azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Cards find victory in packed Azteca Stadium
Chris Hawley
Republic Mexico City Bureau
Oct. 3, 2005 12:00 AM
MEXICO CITY - Mexico gave the Arizona Cardinals a reception on Sunday like they have never gotten at home, as 103,467 hollering, whistling football fans watched the Cardinals trounce the San Francisco 49ers 31-14 in the NFL's first regular-season game outside the United States.
It was a spectacle with flashes of nationalism, as Mexicans bellowed their national anthem, cheered Aztec dancers during the halftime show, and basked in the international television attention at Mexico City's packed Azteca Stadium.
"Think of all those Mexicans who have gone to the United States to work. Now we have one of your teams coming here," said Javier Rodríguez, a 28-year-old travel agent "It's a reversal, isn't it?"
The game smashed a 48-year-old record for the biggest crowd to watch a regular-season NFL game. It was a feat all the more impressive because of the two teams' lousy records.
In the stands, Cardinals jerseys were woefully outnumbered by 49ers jerseys, and the "home" team was booed as they entered the canyon-like stadium. The 49ers have had a following in Mexico dating from their glory days in the 1980s.
But the Mexican fans cheered good-naturedly at every big play, no matter whose it was. They booed Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers before every field goal, then erupted into cheers when he made it. And when Anquan Boldin scored in the fourth quarter, they thundered their approval.
Arizonans who made the trek to Mexico City called it a spectacle like nothing ever seen in Sun Devil Stadium.
"This is like the Super Bowl," said a wide-eyed Matthew Johnson of Tempe, as he and three friends wandered around the nosebleed seats, trying to find a place to sit.
The game was a gamble for the NFL, which is trying to win a share of Mexico's increasingly affluent sports fans. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said he would like to see the league make such foreign events an annual requirement, with one team giving up a home game each year.
Other U.S. sports leagues have been making similar forays. In March, NASCAR's Busch Series held its first foreign race at the Hermanos Rodríguez Autodrome in Mexico City. The race attracted 94,229 fans, a remarkable turnout for a second-tier series that usually gets only 60,000 to 70,000 spectators at its events.
That same weekend, the LPGA held its first event in Mexico since 1975, the Mastercard Classic.
For Mexican football fans, the game was the recognition of a Mexican football tradition that goes back to 1896, when the first game was played in the eastern city of Jalapa.
"This makes us feel like we're part of the NFL," said Rodolfo Mendoza, 27, who wore a Cardinals jersey featuring the name of the team's Mexican player, Rolando Cantu.
Still, there were reminders everywhere that Mexico remains soccer territory.
Outside the stadium, souvenir booths were divided about equally between football gear and memorabilia featuring América, the soccer team that calls Azteca Stadium home.
And the Cards-49ers crowd burst into applause when the jumbotron flashed the results of the night's other big game: the under-17 world championship game between Mexico and Brazil in Lima, Peru.
The matchup had the flavor of an Olympic Games, from the reception at the U.S. ambassador's house on Saturday night to the halftime show featuring folk dancers, costumes and flag-waving.
At the end of the game, defensive end Bertrand Berry grabbed a Mexican flag and paraded it back and forth.
"Here we are, baby! We're coming back!" he yelled. And the crowd exploded in cheers.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/1003cardscene03.html
Chris Hawley
Republic Mexico City Bureau
Oct. 3, 2005 12:00 AM
MEXICO CITY - Mexico gave the Arizona Cardinals a reception on Sunday like they have never gotten at home, as 103,467 hollering, whistling football fans watched the Cardinals trounce the San Francisco 49ers 31-14 in the NFL's first regular-season game outside the United States.
It was a spectacle with flashes of nationalism, as Mexicans bellowed their national anthem, cheered Aztec dancers during the halftime show, and basked in the international television attention at Mexico City's packed Azteca Stadium.
"Think of all those Mexicans who have gone to the United States to work. Now we have one of your teams coming here," said Javier Rodríguez, a 28-year-old travel agent "It's a reversal, isn't it?"
The game smashed a 48-year-old record for the biggest crowd to watch a regular-season NFL game. It was a feat all the more impressive because of the two teams' lousy records.
In the stands, Cardinals jerseys were woefully outnumbered by 49ers jerseys, and the "home" team was booed as they entered the canyon-like stadium. The 49ers have had a following in Mexico dating from their glory days in the 1980s.
But the Mexican fans cheered good-naturedly at every big play, no matter whose it was. They booed Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers before every field goal, then erupted into cheers when he made it. And when Anquan Boldin scored in the fourth quarter, they thundered their approval.
Arizonans who made the trek to Mexico City called it a spectacle like nothing ever seen in Sun Devil Stadium.
"This is like the Super Bowl," said a wide-eyed Matthew Johnson of Tempe, as he and three friends wandered around the nosebleed seats, trying to find a place to sit.
The game was a gamble for the NFL, which is trying to win a share of Mexico's increasingly affluent sports fans. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said he would like to see the league make such foreign events an annual requirement, with one team giving up a home game each year.
Other U.S. sports leagues have been making similar forays. In March, NASCAR's Busch Series held its first foreign race at the Hermanos Rodríguez Autodrome in Mexico City. The race attracted 94,229 fans, a remarkable turnout for a second-tier series that usually gets only 60,000 to 70,000 spectators at its events.
That same weekend, the LPGA held its first event in Mexico since 1975, the Mastercard Classic.
For Mexican football fans, the game was the recognition of a Mexican football tradition that goes back to 1896, when the first game was played in the eastern city of Jalapa.
"This makes us feel like we're part of the NFL," said Rodolfo Mendoza, 27, who wore a Cardinals jersey featuring the name of the team's Mexican player, Rolando Cantu.
Still, there were reminders everywhere that Mexico remains soccer territory.
Outside the stadium, souvenir booths were divided about equally between football gear and memorabilia featuring América, the soccer team that calls Azteca Stadium home.
And the Cards-49ers crowd burst into applause when the jumbotron flashed the results of the night's other big game: the under-17 world championship game between Mexico and Brazil in Lima, Peru.
The matchup had the flavor of an Olympic Games, from the reception at the U.S. ambassador's house on Saturday night to the halftime show featuring folk dancers, costumes and flag-waving.
At the end of the game, defensive end Bertrand Berry grabbed a Mexican flag and paraded it back and forth.
"Here we are, baby! We're coming back!" he yelled. And the crowd exploded in cheers.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/1003cardscene03.html
it was embarrassing to go to AZ and see more Donkey gear available than the Cardinals. I see enough of the Donkeys in CO. Its easy to root for a winning team but the tide will one day turn. I hope the Cards kick some major ass for the rest of the year. 
. They are making a valid attempt to change things on the field....we only need to catch a couple of breaks. 
