Brothers Brandt: Eight Life Lessons Learned

Turning nosebleed tickets into on-the-field passes

Dallas, Texas – Two sports-loving charismatic brothers began touring the United States together in 2013 with the goal of seeing as many live sporting events as possible in person. Nine years into our never-ending journey, we have been proud to attend games at nearly every Major League Baseball, National Football League and Major Power 5 Conference football stadium in the country. We’ve competed in countless NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball tournaments, US Open (both tennis and golf), NBA regular season, postseason and finals games.

Ditto for the National Hockey League and their outdoor New Year’s Winter Classic tradition. PGA TOUR events from coast to coast and everywhere in between have been weekly occasions for both of us at times. Even fill in once as caddies. Major League Soccer games. They call it. We are mainstays at regular season college basketball games and of course March Madness games. We love amateur sport as much as professional sport. College baseball, minor league baseball, and the Little League World Series are routine events for us brothers. Did I mention the Super Bowl and The Masters?

What makes our Fraternal Sports Journeys so wonderful to the people we meet has been our ability to translate our love of sports into a way of life that has inspired others around the world to do the same with the people they love. Our sports travel started many years ago on a tight budget, and to this day we still enjoy staying with friends, sleeping on couches, buying cheap home team clothes on eBay and pinching pennies like the latest college grads must do unforgettable experiences with their friends or siblings.

who we are

Our names are Rick and Rob Brandt but our friends, family and supporters call us The Brothers Brandt and in 2018 we began sponsoring some of our sports travel with ticketing companies in the sports and entertainment industry. We’ve seen a lot, met our sports icons and created a lot of memories that will stay with us for a lifetime. We admire our friend and role model Laurence Leavy, known in the sports world as Marlins Man, who reportedly spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year buying front row tickets to over 200 sporting events that fly in clothed from city to city annually Miami Marlins bright orange baseball jersey. We went to sporting events a little differently than our buddy Laurence, though. OK, WAY different.

what we did

Over time we’ve perfected the art of converting nosebleed tickets into game passes and we want to share our insights with you. At the start of the global coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, we created The Brothers Brandt Podcast, which documents our experiences in full detail weekly for sports fans around the world who want to hear epic and hilarious stories about two brothers turning nosebleed tickets into on-the-field passes and ultimate upgrades! Many of the celebrities we’ve met over the years have appeared as our guests on episodes of the podcast. We like to think it’s a must have for any sports fan.

Here are “The 8 Life Lessons We Learned By Turning Nosebleed Tickets Into On-The-Field Passes” that are also incredibly applicable to the real world and your everyday life, whatever that might be , even if you are not participating in a sporting event.

Lesson One: PLAN AHEAD

Whether it’s a two-week commute to a dozen different games from city to city, or a one-off Saturday afternoon regular-season game at Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs play the St. Louis Cardinals, you do do your homework and prepare to maximize your game day experience. Research online to see if the stadium offers a behind-the-scenes tour or access to batting practice before the first pitch that morning. Buy your home team swag before the game. Contact the team leaders.

People who work in the sport are friendly and will help make your experience memorable if they can. Keep your ticket stub on your lanyard upon arrival and triple check your travel plans to the stadium so you don’t miss out on any of the action. Prepare for success, and in case you haven’t noticed, “the action” doesn’t start when the game starts. The action takes place many hours in advance. Who knows, maybe you’re in a Gatorade commercial with Derek Jeter in front of Yankees Stadium, or you’re face-to-face with Tom Brady at a Super Bowl press conference interview and you’re asking him questions you’ve always wanted to ask that you could ask him. You might even find yourself in the Alabama football locker room with Coach Nick Saban or on the field with Tim Tebow.

Lesson Two: ARRIVE EARLY

That doesn’t mean arriving fifteen minutes before game time. We talk hours, many hours before game time. Some of our most memorable, cherished moments have happened in stadiums five, six hours or even more before kick-off. If you can, coordinate your sporting event as a daily schedule. in the episode 1 from The Brothers Brandt Podcastwe extensively share our first few days of one of our epic 10 games in 10 day sports road trips to NFL, MLB and college football games.

