Houston Texans Turn Tailgaters Into Dollars

by Chris Thorman on Oct 14, 2010 9:04 AM CDT in 2010 Kansas City Chiefs Season

One of the sacred institutions in Kansas City besides the Chiefs is tailgating. The type of tailgating where you're in the parking lot at 9 AM with a hot grill going and maybe a beer or six.

I'm sure some of you have gone to Arrowhead Stadium just to tailgate and watch the game on a TV, without tickets. Well if you're a Texans fan and want to do that, you have to pay.

After some incidents of theft and general Cowboy rowdiness following the Dallas game, the Houston Texans issued a new policy that essentially states that in order to enter the Reliant Stadium grounds (i.e. tailgating areas), you have to have a ticket for the game or a special $10 "tailgating pass."

Basically, the Texans don't want people hanging around the parking lot during games. Which makes no sense to me for a few reasons:

Many people, at least in Kansas City, volunteer to watch the tailgate of people who have tickets. In Houston, those people have to pay $10 a piece just to do that.
How are checks logistically being done? That has to be a nightmare and I'm guessing the end result is not many people getting their passes or tickets checked.
I guess you can't meet up at a tailgate with a friend who has your ticket.

I'd be curious to hear more about this from Chiefs fans who have been to Texans games this year or Texans fans themselves. Does it hurt the tailgating atmosphere? Or is Houston really that terrible that a bajillion people show up at Reliant Stadium on game day without tickets and cause trouble?

And for a bit more conversation: How would this policy go over in Kansas City? Would Clark Hunt even think about letting a policy like that go into effect?

Tweet Comment 11 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

No way would this go down in KC

Tailgating is what this city is about. Without it there wouldn’t be the “blood of Arrowhead”

Ever seen the movie Green Street Hooligans? That's how I feel about my Chiefs.

by zyker on Oct 14, 2010 9:09 AM CDT reply actions

More like...

…if they instituted a policy like this, there would be “blood AT Arrowhead”.

I’ll see everybody at the Jags game waiting at Gate A at 6:30AM as always :)

by Section304 on Oct 14, 2010 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions

I wonder what they pay to park in Houston

Anyone know?

Last game I went to at Arrowhead (week 1) I had my grill stolen. 1st time thats ever happened at Arrowhead – I was shocked.

With all the new tv screens and jumbotrons I wonder how long it is until they start selling “away” tickets. Come to Arrowhead, tailgate and party come in and watch your Chiefs on our TV’s with 30000 of your closest friends.

by tybme on Oct 14, 2010 9:16 AM CDT reply actions

also...

Is there anywhere you can find a schedule of stadium fly overs? I’m going to go to several more games this year and I’d love for my son to experience a fly over.

by tybme on Oct 14, 2010 9:17 AM CDT up reply actions

Parking fee

I would have thought the $20+ required to park would suffice.

by buglerchris on Oct 14, 2010 9:19 AM CDT reply actions

no kidding

by E.C. on Oct 14, 2010 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions

$20 if you're lucky

This is the third time I will be attending a Chiefs game in Houston. The parking passes are about $20 face value, but I had to get mine through an on-line scalping service and they added a $20 shipping and handling fee to mail a small piece of paper across town.

The tail gaiting atmosphere is pretty fun in Houston, but nothing like KC. My friends always fly in though and we represent KC as best we can. Usually my intake of processed meat and beer goes up about 912% before the game, so I imagine this year will be the same. They open the parking lot at 8 AM here, so I will get there as close as my wife will allow.

Personally I haven’t seen any issues with crime, but I haven’t been to a game this year in Houston (why would I?). Some of my co-workers have season tickets and always do tail gaiting, but I haven’t heard them complain about anything. All I know is that things got crazy for one game against Dallas, so now they are selling tail gaiting only passes to folks that don’t have game tickets. It seems like an over reaction, but I’m sure it had more to do with trying to get some more money and “solving” a problem at the same time. Win-win, right?

by mls21 on Oct 14, 2010 10:11 AM CDT reply actions

hey man

i’m going to the game on sunday. does that mean that we can’t just pay for parking at the gate.

by E.C. on Oct 14, 2010 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions

Their parking lot is tiny - downtown stadium. eom

Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.
Martina Navratilova

by tigers and chiefs fan on Oct 14, 2010 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions

As I understand the policy it is not just a 10 dollar fee.

In order to get a tailgating pass you have to first have a ticket. They are really shutting down tailgating in general from anyone that doesn’t have a ticket. I lived in Houston for many years and I consider the Texans my second favorite team in the NFL. This is a really unfortunate situation for the fans in Houston that can’t afford season tickets in addition to the personal seat license needed to get a ticket in the first place.

OU SUCKS!!!!!!

by TexasFight83 on Oct 14, 2010 1:34 PM CDT reply actions

I really hope this doesn't become a trend around the league.

I live about an hour south of Buffalo and a bunch of my friends get Bills season tickets every year. I usually go up with them without a ticket a few times each season just to tailgate and have a good time. There are tons of people in the parking lot of The Ralph during games and it gets crazy, but when your team is that bad for so long there isn’t much to do other than party hard. Oh and I believe this is the 3rd straight year that the Bills are traveling to KC, share the love and send the Chiefs to B-Lo sometime will ya! Oct. 31st I will be watching my friends cry as I’m wearing my red & gold!

by BeavisChrist on Oct 14, 2010 3:37 PM CDT reply actions