Fan Violence at Sporting Events - What Should be Done?

[tomalak301]

The biggest story in the Bay Area today was about the fights and all that stuff that went down at Candlestick Park over the weekend. It's led to a reevaluation of security, but I think it's also leading to a cancellation of the 49ers/Raiders Preseason games at least next year and probably for good.

It seems like this year has seen a very unfortunately increase of fan violence at sports events with this, the Bryan Stow thing in LA and the Vancouver Riots after Game 7 of the stanley cup finals. What my question is what are we going to do about it? I remember in June I was down in LA for a Dodger/Giants game and it felt like they declared Martial Law around the parking lot. You saw police lights, cars, cops on horses, it was like Dodger stadium was on Lockdown. I've also been to a number of Raider games and each time I go there is at least one person being dragged away in handcuffs.

I do think we are heading towards the atmosphere of sporting events becoming much like what I saw at Dodger stadium and that sucks. I do think if they wanted to do the 49ers/Raiders game again, they should start it earlier, like 1:00 PM just like any other Home football game. As for Alcohol, I think that could be a symptom but I don't think it's the only problem. Still, what happened this last weekend was embarrassing and reaffirms my belief that Football is much better viewed on TV.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

College football usually doesn't get that out of hand. Though of course what that asshole did to our trees at Toomer's Corner proves that there ARE lunatics like that in the college football scene too.

 

[tomalak301]

College football usually doesn't get that out of hand. Though of course what that asshole did to our trees at Toomer's Corner proves that there ARE lunatics like that in the college football scene too.

I've never been to a college football game, but I would assume they regulate (Or just don't sell) Alcohol because it's pretty much the student body of the home school. Like I said, I don't think selling of beer is the only reason for this but that can explain your statement of behavior in the rowdy College Football atmosphere.

 

[arch101]

Given this growing problem of violence at sporting events, I've thought that this might be the perfect time to bring back Gladiatorial events. You know, Gladiator fights-to-the-death and Gladiator vs. wild animals. The PETA guys would shit a brick.

 

[Thestral]

I've never been to a college football game, but I would assume they regulate (Or just don't sell) Alcohol because it's pretty much the student body of the home school. Like I said, I don't think selling of beer is the only reason for this but that can explain your statement of behavior in the rowdy College Football atmosphere.

They may not sell it in most stadiums, but that sure doesn't stop the getting wasted beforehand.

 

[Skywalker]

Stop selling alcohol after halftime. Or the third quarter. That wouldn't fix everything, but it'd help.

Also, move the Raiders to LA so the 49ers don't have to share the Bay Area with those goons anymore.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I honestly don't think it's the booze that's the problem. People can be assholes when stone cold sober. If they want to fight after having drinks, they probably wanted to fight before they had them.

 

[SmoothieX]

Sports teams will never ban alcohol sales, it's a cash cow. You can charge $9 for $2 worth of Piss Light and make a killing.

Plus you get the idiots that show up 4 hours before gametime and get shitfaced in the parking lot.

And it's not just booze. Some asshole sitting next to me at a Pats game last year was drooling on himself in his own world, and offered me some of the white powder (no idea what it was) he was using.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Stop selling alcohol after halftime. Or the third quarter. That wouldn't fix everything, but it'd help.

Also, move the Raiders to LA so the 49ers don't have to share the Bay Area with those goons anymore.

San Francisco fans have been implicated in far more violent actions recently.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

There's talk that the Raiders might share the 49ers' new stadium. Good luck with that.

 

[tomalak301]

Stop selling alcohol after halftime. Or the third quarter. That wouldn't fix everything, but it'd help.

Also, move the Raiders to LA so the 49ers don't have to share the Bay Area with those goons anymore.

San Francisco fans have been implicated in far more violent actions recently.

Other than this last Saturday, care to share any examples, because I can't think of any.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Dodgers fan beaten by Giants fans.

 

[tomalak301]

Dodgers fan beaten by Giants fans.

If you're talking about Bryan Stow, he was the Giants fan beaten by Dodger fans. Now if the reverse is true, that sucks, but I haven't heard anything about that.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I don't know if there's really much connection between the events cited in the OP. And from what I can tell North-American sports events are extremely safe and family-friendly anyway. Individual acts of spontaneous violence can never be completely prevented, you can't look into people's minds. But I don't see a pattern so I would say you're doing alright.

 

[Garak]

Generally speaking, violence at North American sporting events isn't really a problem.

 

[spooky spice]

Stop selling alcohol

Which is what they did in Scotland years ago, and it helped.

They also find out who the rowdy ones are and ban them from the grounds for life...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Dodgers fan beaten by Giants fans.

If you're talking about Bryan Stow, he was the Giants fan beaten by Dodger fans. Now if the reverse is true, that sucks, but I haven't heard anything about that.

Probably less likely. Stow was cornered in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium, which is huge and not easy to patrol regularly with security. It's easy to get caught alone in a place like that. AT&T Park (Giants) is, generally, more compact and doesn't have a wide open space in which people can get surprised and beaten.

 

[MacLeod]

Violence in relation to sporting events only occurs for certain sports.

 

[tomalak301]

Violence in relation to sporting events only occurs for certain sports.

That's not true at all. What backs up your claims? Heck, I can name occurances for all 4 major sports where there was some violence in the stands or in the parking lot.

 

[1001001]

Generally speaking, violence at North American sporting events isn't really a problem.

Soccer fans throughout the world are laughing at us right now....