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Tampa Bay BuccaneersJoke of the NFLThe Bucs, as they are called, used to be the laughing stock of the NFL.They started out as an expansion team in 1976 going 0-26 before winning their last 2 games in their 2nd year. I can just imagine how embarrassing it must have been for the 2 teams that they beat that year. The Bucs later went on to have 14 consecutive losing seasons from 1983 – 1996. Talk about a streak. However, that was then and this is now. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers now are a forced to be reckoned with. They are no longer the joke in the NFL. The 2002 Super Bowl is proof of that. Renewed ExpectationsEver since the Super Bowl, expectations have been set so high now that the season ticket waiting list has topped over 110,000.In fact, I just recently received a call from the ticket office stating that my name just came up on the waiting list. I have been on the list for about 4 years since I moved here. People here are fanatic about the Bucs, now that they are winning, of course. Hey I don’t blame them. Nobody likes a loser, right? I remember when my wife and I first came down here to visit. We went to the grocery store and I saw something that just blew my mind. The cashiers were wearing Buccaneers jerseys. Now maybe I have never seen this before because I am not from a professional sports city. Maybe they do this in other cities as well. But where I am from in North Carolina you don’t see cashiers wearing UNC Tar Heels or Duke jerseys in the stores. Throughout the year you can constantly hear conversation after conversation of people speculating on coaches, players, and draft picks. This is even when football season is over. Every year everyone in the city looks forward to football season. In the past few years whenever the individual game tickets went on sale they have sold out in minutes. So those have been difficult to come across. TicketsHowever, with some of the recent struggles with the team I am starting to notice more tickets becoming available.You can find them through Ticketmaster.com or if they are sold out then Stubhub.com is a good source. Stubhub is the official secondary market where ticket holders can sell to those looking to purchase tickets. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play in Raymond James Stadium, located on Dale Mabry Hwy. Most of their games are at 1:00 p.m. on Sundays. So as you can imagine, Florida at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon does not make it the coolest event to be a part of. Major Hint: If you can, buy tickets on the west side of the stadium. This is where the shade is. This side includes sections 302-319, 201-220 and 102-119. It is the side behind the Buccaneers sideline. The weather in Florida usually cools down in November so the heat should not be that much of a problem after that time although you can still expect 80 degree temperatures. Parking is available at various locations around the stadium, although you can expect a somewhat long walk to the stadium. Just consider it as your exercise for the day. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a staple for the city of Tampa. They are the foundation of the sports culture in the area. Yes, the Tampa Bay Lightning are great and it is good to be able to go see a Major League Baseball game with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. However, the Tampa Bay area without the Buccaneers is like Thanksgiving without turkey. Without it, it can still be good. But it just would not be the same.
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