This ran randomly throughout the Midwest, and an extensive roadmap, itinerary, and wardrobe were put together in advance to make the trip a success. When we parked our car at the Detroit Tigers ballpark at 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon for the 7:00 p.m. game, who would have thought the gate to the stadium would be wide open for us to attend the Tigers’ batting practice meet Be the ball boy and watch the game from the front row seats just behind home plate. Good things happen when you arrive early.

Lesson Three: DRESS THE PARTY

The term “fan” is short for “fanatic,” so don’t be ashamed to show your fan base for the team you support. You probably bought tickets to the game, paid for parking, bought food, drinks and maybe a souvenir from the gift shop before the action even started. Why not dress up as well and look like you’re there to help the team play? It will make a HUGE difference in your experience.

Even a plain $10 cotton t-shirt and a used $5 snapback hat from eBay will go a long way when the ticket scanner and security guard greet you at the stadium’s front gates. through episode 9 from The Brothers Brandt Podcastwe share the brilliance of wearing suits at sporting events, which led to a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with Alabama head football coach Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa at a Saturday afternoon college football game in front of 100,000 of the world’s most passionate football fans.

Lesson 4: ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH

Being honest is always the best choice. There are no ifs and buts. Spending a Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a packed Michigan Wolverines college football game at The Big House and watching them take on their Ohio rival, we had the most positive result imaginable from a random stranger Kick-off fully articulates why we sat in the vacant front row seats of his close friend at the 50-yard line behind the team bench. Our honesty led to another memorable experience that only came about because we were telling the truth.

Lesson 5: BE THE FIRST TO SAY HELLO

Do not be shy. Don’t be shy. We are all human begins. Smiling and starting a conversation can have the most positive impact imaginable. Be it a janitor, a parking attendant, a fellow fan entering the stadium with you, a concession worker or, as we saw at Super Bowl 48 in Arizona, six-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady. through episode 18 from The Brothers Brandt Podcastyou’ll learn firsthand why being the first to say hello to football legends, celebrity reporters and Hall of Famers was so special for you and us. 

Lesson Six: TAKE RISKS

Having nosebleed tickets to an event will never get you on the field with the superstar athletes, and those same cheap seats never come with all-you-can-access luxury suite passes that offer unlimited lobster, steak, sushi, and many more include free refills on any drink of your choice, so don’t be afraid to use all of the above lessons to take risks. Some of our best risk appetites came when we headed to an NFL doubleheader first in Philadelphia to an early afternoon Eagles game at 1:05 p.m. and then to a Sunday night New York Giants football game in northern New Jersey at 8:20 p.m went. episode 27 from The Brothers Brandt Podcast offers insights on how to take risks and turn your nosebleed seats into the ultimate upgrades.

Lesson Seven: BE REAL

People will appreciate you for you. If they don’t, it’s their loss. There are people in this world who suck. Don’t let them drag you down and stop you from having a great experience. We encourage you to always be true to your personality when dealing with others. Show your excitement about being part of the game. be in the moment Be thrilled that you are part of something great.

When we were at a Pirates baseball game in Pittsburgh in 2013, we spent time chatting with Todd Frazier, eventual 2015 MLB Home Run Derby Champion, who also couldn’t have been more authentic. Years later, in 2017, we met in Texas for a Rangers baseball game, and he was the same sincere guy we’d met years before. Fast forward to our Kickstarter The Brothers Brandt Podcast in 2020; Todd Frazier was kind enough to come episode 11 of our new company for a legendary interview. Since then he has returned twice as a true friend of the pod.

Lesson eight: FOLLOW-UP

There are countless examples of how our ability to routinely stay in touch with a team leader, staff member or professional athlete has been rewarded with the ultimate upgrade. At the University of Oregon, we stepped onto the field for a Ducks football game because we took the initiative to follow it. We did the same thing in Tampa Bay for a Rays baseball game. Many of the families we’ve met and certainly those we’ve stayed with on our trips are getting follow-ups – some get a Christmas card every holiday!

Our follow-up once led to an NBC feature story on Good Morning America in Seattle while we were in town for a couple of Mariners and Seahawks games. It got us on the ropes with Tigers Woods for The Masters, and our excellent follow-up efforts were also a big reason you’re listening to The Brothers Brandt Podcast and reading this unique, one-of-a-kind article and many others with more to come that will change your life for the better.

The Brandt brothers join the Belly Up Sports family. Be sure to follow theirs social