[美國] My First Football Game: UT VS. BYU

        I have already heard about how crazy it is when it comes to football in Austin, but this is the first time for me to really experience it! Every time when there is a football game, you can FEEL it even you are not into sports at all, because the whole city becomes really excited. You see people wearing burnt orange shirts all around the city, and there are many people, much more than you normally see on the streets in Austin. Moreover, the bus routes change just to ease the traffic flooding around the stadium. UT has an enormous stadium-Darrell K Royal Stadium, which can accommodate over 100,000 people. To go to a football game at UT, you have to purchase a ticket. If you are a student, you can buy a big ticket, which is heavily advertised through email. Since I am not a sports fan, I didn't buy a big ticket. I chose to buy from someone else.

        If you only want to see one game just as I did, it is better to just buy one from another student. There is a facebook group called "UT FOOTBALL TICKETS!!!!", where you can find someone selling one of the games from their big tickets. Student tickets generally range from $30-40 per game depending on the seats. After you buy it from someone, the person shall transfer his or her ticket from his or her account into your name. You should receive an email after the transfer. The email gives you a link to accept the ticket. However, you might be required to log in a customer number and code in the website, and you can acquire the log in information by calling the ticket office. After accepting the transfer, you will get the ticket through email, and remember to print it out. You will need the ticket and student ID in the entrance.

        Upon arriving at the stadium, crowds in burnt orange already pack the roads. The stadium is huge and it looks very different in the front row. My seat was at row number 10 and I can clearly see everything going on on the field. However, for those after maybe row 50, they might need to watch the screen.

        Before the game starts, there were cool performances such as the marching band and cheerleading. I saw the Bevo, which is the bull that represents longhorns. Also, people sang the national anthem as well as the UT song "The Eyes of Texas".

        Finally, the game started, and the audiences were in high spirits at first. However, we played badly in the game. I had no idea how football games go, but the rules seemed to be quite easy. I caught up quickly, but we still lost the game.

        Still, it was really a memorable experience. My first sports event in the US started with the most popular sport, football, in Texas. I hope I can get to watch MLB and NBA someday.