Yes it would be cool to have an "effing" beer(never had that kind) in the tent like old times or you can do what everyone else does and have a beer in the lot with friends. Not sure why you need to be in the stadium to do that...complaining about traffic is a joke since everyone b*tches about attendance yet when they fill the place up you expect to get out in record time. You cant have both but crying about it is easier.
4th is great. 3rd is fine. Any of those other side streets will do. If you're a healthy person who doesn't mind walking a bit further, you can get out so much faster than if you park in the main lot and pay $15.
I don't think anyone is asking for perfection. One thing they used to do in the past was actually have personnel directing people out. On 17, both lanes would be going west bound and police would have both lanes continually turn right onto 4th street (no stop light). But for the last 5 or more years, there's rarely anyone directing traffic that way. It really is a problem and it's much worse than most other sporting events I've been to. Of course, OSU football has the advantage that there is very limited parking, so what parking there is is spread way out. Whereas all 15,000-20,000 people are parked in one spot with two ways out for the Crew. So there's only so much they can do, but they can do it better as well.
I'm not sure I completely agree with the "very limited" aspect, but it is spread way out, absolutely. You've got facilities in the medical center, west campus, the lot by Ackerman and 315, plus the Fairgrounds and I think there's even a park-and-ride up near Worthington somewhere. Even then, "those who direct traffic" stay long after the game ends. There's also the advantages of kickoff times starting at varying times. A lot of people get to OSU games super-early. Some even leave midway through the 4th, whereas others stay late. The worst is the night games with close scores because everyone stays. Compare those to noon "blowout" games where a lot of people leave early. By 4pm, it could be smooth sailing. "Those who know" have tailgates postgame or some sort of post-game plan. But yeah, Crew games could do egress a lot better. It used to be great when the bar stayed open late, but since they now close it at the regular time, that's not an option. I almost feel like there's a bit of a "glass tower" situation going on. Those who can do something about a post-Crew game situation are up in the lounge after the game, not seeming to worry about the post-game travails of the common fan.