Arizona Cardinals home opener draws crowds, tailgaters, and Seahawks fans to Glendale

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Fans packed State Farm Stadium in Glendale for the Arizona Cardinals' first home game of the regular season against the Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals lost, leaving many fans disappointed, though attendees said there is still the rest of the season to make up for it. 

Fans Tailgate:

Before the game, many people tailgated in the parking lot. While Cardinals fans made up a large portion of tailgaters, the stadium crowd going into the game was mostly Seahawks fans.

"I want to see them win a lot of games and I want to see them go to the Super Bowl," Donna, a Cardinals fan, said.

In Good Spirits:

Before the game, there were a lot of high hopes for Cardinals fans this season.

"We have a new coach. That’s very exciting. We’re just excited about…a fresh start," Cardinals fan Shana Brown said.

The other side:

However, after the Cardinals' loss, some fans are not feeling as confident.

"As expected. We're not that good. It's unfortunate but it's the championship defense. It's the best defense in the league. 12th man's a home game for Seattle pretty much. I mean there are more Seahawks fans than Cardinals fans," Cardinals fan Allen VanBergen said.

"We should have done better. We did good the first half, but the second half, I don't know what happened. We just broke down. It was tough to watch," Cardinals fan Kevin Romano said.

Big picture view:

For many fans, the game is more about the atmosphere and tailgating.

"It’s a tradition. We usually come early. We’ve been doing it for the past five, six years, so look forward to it every season," Cardinals fan Eric Balderas said.

A group of fans at the stadium even displayed tattoos of the Cardinals logo.

"We’re die-hard Cardinals fans. We’ve been tailgating as a group for decades now," Brown said.

Friendly Competition:

Some people are friends despite supporting opposing teams.

"We’re frenemies, for like what a decade plus now? It’s that friendly banter like ‘haha’ and then ‘oh crap. I’m losing,’" Seahawks fan Jared Robinovitz said.

Safety First:

The Glendale Police Department is reminding people to stay safe on the road when traveling to and from the game. For those planning to attend a game later in the season, the department advises drivers to know their routes and exits, and to remember where they parked, noting that every lot is color-coded and assigned a letter and number.

"Don't drink and drive. Avoid all of that kind of stuff— designated driver if you are going to tailgate. We encourage you to come out, have a great time, have fun," Justin Ramsay, with Glendale Police said.

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