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*THE ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE -ence -ence -ence - IceBear32 - 04-08-2021
Submission by @IceBear32 & @Fronk (50/50 pay split)
New Orleans Secondline - The House of the Rising Sun in New Orleans, Louisiana (Secondline vs New York Silverbacks)
Show Introduction:
Hello ISFL! First off we would like to introduce ourselves. Our names are IceBear and Fronk and we are brand new rookies starting in Season 29. Together our knowledge of the ISFL and DSFL teams is built on any information we have gathered through our first month of player creation, DSFL draft, Season 28 ISFL Ultimus Bowl, and the first handful of weeks into Season 29/28.
We have decided to start a (hopefully) weekly write up series of game day experiences at each team’s field. This journey to visit each stadium from the teams around the league will be the guide that prospective fans will refer to in hopes of finding THE ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE -ence -ence -ence. Each week we will look to breakdown what each team in the ISFL and DSFL has to offer as hosts and measure how these amenities stack up with other teams using our highly complex rating system. We will explore the cities and endure the weather. IceBear will be leading the party charge through tailgating. Fronk will be breaking out the protractor evaluating stadium architecture and sightlines. And you know we about to trash those ugly looking fields and eat all your food. So everyone tweet at your owners and GMs and have them roll out the red carpets because Fronk and Icebear will be coming to a stadium near you to get ourselves and others the THE ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE -ence -ence -ence.
Introduction:
Fronk:
Welcome to THE ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE -ence -ence -ence. To begin our journey of each home team experience throughout the ISFL and DSFL, IceBear and I called up our good buddy @ddrector and scored us some premium tickets to today’s New Orleans Secondline game as they battle against the New York Silverbacks. To start things off, IceBear, have you ever been to The Big Easy?
IceBear:
You know I’m always one to be looking for a good time, so this has been on my bucket list for quite a while. No spoilers right off the bat, but man, did New Orleans live up to the expectations. I’m excited to share some of the unique experiences that we were lucky enough to enjoy.
Fronk:
New Orleans has that old magic in the air that just ignites exciting good times as you walk down the streets getting blitzed on hand grenades. This is actually my second time here. I visited once for a work convention and stayed for a week. Ultimately it ended up with me taking a visit to Tulane Hospital, but that is a story for a different time.
IceBear:
Okay so we have to let the people know how this stacks up. As we go through all these different experiences we are going to focus on a few key areas:
Hotel / City / Commute / Local Bars
Tailgate Experience
Stadium Appearance / Seating / Views / Attractions
Field
Weather / Climate
Concessions
Conclusions and Game Results
Alright Fronk we have our categories. What do you think we should rate these out of?
Fronk:
We will rank this out of 1 to 10 beads. So let’s get started.
Hotel/City/Commute/Local Bars:
IceBear:
Like I mentioned before, New Orleans has always been at the top of my bucket list and it did not disappoint. From the moment we rolled into town, we could feel the city bursting with excitement for that evening's game. The hotel was nothing more or nothing less than what it needed to be. Besides, we did not plan on spending too much time there with all the potential that awaited us outside that revolving front door.
Commuting again was nothing special, as we knew all the excitement and adventures that were ahead for us.
We here boyz! We have arrived at the party. Bourbon Street welcomed us with open arms. You’ll see no shortage of Hand Grenades as you explore the pre game activities. You’d never guess this was just an early season game based on the specials and crowds that filled the street in anticipation. PACE YOURSELF! I have missed too many games, celebrating at the speed of my excitement. Lucky Fronk has his own horror story and was able to keep the H2O flowing as we made our way from Bourbon Street to the stadium to continue our exploration of the city.
Great atmosphere and people! Nothing truly all that special about the hotel / commute, but the anticipation of the parties ahead kept me going.
Ranking: 8.5/10 Beads (And even more hand grenades)
Fronk:
There are a handful of host cities that I’m not going out of my way to try and do too much outside of our game experience, but New Orleans is not one of those cities. A Secondline game was more of an interruption of our time on Bourbon and Frenchman Streets. Our hotel was fantastic and paid homage to the city’s aesthetic. Unfortunately, I did not get a view of the water I wanted to see from the hotel window. Instead I had a clear view of the alley that happened to be the chosen bathroom spot of the local watering hole patrons. That might bring down my score a bit.
