I don't remember who it was (5026 maybe?), but in one of the post game threads yesterday I saw someone talking about how humid it was in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. It wasn't just on RBR that it was being discussed. I heard fans at the game (both Bama and PSU) complaining about the mugginess and I even saw it mentioned in a news report or two. Seriously, to say it was humid in T-Town this weekend was an understatement of the highest magnitude. That being said, I can't think of anywhere I'd have rather been.
All of that got me to thinking about people's game watching preferences. I'm one of those people that loves to be in the stadium no matter what. Heat? No problem. Humidity? Bring it on. Pouring down rain? Big deal. Freezing cold? Time to get the wool overcoat out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say I'm some kind of superfan and those that don't have that outlook are any less of a fan, it's just that I personally don't mind those types of conditions for 3-4 hours. I can certainly think of instances of games with weather bad enough to where I found myself thinking, "Why am I here? I could be watching this on TV at home or in a restaurant or anywhere else that isn't a freezing cold, rainy, wind tunnel."
The most recent instance of that for me was the Mississippi State game in 2008. Looking back at the box score for that one, it lists the temperature as 46 degrees with winds of 10 mph. I'm guessing those were conditions at kickoff (6:47 p.m.) because it got colder and windier as the game went on. Oh yeah, and there was that whole slight rain/drizzle thing going on for large parts of the second half as well. Not fun to sit in for three hours, but there was no way I was missing us sort Mississippi State out after losing to them the two previous seasons (sorry to ruin your Monday by reminding you of that.)
Theoretically assuming there were an infinite amount tickets available for a game, a lot of people still wouldn't bother to go because of health reasons, comfort reasons, hating crowds, hating traffic, etc. Plenty of people opt to stay home where they can sit on a plush sofa, avoid long lines for food and the bathroom and where they don't have to contend with people wanting them to sit down all the time (I really wish Bryant-Denny Stadium had a "standing section" for non-students...but that's an entirely different post.) Plenty of other people don't want to give over their entire day to watching a football game (and going to the game is at least a half-day endeavor unless you live in Tuscaloosa.) For many, there are as many (or more) good reasons to stay home as there are to go to the game. For me, there's nothing like the rush of being in the crowd at that decisive moment of victory (Arkansas 2007) or to witness an unbelievable individual performance (South Carolina 2009) or to be able to say, "Yeah, I was there," when we righted the wrongs of the past (Auburn 2008), but I certainly understand why some people choose to watch elsewhere.
With all of that considered, I thought it'd be interesting to see what RBR readers think about being in the stadium vs. watching at home or at the bar. Vote and chime in below.