Florida: Return of the Warmth

Or so I thought.

My reason for going to Tampa Bay was that I was desperate to see an American Football game, and in particular, wanted to see the Falcons play. The game in Tampa (Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons) seemed to coincide roughly with my movements through the States, and I was looking forward to feeling the heat of the sun on my back, as well as visiting some cool places in Tampa like Busch Gardens.

I woke up on Sunday morning and was greeted by rain pouring down outside. I have been away from England for 10 weeks and have barely seen any precipitation, yet I was suddenly faced with the prospect of watching an NFL game in a stadium with no roof, with no wet-weather gear to protect me from the storm.

Fortunately, it quickly passed overhead and by midday the sun was out and the sky was blue. There were some other Atlanta fans in the hostel and I chatted to them a bit. Being slightly middle-class, white British, I certainly stood out from the crowd, but as they told me, "we're all family".

I wandered round outside the ground to experience the Tailgate party. In truth, to compare it to England, it felt less like a sporting event and more like a festival. As I milled between the hummers, gazebos and barbecues, I yearned for something to fill my stomach, as I didn't realise there wouldn't be anywhere to actually buy food. I think the approach to "game-day" is different here to back home because people have to travel so far (e.g. four or five hours) to get there, so they make the experience last all day with their friends and families. Eventually, someone sporting a Buccaneers jersey called out (or maybe 'held out an olive branch') to the lonesome Falcon wanderer, and I was quick to seize the opportunity to chat to someone about the football, and to accept their beers and food. It wasn't my intention to freeload, but I wasn't going to shun the chance for the sake of politeness either, I was starving and bored. One of the group, a woman named Sandy, was really nice and was actually once married to a man from Southampton. "Uncle Buc", the guy who originally called out to me, was the archetypal American, very friendly but a little overbearing. He also appeared to be a bit of a racist, seeming to think that fighting in the war against people in the middle-east made it ok to be derogatory about any "towel heads". This was part of the reason why I declined to take Sandy's spare ticket to sit with them in the ground, and kept hold of my own, albeit in a section further from the action.

As I entered the stadium, I was gradually getting more excited about actually seeing a game live, but still had the presence of mind to glance at the 'Prohibited items inside the Raymond James Stadium' sign:

Backpacks, food, drink, bottles, glass, video cameras, banners with sticks or poles, umbrellas, footballs, cameras with >12" lens, chucky dolls (??), horns, large bags, skateboards and.... weapons.

The idea that this last one needed to be on the list just made me laugh quite a bit. But then I was also forgetting about the fact that Americans are allowed to carry guns, so if this wasn't on the list they would assume it was ok to take one in with them...

Before the game, the 'Pirate Ship' exploded the cannons, and continued to do so during the game every time the Bucs scored some points. There was also the standing for the National Anthem. I noticed that barely anybody sung, and thought how amazing it would have been if they had. Especially the last couple of lines, it is quite a stirring melody. If only England had a decent anthem to go with the passion and participation we have.

Raymond James Stadium (most people are still having barbecues in the parking lot)

American football is quite different to 'normal' football, in the sense that every phase of the game is important, so it is quite intense. But equally, there isn't the same level of ecstasy (or surprise, if you are a Southampton fan) when your team scores. There was a little bit of cheering and chanting, but it was less spontaneous and certainly less inventive than in England. Most chants were prompted by the big screen showing things like "Stand Up!" and "De-Fense!"

So, the actual game (I won't go into much detail)... It was close in the first half (14-14). The sun set and it became absolutely freezing. Luckily, I decided to put in a hoodie and scarf 'just in case' when I left the hotel. Thank god I did, it was pretty unbearable even with these additional items of clothing. Nevertheless, I perservered. 

The Bucs took the lead by 3, increasing it to 24-14 shortly afterwards. The Falcons weren't playing particularly well, and so, in true form, I gave up and was pretty miserable about it. I didn't start lashing out at Tampa Bay fans in the vicinity, but instead moped in my seat, not really bothering to watch. That was until Eric Weems, who NEVER returns a kick for a touchdown, decided to return a kick for touchdown. I didn't even bother watching the first 10 yards or so, such was my depression, but sensing that it could be a momentous occasion, I sat up and took notice. For anyone who cares to know what happened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGSwZ1jGvzI

Falcons were back in the game, and managed to score another touchdown shortly afterwards to take, and hold the lead. Yet another stressful, but ultimately successful end to a game. I was emotionally drained, freezing cold, and also had a pang of regret that once again I wasn't able to control my 'bad loser' reaction earlier in the game, which in some ways held me back from really savouring the win. But never mind.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 - 28 Atlanta Falcons.

After the game, I was wandering around trying to find a taxi when I saw a group of people huddled near some coaches. It turned out the coaches were for the Falcons players and staff, and a few them came over to sign some things for the crowd. Unfortunately, my favourite player Roddy White, nor any of the other big names, made the effort, but some of them did. I got a couple of signatures, and also a picture with Jason Snelling.

Left:

Jason Snelling in action for the Falcons.

Right:

Probably his greatest moment, meeting me.

By now it was quite late, and I hadn't managed to find any other cheap hotels in the area, so when I went back to the Sheraton to pick up my luggage, I decided to suck it up and pay out $130 for another night (no special points to use this time...) Was a bit annoying, but at least it was another night of luxury. I couldn't make a habit of it though, and had booked my train ticket to Miami for the next morning.

Which is where I write from now, my last stop in the United States. Got the taxi to drop me off at the address of a hostel in South Beach I had found, only to discover that the hostel didn't exist, or had moved, but luckily I was able to find another one just around the corner for the night. I managed to locate the original hostel the next morning, and moved my stuff over without too much trouble.

Today I took a stroll along Ocean Drive. Naturally, I took out my iPod to find the Lighthouse Family, but inexplicably I haven't got them, so had to make do with the Lightning Seeds. "Life of Riley" wasn't really the same, as I ended up thinking about Match of the Day's 'Goal of the Month' rather than taking in Miami's famous beachside strip.




Miami is currently experiencing its lowest temperatures since 1984. Very annoying. At least the Sun is out, but I didn't think I'd need my hoodie and scarf whilst I was here. It looks like the worst possible thing that could happen to me on this trip might actually come to fruition... I might come back to England without a tan.

At least the windsurfers were happy with the conditions

Twig (I've also added some photos to the Denver post, in case you haven't noticed them below).