Travis Taylor | Lariat Photo Editor
Staff Reporter
One thing unites everybody during a Saturday afternoon football game: sweat.
By the first quarter, the heat claims a victim. A man lies on the cement beneath the stands. Two police officers and a Baylor student in his line jersey are attending to him while a woman – presumably the man’s wife – looks on at the scene.
Within moments, paramedics arrive, get the man upright and start giving him oxygen.
Looking around the corridors of Floyd Casey Stadium everyone has beads of sweat forming on their brow. Occasionally, a droplet will break free and run down the bridge of a nose and fall to the ground.
As fans make their way into the stadium, they charge to concession stands to buy water, a cup of ice or anything else to make the temperature more bearable.
Being a fan in this weather requires dedication; it is not for the faint-of-heart. Only, serious, die-hard fans are tough enough to brave the heat.
Many fans within Floyd Casey Stadium had to find way to beat the heat during last Saturday’s football game against University at Buffalo.
Grant Kawata, Woodlands junior, took advantage of a new policy that allowed fans to bring their own water into the stadium by bringing a gallon of water to the game.
“I saw online that they were allowing us to bring up to two gallons of water to the game,” Kawata said.
He told his friends and they stopped at a gas station on their way to the game.
“We got one each for a $1.19,” he said. “It’s very cheap.”
Water bought from vendors in the stadium costs $3 for a 16.9 fluid ounce bottle of Deja Blue. At that rate, a gallon of water at the stadium would cost approximately $22.71 dollars. Meaning, Kawata saved around $21.52.
He hoped that the gallon would last him the entire game because it was going to get hotter as the day continues, Kawata said.
Kawata also managed to stay cool by standing in the shade below the stands for a few moments before the game started. When it got close to kickoff, he braved the heat and found a spot to watch the game. His last piece of advice was to stay out of the sun when possible.
Drinking water before the game is crucial if fans want to stay hydrated during the game.
“I go to the tailgate and get some free water,” said Grapevine senior Blake Fuller.
Fuller, like many others, brought his own water into the stadium, but he had a plan to get more water throughout the game.
“I only have two bottles today, but usually I get the bottle, I drink it, then I go down to the ice cooler, and I fill it back up with the ice,” said Fuller.
The ice in the bottle will melt, and Fuller will have another bottle of cold water to drink to help keep him cool and hydrated during the football game.
In the stands Georgetown senior Lindsey Spurgin tries to ward off the heat by eating a Lemon Chill. The frozen, yellow treat is just that – frozen. She struggles with a plastic spoon to chisel a piece free. The treat can only resist the heat for so long before it starts to thaw, and she is able to eat her Lemon Chill without a struggle.
“When you’re really hot it helps cool off more than a water bottle,” said Spurgin.
Also, it takes longer to eat the Lemon Chill than drink a bottle of water, so the Lemon Chill’s relief is long lasting, said Spurgin.
