Valley man visits all 30 NFL stadiums in one season

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — One Valley football fan loves the game so much, he traveled to every NFL stadium ... in just one season!

Jason Karniol started the cross-country football journey back in September in Las Vegas when he saw a game at Allegiant Stadium. In the weeks that followed, he went to multiple games, sometimes even two in the same day.

“I just went week by week and started crossing off all the games I’ve been to,” Karniol said. Then he decided to set up a whiteboard at his house, so he could map out all the games and make a plan to hit every stadium in one season. While the whiteboard helped, he also needed some luck — especially during Week 8.

“I wound up going to four games that week: Tampa Bay, Detroit, Buffalo and Cleveland,” he said. Karniol hit a Lions game that Sunday morning and then drove to Buffalo for the Bills’ afternoon game by taking a bit of a risk.

“There was two routes to go. There was either through Canada or around the lake and I’m like, ‘oh, I don’t have a passport.’ Take my chances, got to the border. He’s like, ‘what are you doing here?’ I’m like, ‘oh please, I’m going to the…' He’s like, ‘okay, no problem,’” he said.

Karniol was halfway done after Week 8, but still had 15 stadiums to visit. From Charlotte to Denver to Green Bay, he crisscrossed the country as he kept crossing more teams off his list. On New Year’s Day, Karniol visited his 30th stadium!

“Holy cow, I made it 30 stadiums in one season! Here I am, Week 17, Kansas City, Missouri,” Karniol said in a video clip posted to Facebook.

Karniol is a ticket broker so getting the tickets was the easy part, but the logistics of traveling all across the country each week was a challenge. “There was a point in time there, I was flying like 12 to 15 flights a week. Because, you know, red eyes with connections. It started getting harder as it got later in the season. It’s like, where should I go?” Karniol said.

But in the end, he did it, hitting 30 stadiums in less than four months. So, what was his favorite one? “They’re gonna be all the newer stadiums, so like SoFi. It’s like a museum in there and you like walk-in in the upper deck, it’s insane,” Karniol said.

The avid sports fan also likes Allegiant in Las Vegas, AT&T in Dallas and Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta. His least favorite? “FedEx Field in Washington is a pit, like it just needs to be demolished,” Karniol said.

When it comes to fans, he says Kansas City has the “best fans anywhere in the country.” “They are just so gracious and nice and welcoming. Philadelphia has the worst. It’s like, no joke. This is not a Super Bowl thing. Hands down, Kansas City’s the best, Philadelphia is the worst,” he said.

When we asked him how much his entire football adventure cost, here’s his response, “A girlfriend, I’m kidding, a good amount of money. I don’t know what, to be honest with you, no idea. I did not keep a ledger,” Karniol said. “I just did what needed to be done.”

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