so late arriving to games? At the 15 minute mark the crowd seems to be fully 2 or 3 times bigger than what it is at game time. This has always puzzled me.
I don't think it's just Austin. I think it's American. Maybe Canadian as well. I have a few guesses, all of which are probably a factor. 1. In most US sports, what are you missing? Baseball? ~1/2 inning. Football? 5 minutes of game time. Basketball? How many more points will be scored in the rest of the game? Tons. I doubt we culturally understand that we might miss the important event in that first 15 minutes. 2. People are busy. I don't know about others, really. I try to be on time. But with busy lives, and general cat herding, people are late. 3. It's just not that important. It's entertainment. A diversion. It's fun while people are there. I have a co-worker that went Saturday, and left at the 75th minute because he was with kids, and they'd reached their attention limit and they needed to go home. Me, I'm not going to worry about it. They pay money. I've noticed the same thing at MLS games. Shocked at how empty the stands are in pregame, but decently full by halftime. Even in Toronto.
I agree with all the comments made on this. It's not just teams like the Aztex. I know as I've talked to folks who go to UT Football (gridiron) games, they state that the stadium isn't full until well into the first quarter.
Well, if it was 30 years ago, I'd say it was too mellow and laid-back to be on time. But I'm not sure that describes Austin anymore.
I'm not from Austin, but VioletCrown seems to be right with point #2 and "cat herding" (You mean cattle herding?). Part of me also wants to mention something I see all the time when I'm working Cleveland Browns games: everybody pre-games! It's not always including booze, but A LOT of people pre-game, then you have to do the security checks outside the stadium, I could tell you plenty of stories about that!
I haven't forgotten to go but I know I'm always a little late because I am still at the Tavern finishing up all the beer that Chantico's Army leaves out on the table when they leave for the supporter's march over to House. <<hic>>