Messi!!! and the Worst Security/Ticket Takers
by AGUnited on 9/12/15AT&T Stadium - ArlingtonWatching one of the best teams in the world (Argentina) and some of the best players in the world (Messi, Mascherano, Aguero, et al) take on Mexico in front of a huge crowd was an incredible, unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, the entry to the stadium was such a hassle that I have no choice but to give it a lower rating than it deserved. It is entirely the fault of the stadium security/ticket taking crew. There was an extreme lack of organization on their part in directing fans on where to enter, doing the security check, and scanning the tickets. Upon arriving at the stadium at 7:30 pm, we got in line at one of the side entrances near the (North?) end zone plaza. Kickoff was not until 9:30 pm so we thought that should give us time to get to our seats and watch the teams warm up. After we lined up at the back of the line, it seems that people continued to crowd in and cut in line. There were no barricades or people directing traffic to create any kind of organized line so there ended up being a huge mob of people trying to enter the same gate. People continued to crowd in and the mob continued to grow for the next 2 hours. For several stretches it seemed as though the line didn't move at all for 15-20 minutes straight. It was pretty miserable standing in a mob of people in the heat and people were getting very angry. I wouldn't have been surprised if a riot would've broken out. It wasn't until about 5-10 minutes before kickoff before any stadium personnel walked down the line to inform people of what was going on. Apparently the other lines around the stadium were not as backed up as this one that we picked, but at this point we had nearly reached the entrance and there was no use trying to switch. The stadium personnel were so incompetent that we ended up waiting in line for 2 hours and only made it to our seats before kickoff because we sprinted all the way up the ramps to the top of the stadium. I would've been irate had we not made it in time. I'm sure thousands of people missed the kickoff. I've never seen such a disorganized mess of trying to get people into a stadium at a sporting event. There is no excuse for such incompetence. There should be people out front informing people where to line up so such huge traffic jams don't occur at any one entrance. The signs on where to enter and line up need to be more clear and they need to set up barricades or ropes to prevent people from cutting in line and to stop mobs from forming. Dallas Cowboys & AT&T Stadium need to fix this mess and get an F for how they managed things. I will seriously have to consider if it's worth the time and effort to attend in the future if this is what the experience is like.