However, the city life is just as amazing as it was the first time I visited. The drinks are crazy, the people are crazy, and the food is crazy good. I might prefer Frenchman Street over Bourbon because of the music and the place being much less crowded, but both are still better than Tulane Hospital. Reminder to everyone to drink more water than you usually do when in New Orleans. It’s humid. You will get a kidney infection.
Our commute to the game was fun, but not ideal for two stocky guys like IceBear and myself. We took a backseat in one of those PediCab taxi bikes and our dude was struuuuugling when we arrived.
Ranking: 9/10 Beads
Tailgating Experience:
IceBear:
I think I set the bar to high. For a city known for their partying, I expected to be absolutely floored by the tailgates. I do have to think that there is a good size group of people that don’t make it out of Bourbon Street and continue the party there. Don’t get me wrong it was a great time. I was about one solo cup drink away from joining the tailgate parade, which was an awesome sight. Looking back, I’m very grateful I stayed sidelined for this. Overall good experience, but nothing overly special.
Ranking: 7.7/10 Beads
Fronk:
The tailgating experience is similar to many stadiums with lots of drinking, partying, and forgetting about your team starting Season 29 with zero wins and six losses. One cool standout is the mini parade that snakes through the parking lots outside of The House of the Rising Sun. Fans form the Secondline as the pregame ritual. An all around decent tailgating experience. It does the job and nothing to complain about.
Ranking: 6/10 Beads
Stadium Appearance / Seating / Views / Attractions:
IceBear:
I’m here for the “oh” factor. What can we experience here that we can’t do in other cities? Fronk is the architectural guy so I’ll let him dive into some of that. The biggest thing I took away from this stadium is there really is something for everyone. Not everyone is going to the game to watch the winless Secondline. Some are there just to join their group of friends and have a top notch destination for their “Thirsty Thursday”. We ended up in the pew style seating at the 50 yard line. I have to say, it was a very enjoyable experience watching the game. With the current outlook of the season, it wasn’t a packed house, which changed how those pew style seats could have been viewed. Overall, a neat stadium with tons of options for all the different style viewers and Secondline fans. The architecture is wonderful and the river setting created the “oh” factor that I search for.
Ranking: 9.3/10 Beads
Fronk:
The House of the Rising Sun is one of the more interesting architectural stadiums in the league and one of the reasons I had my eye on getting to a Secondline game first. The stadium exterior is made to look like a massive riverboat and blends well with the environment as it sits along the river. The west endzone has no seats and instead houses a multi-level bar that fans can get the feel of hanging over the side of the french quarter balconies. Like the city, the place has a huge party atmosphere that is unique for any stadium.
The biggest drawback to devoting a third of your stadium to a bar, is the price of tickets. I’d have to create five amazing signatures and wait until next year for them to be graded (4/7??) and paid out in order to afford a decent view of the Secondline catching these hands of any opponent.
Ranking: 8.4/10 Beads
Field:
IceBear:
KOBE! Purple and Gold. Nothing beats it. The different endzone fonts do throw me a little, but I get what they are trying to do. I dig the trumpet logos in the corners as a call to their team and the city's musical spirit. With such a great team logo in the middle of the field it’s just a bummer to not see the field completely tied together. Other than the midfield logo, nothing too special with this one. Fortunately, it is in the middle of a great stadium we discussed. Maybe the subtleness of the field allows for the stadium to shine extra bright.
Ranking: 6.75/10 Beads
Fronk: The New Orleans Secondline logo is so pristine. The aesthetic matches perfectly with the stadium and it belongs in the middle of the field. What pops out the most on the field is the vibrance of the bold yellow NOLA in one purple end zone and the wispy cursive of whatever the other end zone says. Someone will have to school me on “doot doot”. The complete package is almost there but the endzones almost beg for a bit more detail. I want to see some of the ornateness that bleeds from the logo, from the fleur de lis that run up and down the sidelines, and most importantly from the rich history of New Orleans.
Ranking: 5.5/10 Beads
Weather/Climate:
IceBear:
I’m no small guy. I’m out of shape and it was hot. Just overall gross weather while we were there. At least in the cold I can add layers to keep comfortable. I think if I would have removed any more clothing, the stadium would have had to be renamed to The House of the Rising Moon. Plan seasonally for a potential trip to visit.
