Wing Bowl 20

This was my 2^nd Wing Bowl. I believe Wing Bowl 16 was my first. Things have changed a bit in 4 years. Hard to explain, but it is still a rite of passage for local Philly sports fans the friday morning before Super Bowl Sunday.
I purchased upper level general admission tickets from the WIP Wing Bowl website for 10 bucks apiece for myself and 3 friends. We arrived at the parking lot (free parking!) about 5 am to tailgate for about a half hour in the freezing cold. Enough time to slam a few beers. Doors opened at 5 am, we wandered in around 5:30. After entering the Wells Fargo center we were swarmed by local business reps giving out free t-​shirts, hand towels, wristbands, beercan huggies, and there was even one of those Sundance Vacation douchebags I always avoid at concerts.
The event started at 6. Really the event did not start till 7, and they did not start serving beer inside until 7 as well. The first hour was just Angelo Cataldi talking to Hollis Thomas and Al Morganti. Could not hear any of it over the PA system. The only person we could actually hear was Lou Nolan announcing the eaters. We could also hear the house band, who were good, playing 80s favorites in between the goings on.
The floats that some of the eaters rode in on were great. What was sad were the contestants who just walked in with their small entourage consisting of wingettes aka strippers, without a float or a theme. Disappointing.
At 7 am when the beer stands opened the lines formed. Domestics sold for 8 bucks, imports for 10. Yes I know I can buy a six pack for that much with change to spare at a local liquor store. We did not have any of the food being served as it was the same overpriced fare they have at any hockey game. My wife asked me afterwards if I had any wings, I replied no. I told her there were no wings for sale for us to eat, they were just for the people eating in the wing bowl. She said it didn’t make sense to not have wings at a wing eating contest, you know, for the spectators. Well there was a Chickie and Pete’s stand outside of our section but it just didn’t smell right. You know that smell when someone is frying stuff in dirty grease? that was the smell. So we avoided that.
All in all it was a good time. We got to see a guy get run over by a float, strippers mud wrestling, strippers riding a mechanical bull, and guys eating lots of wings. They need to go back to just local average Joes, no professionals! We all know Kobayashi is a monster who can demolish over 300 wings, time to move on and focus on the local talent from now on.
Yes I will go back next year.