Alabama and Georgia fans who made their way early to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium were forced to wait up to two hours in the rain due to the arrival of Donald Trump, who was attending his first College Football Playoff National Championship game as President.
By kick-off, thousands of fans who paid $ 1 000 for tickets were left to stand in the rain, while tickets on the secondary market were selling for $ 1 400 per AL’s Joseph Goodman. The weather conditions were horrific and many fans expressed their disappointment.
“We came down the main straight and Gate 1 wasn’t open, so we went around to the other side of the building and waited in line for about an hour and half, barely moved, still couldn’t see the end of the line,” Schweiker said. “We heard a rumor that this other gate had finally opened, so we came back around and got in after about half an hour. So, it was about two hours total in the rain and freezing.”
An older couple from Pelham, Alabama said that this one of their worst experiences ever after waiting for two hours to the point were their cellphones died. After they were allowed to enter the stadium all soaking wet, they had trouble finding their seats.
“This is the most disorganized I’ve ever seen and we were here for the FSU game,” said Jo, who only wanted to be identified by her first name. “Tickets on your phone is a terrible idea.”
It worth noting that it was 37 degrees and raining by kick-off.