Game Day

 

Started on familiar territory - Sunday afternoon football from home on the TV in the hotel room ... did get sucked in a bit to the games that I had no personal interest in but due to the  dreaded fantasy football was back on the time zone with Bryn and usual exchange of insults.  Getting ready for being back home!

Then it was to the fitness centre for a treadmill 5K, Couldn't find the football to watch whilst running but did fine dinosaur racing of all things, so the sporting theme could kind of continue.

A little look at the very small pool in the hotel then gather ourselves for the main event. The Cowboys stadium is out in Arlington, 20 miles west of the ciry so uber needed once we'd finished our relaxed hotel start to the day.  Even ate some fruit, not much of that seen for the rest of the day.

Felt it might be busy around the stadium so looked for a bar nearby to be dropped at  by our latest uber driver, who quite frankly did not know the meaning of stooping distance.  Pleased to get to the  bar that went by name Boomer Jacks  -- the jacks don't let you down and they didn't here either. Had to wait a while to be seated, but the call came eventually and gave us chance to size up the sports fans in all their chains and shirts even at this point. Chains I realised part of the merch.

Beet and nibbles in a spots bar // perfect -- jalapeno bites may come back to haunt, as may the beer, but was fantastic atmosphere, games on every TV, and things bubbling away nicely. But this was just the start!  Wouldn't have been able to get on the bars free shuttle bus to the AT&T stadium even if we had wanted to, but was a nice touch. Instead we didn't need googlemaps for the 15 minute walk, the stadium on the horizon, and the sea of humanity in front of is. Passed many a shop in this retail park but a couple stood out!  Chatting with fellow fans on the way in the excitement was building.

It reached a whole new level outside the stadium. Forget the Twickenham car park ( I never really remembered it) but it was tent and gazebo after tent and gazebo with hip hop blaring, MCs, general rapping, singing and dancing. How absolutely cool.

Then just before we entered all the hall of fame stuff, a tribute to the Cowboys greatest ever coach, and a guide into our point of entry on the ground floor. The immediate concourse filled with beer stalls and merchandise stalls. Think I bought each of the several different Coors and Blue Moons I consumed via a different method, some involved stores, some involved passing traders, some involved technology, something for everyone. Failed to have a Miller the official beer of the Cowboys, but did so afterwards.

As Chrissi was browsing the merch a fairly loud and large fella hollered ' The Cheer Leaders are on the Pitch', and I have never seen her move so fast towards the field. Parkrun records tumbled, and there may have been a place as a 'rusher' on the team such was her speed to get to see, hear and soak up the ladies arriving to the tones of Thunderstruck.

We were only on the ground floor, so a long climb to the gods, similar to the away end at Newcastle United, but with thousands more sources of sustenance and entertainment. There were even TVs in the rest room.  As we found our seats, the anthem struck up so we paused momentarily, and very quickly, the countdown to the big game was on.

Great that the first touchdown was by a Williams, very much cemented my connection with a team that I'd chosen when everyone did in the 80s as American Football was shown on Channel 4. The arbitrary choice was made on the basis of the Dallas credits, and so 40 years later I could see 'my team' for the first time, and a namesake set the ball rolling.

Dallas remained on top for much of the game which meant the cheer leaders had plenty of air time, as did of course the shots of the fancing crows and the noise, the noise, just wave after wave of celebration, irrespective of what was going down on the pitch.  The halftime show was a trip down cheer leader memory lane, and then the second half was a procession of Cowboys scoring.  I must say it did get a bit hazy, I didn't fully understand all that was happening, but I was out of my seat cheering with the best of them when the Cowboys got an interception. Chrissi was in the merch store when that happened.

Such an easy victory for the Cowboys against their oldest rivals the Commanders.  Something about former ownership makes this one of the biggest rivalries in world sport apparently. But unlike our football aggro, everyone sitting next to each other , a little bit of banter, but all good humour. In fact the only guy I saw a little bit hostile was a Steelers fan who seemed to be annoyed he was in the wrong seat. I wanted to point out he was probably at the wrong ground.

After the game the descent back to ground level was party and banter, and then a good natured walk past all those tents from earlier, all singing and dancing. I guess they don't go to the game. We headed back to where we started and waited for the traffic to calm with a beer or two and some mexican snacks and a burrito.  

Uber picked us up and took us back to the Hyatt Regency where we had a night cap with a number of Cowboys fans swilling around along with a Conference crowd too.  Its safe to sya we were both a little drunk on our last night in Texas but we signed off happy.