City: Glendale, AZ

Category: Spectator Sports

Telephone: (602) 379-0102

Address: 1 Cardinals Dr.

Description: The short course in Arizona Cardinals history goes like this: 1899, Morgan Athletic Club (Chicago); 1900, Racine (Chicago) Normals; 1901–1921, Racine (Chicago) Cardinals; 1922–1959, Chicago Cardinals; 1960–1987, St. Louis Cardinals; 1988–1993, Phoenix Cardinals; 1994–present, Arizona Cardinals. The oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise (dating from 1898) represented the NFL’s youngest team in 2001.Since then the team has been bad enough to earn top-5 draft picks and good enough to make the Super Bowl. The Cardinals lost their first-ever in February 2009 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a last-minute drive that sucked the wind out of long-suffering Arizona football fans. That team, led by quarterback Kurt Warner and standout wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, proved the Cardinals could dominate the weaker NFC West conference. But it didn’t stick. Since then the team faded from the playoff picture as head coach Ken Whisenhunt struggled to find a long-term replacement for Warner.After 18 years in Arizona, the Cardinals have a home of their own. In 2006 the Cardinals bid farewell to the sweltering heat of Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe and inaugurated University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The stadium, with its retractable roof and playing field, received rave reviews from a huge 2008 Super Bowl audience. At long last, the Cardinals will have home-field advantage, and fans hope that will spark the team to victory.Tickets have been so popular that management had to cancel mini-season packages like the popular 4-pack. Instead, season tickets can be purchased for as little as $25 per seat, per game, up to Club-level goal-line seats, which sell for $325 per seat, per game. Or you can buy bulk premium seats in The Loft, with preferred parking, a private entrance, and access to cutting-edge technology. These are available for 5-, 7-, and 10-year leases. Prices range from $85,000 for 18 seats up to $125,000, but you’ll have to join the long waiting list. Single-ticket prices change each season, so call (602) 379-0102 for more information.Parking at the new stadium is plentiful, and the design team made sure to add plenty of trees for shade, so tailgating is excellent.