Indoor NFL Stadiums

Today we saw a remarkable performance from Tom Brady in brutal conditions up in Foxboro. With a snow blanketed field and slush still coming down in the howling wind Brady threw 5 touchdown passes in one quarter en route to a 59-0 thumping of the Titans. Now I am no Patriots fan, nor am I a fan of Brady, but I remember thinking to myself, "This is real football"--Men doing battle outside in the elements, breath visible on the line, fans bundled up, braving the elements along with their team. None of this prissy schoolgirl astro-turf BS football you find in Indianapolis, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Minnesota among other places. I watch a game like the snowy Patriots/Titans game this afternoon, then watch my Bears face off against the Falcons on Sunday Night Football in the climate controlled Georgia Dome for optimum fan and player comfort, and all I can do is shake my head in disgust.

This is why I will never have any respect for teams who play in indoor stadiums (or even down south for that matter), as well as their fans who can casually don shorts and a t-shirt to games without a second thought about the weather. And Peyton Manning, Mr. I Can't Play Without it Being 76 Degrees Indoors, tops this list. As a Chicago Bears fan, I know my team plays in some of the worst conditions in the NFL at Soldier Field. We have two hated rivals: The Packers and The Vikings. While I hate both, I respect the Green Bay Packers because they also play in the elements, and their fans brave some of the coldest temperatures every season while floosy Vikings fans lollygag in their "modern" indoor arena. Screw them.