If you’ve grown tired of watching the Bulls, then remember your options for attending sporting events are not limited to UB Stadium and Alumni Arena. You can have an excuse to spend a night in downtown Buffalo or experience NFL tailgating by venturing off campus for sports entrainment. Here are four Buffalo sports teams that you can watch off campus:
Buffalo Bills
Venue: Ralph Wilson Stadium
Location: Orchard Park, New York
Distance from campus: 20-minute car ride
If you have enjoyed tailgating outside UB Stadium for football games this season, then your next destination should be Ralph Wilson Stadium for Buffalo Bills games.
Buffalo is known for a passionate fan base and for having one of the best tailgating experiences in the NFL. Fox News recently ranked Buffalo as No. 2 NFL tailgating city.
The Bills allow tailgating in stadium parking lots four hours before and two hours after the game. There is little supervision in the lots – just a few minor rules like prohibition of glass bottles, funnels and open fires.
But if you want to go with the hard liquor, funnel some beers or burn a Miami Dolphins jersey, then park inside one of private lots. Residents living near the stadium often offer their lawns and driveways for fans to park and tailgate inside. They usually only charge around $10 for parking – which is much cheaper than the stadium parking. And just about anything goes in these lots.
And after paying for the game ticket, you will be looking to save any dollars you have left. Your UB student I.D. will not get you a free ticket into this football game. I paid $90 for a ticket to the Bills’ 2013 home opener. The seat was in the ‘nosebleeds.’
If you want to save money, then go to one of the later season home games. These games rarely sell out and ticket prices usually drop. Fans tailgate just as hard for the cold-weather games, even if the Bills are out of the playoff race (which is pretty much always).
Beside the cost, the only other issue with going to a Bills game is finding a sober driver to get you to and from the game. The good thing is your designated driver can still join the tailgating festivities a couple hours before the game. Because few college students are going to buy $10 beers inside the stadium – your designated driver has at least four hours to sober up between heading over to the stadium for the game and riding home afterward.
Buffalo Sabres
Venue: First Niagara Center
Location: Downtown Buffalo
Distance from campus: 15-minute light rail ride from South Campus
UB students only need to take a quick rail ride to watch NHL hockey – even if it’s to see the team with the worst record in the league last season.
Students can ride the Buffalo Metro Rail on South Campus for $4 all the way to the First Niagara Center, the Buffalo Sabres’ arena. The subway ends next to the venue.
Tickets for Sabres’ games are cheaper than tickets for the Bills’ games. You can get a ticket in the 300 Level for less than $30. Even though the Sabres don’t have any stars, you might get to watch NHL stars like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin when they come into First Niagara Center as opponents.
The Sabres might not be any good on the ice this season, but the opening of HarborCenter – a hotel, restaurant and ice rink connected to the arena – in May 2015 might make a trip to First Niagara Center a worth-while weekend night out.
Buffalo Bandits
The Sabres are not the only team that plays their home games in First Niagara Center – they might not even play the most exciting games in the arena.
The Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League also play inside First Niagara, and they don’t play in front of empty seats either.
The Bandits averaged 14,618 people a game in 2014 – second best in the NLL. Buffalo also has a passionate fanbase, nicknamed ‘Bandit Land,’ that brings energy to the stadium, wearing black and orange and banging on the glass.
The energy rivals Buffalo Bills’ games. A bagpiper performs before the opening faceoff to excite the crowd and music is played throughout the entirety of the game, creating a pace and rhythm to the big hits and scoring.
Play-by-play man Chris Swenson’s commentary plays over the loud speaker during game play. When an opposing player misses a shot, Swenson asks, “What’s he got?” The crowd yells back “Nothing.”
The tickets are cheap as well. You can buy a ticket in the 100 Level for less than $30. The NLL season spans from January to May, and the games are often on Friday and Saturday nights, providing a cheap, alternative way to spend your weekend evening.
Buffalo Bisons
Venue: Coca Cola Field
Location: Downtown Buffalo
Distance from campus: 15-minute light rail ride
If you’re in Buffalo for the summer or you want to enjoy baseball in April, then consider getting off the Metro Rail a couple stops before First Niagara Center.
The Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of Toronto Blue Jays, play at Coca Cola Field in downtown Buffalo. The subway stops across the street from the ballpark.
You can buy a general admission ticket Saturday through Thursday for $11. Friday games are $12 and often include a postgame fireworks show. The Bisons also run a lot of promotions like a free beer and a free hotdog with the purchase of your ticket.
It may be minor league baseball, but you often can pay for transportation, buy a ticket to a game, see a fireworks show, get a beer and hotdog for $15.
email: tom.dinki@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Tal Hamel, Endvisionprod
Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
