans may be a little more calm these days, but you’d still be crazy to wear a Cowboys jersey there.”
“You take your life into your own hands if you attend and root for an opposing team.”
“Flat out animals.”
O.co Coliseum: “As a Raiders fan, there is nothing more scary than walking from the BART to the stadium. There is hardly a cop presence and if it’s a night game … look at your shoelaces and continue on walking.”
“Do not go in ‘The Hole’ with anything but silver and black!”
“Going to a Raiders game in most any visiting gear can be dangerous. You will get taunted and I have seen some ugly altercations in/out of the stadium.”
Gillette Stadium: “Too many idiot, drunk fans with beer muscles!”
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Lincoln Financial Field
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES |
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Citizens Bank Park
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES |
MLB Ballparks
| Ballpark | Respondents |
Citizens Bank Park
(Philadelphia Phillies) | 21% |
Fenway Park
(Boston Red Sox) | 21% |
Yankee Stadium
(New York Yankees) | 20% |
Dodger Stadium
(Los Angeles Dodgers) | 15% |
Citizens Bank Park: “During a playoff game, I was simply wearing a hat of the opposing team, and for the entirety of the game, two sections to either side of me continuously yelled at me.”
“The fans at CBP ... know baseball, so they can typically zone in on your team’s pain points pretty quickly.”
Dodger Stadium: “I sat in the Dodger Stadium bleachers wearing all Giants gear on a weekend night game. I had a little kid who couldn’t have been over the age of six years old run down the aisle towards me, throw a handful of popcorn in my face and scream ‘F*** the Giants!’ Needless to say, I was shocked.”
Yankee Stadium: “Fans are boors — loud and crude. If you wear a visiting team anything, you get targeted for everything from insults to projectiles.”
“Saw a Red Sox hat ripped off a head and lit on fire in the bleachers during the ’96 World Series. … They were playing the Braves.” Fenway Park: “Nothing more obnoxious than a drunk Masshole.”
NBA Arenas
| Arena | Respondents |
TD Garden
(Boston Celtics) | 17% |
Madison Square Garden
(New York Knicks) | 16% |
The Palace of Auburn Hills
(Detroit Pistons) | 10% |
United Center
(Chicago Bulls) | 5% |
| Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia 76ers) | 5% |
TD Garden: “Can’t look at my mother the same way again, after what Celtics fans called her.”
Madison Square Garden: “Because it’s you and a lot of New Yorkers.”
“You suck! if you are wearing any team ID but Knicks.”
The Palace of Auburn Hills: “The players and the fans are always looking for a fight.”
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TD Garden
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES |
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Wells Fargo Center
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES |
NHL Arenas
| Arena | Respondents |
Wells Fargo Center
(Philadelphia Flyers) | 31% |
Joe Louis Arena
(Detroit Red Wings) | 10% |
Madison Square Garden
(New York Rangers) | 10% |
Bell Centre
(Montreal Canadiens) | 5% |
Consol Energy Center
(Pittsburgh Penguins) | 5% |
TD Garden
(Boston Bruins) | 5% |
United Center
(Chicago Blackhawks) | 5% |
Wells Fargo Center: “I’m a loyal Pittsburgh Penguins fan and can tell you from my many experiences traveling to Philadelphia for playoff games that the fans are extremely intense and will not let an opposing fan walk by without a comment.”
“You see things here you cannot repeat — particularly for women.”
“An absolute war zone.”
Joe Louis Arena: “Detroit fans show up for hockey.”
“The smell of octopus in the air.”
Madison Square Garden: “Rangers fans are knuckleheads.”