Ranking: 3.6/10 Beads
Fronk:
Sticky. Like I said earlier, if you drink a monster energy on the trip to New Orleans and then go out partying and drinking when you arrive, your body will make you Uber to Tulane Hospital and your urine will be the color of the Orange County Otters jerseys. This place is beautiful if you know how to handle it, but I do not. I’m just glad the city is above the water and not under.
Ranking: 2/10 Beads
Concessions:
IceBear:
I didn’t get this all natural dad-bod physique from my healthy eating habits. I saved up my appetite all day to be able to splurge on some of the most unique stadium concessions. I made this deep dive into the available eats a full 3 course event. For science!
As we walked into the stadium, we were hit with the fresh smell of Beignet dough Dorothy Zbornak’s Cafe Du Monde. So before I can even make it to my seat, I have 2 of these bad boys engulfed. I follow this up a bit later with my main course of the Jambalaya, how can I not? We’re in New Orleans right? And as a celebratory treat both Fronk and I enjoyed a Snowball. This shaved ice treat was perfect as we actually were able to get some behind the scenes look at their in house Brewery. I can tell you an IPA hits differently when you have a brain freeze in the New Orleans heat. These connessions are going to be hard to beat as we continue our stadium adventures.
Ranking: 10/10 beads
Fronk:
The one thing I look forward to in any stadium is the available concessions. And as a foodie that loves cajun/creole cuisine, I knew I was in for a treat. I wanted to try anything and everything unique to the location. Get that stadium dog out of my face and give me that footlong Gator Tail Corn Dog from the Bayou Brazier. They had normal items such as the stadium Cafe Du Monde Beignets, but there are also the crazy bites like the Spicy Jambalaya Deep Dish Pizza. I am all for this.
I am not sure how any fans that see a game at The House of the Rising Sun remember anything that happens. The drinks are delicious and plentiful. IceBear is a bit of a craft beer snob and scored us a tour of the stadium location of Abita Brewery.
Ranking: 10/10 Beads
Conclusions and Game Results:
IceBear:
The couple days we spent here in New orleans definitely shaved a few years off my life. This was one of the greatest atmospheres I have been a part of. I do wish that party continued a bit more to the tailgating and the game itself. There is no shortage of team support, but I think with so many different must see areas in New Orleans, the celebrations become somewhat diluted. The weather may have also kept some of the fans at home this week. I never want to experience that much sweat again. The history and fandom of this city is great, but the concessions and stadium design is going to be hard to top. I had a great time and will plan on returning, but maybe in a cooler part of the season.
Another loss for the Secondline. With a very poor start to this season at now 0-6, you have to wonder what a winning team might do to this city. I can hear the deafening sounds of the trumpets now. I believe this team has a very bright future with a great GM on board. I can’t wait to support them and this city going forward. Cheers to the sounds of victory! “Doot doot doot doot doot”
Overall Ranking: 8.2/10 Beads
Fronk:
New Orleans Secondline had a decent showing. It is a great city with a decent ISFL home stadium. Highlights of the fan experience at The House of the Rising Sun were the city and culture, the architectural feat of the stadium, and the food offerings that there were to choose from. There were some things that could have been improved upon though and ultimately brought its overall score down. There is no roof on The House of the Rising Sun and that is a problem when you’re a floating city in the Great American Gulf. Everything is hot and humid. I’m also docking some points on the field design. It needs to match the context a bit more.
I have enjoyed my time watching the Secondline pick up their sixth loss to the New York Silverbacks. The people who started my journey into this crazy league are a part of this franchise so it was the perfect place to kick off THE ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE -ence -ence -ence. Of course it deserves the nicest overall score one can give.
Overall Ranking: 6.9/10 Beads
Be on the watch out for the review of your favorite ISFL / DSFL team coming soon!
RE: THE ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE -ence -ence -ence - ddrector - 04-09-2021
Doot Doot is just what we say in NOLA.
RE: THE ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE -ence -ence -ence - Asked Madden - 04-09-2021
This was really enjoyable media. I'll see if the boss can hook you up with some premium tickets in San Jose.