NFL: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers

As I wrote for the Emerald Bowl, I needed to buy seven tickets for the 49ers game today versus the Lions. However, Nicole, who usually is excited about tailgating before any football game was not that enthusiastic. After a short conversation it turned out she did not really want to attend the game and was only going for the tailgate. Rather than have her and her great uncle attend the game, we decided to go to brunch before the game instead. My parents, brother and I would still attend.

Obtaining Tickets
Fortunately this decision was made before I bought the 49ers tickets from the scalpers on Saturday outside of the Emerald Bowl. Also, since my friend never got back to me on whether he could attend, I only needed to buy four tickets. If I had known I would only need to buy four tickets, I would have waited to buy tickets outside of Candlestick Park.

However, I did not want to screw over the scalper I had made a verbal agreement with so I still bought four tickets from him. Originally, I had agreed to buy seven tickets for $325 (about $46.50 each). Earlier in the day I had called him to inform him I would only need five tickets. When I showed up outside of AT&T Park, I told him I only needed four. I offered him $180 for the four tickets ($45 each). He accepted reluctantly.

Parking
Since we ate brunch in San Carlos, we arrived at Candlestick Park about 45 minutes before kickoff. The Candlestick parking lot was full so we parked in one of the remote lots. The remote lots cost $30 to park while the official lot is only $25 – I believe it is more because you will have much less traffic if you park in one of the remote lots.

The Game
This is the second time I have seen the Detroit Lions play at Candlestick Park. The first time was on October 20, 1991 when the 49ers won 35-3. Steve Young connected with Jerry Rice and Tom Rathman scored twice.


Today was much different as the 49ers won 20-6 in a boring game. The 49ers punted six times and the Lions five. The score at halftime was 6-3. The 49ers managed to score two touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 20-3 lead which was insurmountable for the Lions.

Tailgating in San Francisco

For the first time since 1999, I attended an NFL game on the regular season’s opening Sunday. We arrived at Candlestick Park early in order to tailgate. Parking cost $25, which seemed low for an NFL game.

Tailgating Tip at Candlestick Park: Try to arrive at Candlestick Park before 10 am if you are planning to tailgate. We arrived at 9:45 am and were able to park close to the stadium while ample parking was available. However, within an hour the lot was filling up and people had to “squeeze” into spots surrounded by tailgaters.

Ticket Scalping Advice: Plenty of ticket scalpers walked by our car as we ate. If you have 4 or less people, I would recommend waiting for the scalpers to walk by your car and see what you have. Another tip is to give the scalpers your price point. If they realize demand for tickets is low, they will come back to find you and sell you tickets for your price. It is much easier than walking around the parking lot looking for your own tickets.

If you just want to get into the game (meaning sitting in the upper rows of the upper deck) and cannot find tickets for less than $35 each, then buy tickets from the 49ers box office. We learned this tip from a season ticket holder tailgating next to us. Since the 49ers game was not sold out yesterday, the 49ers sell day of game tickets for $35 from the box office.

The Game
The Cardinals beat the 49ers 23-13. The 49ers turned the ball over 5 times (losing 4 fumbles and throwing one interception). While watching the game, Banjo Man made a trip around the upper deck as did 49ers Elvis.

Have Seven People Attending a Game? Buy tickets in advance.

Two weeks ago, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I planned to fly to San Francisco to attend the 49ers game with my grandparents, parents and brother. There were two requirements that made buying tickets in advance a requirement.

1) We needed seven tickets. It is next to impossible to find seven tickets together from scalpers outside the stadium.
2) We needed to buy tickets in a low row of the upper deck. My grandfather is 86 years old and not able to walk up very many steps.

I logged onto ticketmaster.com to look for tickets. The 49ers had seven tickets together but they were in a high row in the upper deck and cost $58 each (plus ticketmaster fees). Instead, I logged onto stubhub.com and found 4 seats in row 5 for $40 each and 3 tickets in row 22 in the same section for $34 each. After all the fees, it cost us $46 per ticket and we had satisfied both requirements and we sat relatively close together.