What It Really Costs To Be an NFL Superfan in Canada
For most Canadians, being part of the football fandom means watching Sunday games from the comfort of their couch. But for Phil Howlett, founder of the Upper Canada Patriots Fan Club, it means border crossings, 17-hour drives, and tailgates in cities across the US.
Fueled by decades of loyalty to the New England Patriots, Phil began his travels in 2014. He started making regular eight-hour treks to NFL games from his home in Belleville, Ontario. The financial cost of his fandom is only matched by his passionate dedication.
It’s about $1,000 Canadian for a single weekend trip. That’s tickets, hotel, gas. And that’s if we drive.
A Lifelong Passion Passed Down
Phil’s love for football started early, nurtured by his father’s own connection to the sport. Drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1955, Phil’s dad ultimately ended up in the Air Force instead. However, his passion for football never faded. From a young age, he took his son to practices and CFL locker rooms from a young age. He even took him to his first game on his fifth birthday.
So I’m five years old, hanging out with these monstrous, sweaty, cigar-smoking players.
The family’s connection to the Patriots is simple. When the Howletts moved to Nova Scotia, there were only three TV channels, and NFL broadcasts came exclusively from Boston. That’s when the Patriots became their team.
That decision set the course for lifelong loyalty. From the Steve Grogan era to the Brady dynasty, Phil stayed with the team through every high and low. Since he began attending games regularly, Phil estimates he has been to around 50, many of which his dad joined him for. Some seasons are more intense than others: in 2017 alone, he made it to eight home games, two playoff matchups, and even flew to the Super Bowl.
We didn’t get tickets — but just being there with other fans was worth it.
Phil also passed the tradition on to his own son. Their first game together at Gillette Stadium was a comeback win over the Broncos, the coldest November game in history.
My first game at Gillette, I took my son … We managed to [get] from the cheap seats [$325] down to the end zone. People were leaving at halftime because [the Patriots] were behind by so many points, and then we came back and won. I was hooked after that, so we started going to games.
Even to games they didn’t have tickets to, Phil and his dad often made the trek to Gillette just to watch the game with other fans in the parking lot.
My dad loved it. He loved the atmosphere. He would sit there and hold court because he know football.
Since his father’s passing, Phil has continued to carry on his legacy. During our interview with him, he was proudly wearing his father’s Bledsoe jersey, a tribute to the man who started it all. The fan community that embraced them both hasn’t forgotten, either. Phil’s father’s name was memorialized on the back of a legendary Patriots tailgate bus in an In Memoriam window.
Rivalries, Road Trips, and the Culture of the NFL Tailgate
Being part of the NFL’s traveling fan culture means embracing the cheers and camaraderie as well as the occasional ketchup-soaked initiation.
We’ve never been harassed to any extent. But our van did get desecrated once: ketchup and mustard all over the windows, the wiper blades, and the gas tank — all that kind of stuff.
It happened in Buffalo, where tailgates are legendary and out-of-town fans aren’t always greeted with open arms. Phil had just arrived at his first Buffalo tailgate when their Patriots-themed van was suddenly surrounded. What might have been a hostile encounter turned into a classic moment of NFL fan culture: spirited, chaotic, but ultimately grounded in mutual passion for the sport.
My wife, God love her, just looked around and said, “Hey, if we all cheered for the same team, it would be a really boring league, wouldn’t it?”
There’s an unspoken code among die-hards, it seems. A sense that even if you’re rooting for the other guys, you’ve still made the pilgrimage and earned your spot in the lot.
The True Cost of Loyalty
From tailgates to ticket stubs, the dollars add up. Phil estimates each trip costs around $1,000 (more if they fly). The seasonal cost can vary in years with deep playoff runs or Phil’s first Super Bowl in 2018in Minneapolis:
The get-in ticket price was $2,000.
Factor in gas, hotels, food, and over-the-top tailgates, like the time Phil deep-fried four turkeys for Canadian Thanksgiving in Cleveland, and it’s clear this is more than a hobby. With over a decade of road trips under his belt at a low-end estimate of $1,000 a game, Phil’s 50-game investment in the Patriots has easily cost more than $50,000.
Still, he’s never questioned the cost too much.
It’s more about the people and the experience… It’s the connections, the friendships, the food, the fun.
Canada’s NFL Fan Problem
Despite being home to 14.5 million NFL fans Canada has no team of its own, and Phil’s experience shows the lengths fans have to go to when the game is always across the border. For many, that means watching from home — sometimes with a wager on the line through a bit of online NFL betting.
Phill has followed The Sports Geek’s campaign to name Canada’s 1st NFL Team, and while he believes Canadian cities could rally behind a national franchise, he sees Canada’s tailgating laws as a major barrier to building up fan culture.
We have some interesting laws up here [in Canada]. Tailgating is not permitted. For some events, they’ll permit it, but you can’t bring your own alcohol. Yeah, it’s not the same at all.
A Canadian Fan Club With a US Zip Code
Founded in 2014, the Upper Canada Patriots Fan Club now includes dozens of die-hard fans who make regular pilgrimages to games. With Canadian and Nova Scotia flags flying at Gillette Stadium and a Patriots-emblazoned van known from Buffalo to Nashville, they’ve become a fixture in the broader NFL fan landscape.
While the costs (money, time, and miles) add up, Phil has no regrets.
From deep-fried Thanksgiving tailgates to 17-hour solo drives for playoff games, the financial investment is steep, but the return, at least for Phil, is clear.
Click to Contact Jen
