Are you ready for some football??? I know the answer to that question. Everyone is about "done" with the current NFL lockout. The labor dispute was seemingly coming to an end this past Thursday when 31 of the 32 NFL owners agreed on a deal that the media reported would be approved by the players. It didn't happen...yet. I think most of us is confident from what we are hearing that an agreement really is around the corner and the NFL season more than likely will start on time. But the bottom line is most strike/lockout related situations, no matter what the industry, are not resolved until the 11th hour. Also when your talking about BILLIONS of dollars being divided, it is going to take time to work everything out. Even though there may be some posturing going on by the players at this time, you can't blame them for wanting to make sure they understand this complex deal that they will commit to for ten years. Let's face it, this is not like a month to month lease agreement that they will try to take to Judge Greg Mathis for a small claims settlement if an issue arises. Ten years is a long commitment; most of the players in the league today will not see the life of this agreement and scores more will enter and exit the league within that time period. Nothing is more important than getting it right, right now.
The media is doing a great job keeping us up to date on all the breaking labor dispute news. But hearing every detail, in detail, is part of what is making this issue a little anxious for fans. In no way am I knocking sports journalists for doing their job. The reality is, that in an attempt to resolve a dispute, there are going to be peaks and valleys. In a moment it will look like a touchdown is going to be scored, and just as fast, there will be a fumble out of that endzone for a touchback. So some of the developments of the past couple of days should not be a surprise. In a few more days (hopefully) we will all wipe our brows and scream "finally!!" because the dispute will be over. That's when sports journalist can get back to reporting on what they would rather be informing us about: actual football matters on the field. And then we can put most of the legal and labor minutiae behind us.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Unruly and Violent Fans at a Stadium Near You?
Nowadays, it is tough to be a true fan in sports. It's harder the stay in love with our favorite teams since they seem to have more turnover on their rosters than McDonald's has with its entry level employees. Ticket prices to games have ballooned to absurd levels; compound that with astronomical concession stand and parking prices and it makes it very difficult for folks to make it to a game as much as they would like. On top of it all we currently have two leagues, the NFL and the NBA, that are in labor disputes which could possibly cost fans the opportunity to see games (NFL dispute is ending soon - hopefully). It is all enough to drive us a little batty. But one thing that really puts a damper on the true fan experience is actually caused by fans themselves. Unruly, violent and out of control fans at sporting venues are a bit out of hand. This subject is not discussed nearly enough and I hope that something is finally done about it - soon.
Some fans are really taking the fun out of going to ballparks, stadiums and arenas. Over the years I have witnessed countless verbal abuse, heated arguments and physical fights at sporting events. A couple of years ago I was at a New York Mets home game against the Florida Marlins. A young female arrived late and sat a few rows ahead of me donning a Boston Red Sox cap. A fool in front of her noticed her and just started berating her with uncalled for, nasty language because of her cap. Now mind you, this was a Mets fan not a Yankees fan (not that it would have made it alright if it was a Yankees fan and he clearly had forgotten that Bill Buckner had made it cool for Red Sox fans to visit Flushing). She could not have been anymore than 16 or 17 years old and this "jerk" decides to unload on her as if she had just killed his family. Thankfully, another male fan in her row got him to hush up. If only he would have just kept his focus on the game in front of him, he would not of had to see the Red Sox hat that drew his ire. Instead he disturbs the whole section, which had a decent amount of kids in it and possibly turned off a young lady from coming to the park ever again. All because he had no self control and no respect for others in this public space. Another verbal abuse incident that I witnessed was a bit in reverse, at an NFL game in Philadelphia. As the Philadelphia Eagles were crushing the Dallas Cowboys on the field, I was walking towards a concourse area and heard a loud voice just scolding a Cowboys fan; all kinds of curse words just flying all over the place. I wasn't really too surprised being it was in Philadelphia but as I approached the piercing voice and the Cowboys fan I was shocked to see the orator of these "fine" words was a kid! This girl had to be about 12 years old! And there was what looked to be her parents, right next to her, grinning with pride. I wonder where she learned that behavior??? Now it may be debatable whether this Cowboys fan should have been dressed in Cowboys gear from head to toe in Philadelphia. But what is not debatable is a grown man being subjected to such language from a kid while her parents condone the action. There is nothing wrong with some friendly, consensual verbal jabbing at a game; that actually makes it a little more fun. But if a fan is not a willing participant in your jousting, leave him/her alone.
What's more fun than witnessing someone getting verbally abused? Well of course, it is two or more people screaming obscenities at each other! Yay! I'm sure you've seen and heard these conflicts before. You know, the ones where folks are standing up shouting at each other to the left and behind you; then you just can't help but look to see what's going on even though the game is to your right and in front of you. You have to watch because hey, who knows what's coming next? Maybe a fight? Seriously, I can truly do without this nonsense as well. And 99.9% of the time its over something really, really stupid. And usually these shouting matches are in an earshot of children. But who cares? I'm going to get my point across anyway right? "Your team sucks $^&**@". "Well you can suck *&*$#" "F*** you A##$4$$" - and a lot of times, a fight follows that exchange. Punches thrown, bodies slammed over rows of seats....yea exactly what I had in mind when I came to see this baseball game. Heck, a fight even broke out in the stands at a tennis match in the US Open last year (and I thought tennis spectators were suppose to be sophisticated and civilized - LOL). Major League Baseball's opening day at Dodgers Stadium this year may have showcased one of the worst fan altercations ever. After the game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, Giants fan Bryan Stow was beaten into a coma in the stadium's parking lot. Stow, was allegedly beaten by some Dodgers fans because he was wearing Giants gear. Nearly four months later, Stow is still hospitalized and suffering from a brain injury. All because of what??? Though not as serious, I certainly have seen my share of physical altercations at sporting events. I even was a victim of a beer shower (more like a nice sprinkle) from a hurled cup that was intended for a guy a couple of rows ahead of me. Silly me; I was actually watching the game and suddenly felt a little wet. Thanks guy - I appreciated the free brew - not! And now, with technology being what is today, a lot of these incidents are being taped and posted online. If you went to YouTube right now and searched "fans fight" and plug your favorite team next to it, I'm pretty sure you will find at least one (if not more) fight that was recorded and posted that involved fans of your favorite team. I don't know about you but I'm not looking for an undercard for the game I actually paid to see. The professionals on the field will do just fine thank you.
And speaking of the professionals on the field, my fellow fans, can we "bring it down a thousand" with them too? As paying fans you have every right to boo and jeer players, and if your smart, you'll strategically help your team gain that all important home field advantage. What you don't have the right to do is be overly abusive with the language, throw stuff at players (and onto the field) and run on the field of play. It is unbelievable how many cowards live out among us. They yell and throw stuff at players behind the shield of anonymity in the crowd and also "the shield" that players will not want to get in trouble for retaliating if they can spot them out. Just because we pay for tickets, it does not give us the right to cross the line; it only gives us the right to be entertained. If you feel like you're not being entertained, boo or after awhile don't spend your hard earned money anymore at the games. The infamous NBA fight that broke out at the Palace at Auburn Hills back in 2004 was a benchmark "event" initiated by fans. While visiting Indiana Pacers' player Ron Artest and some of his teammates had absolutely no right and no business fighting up in the stands with Detroit Pistons fans, the whole melee never would have happened if Artest didn't have a drink thrown on him (from a fan). And for those fans that love running out onto the field, you do it at your own risk. Fifteen minutes of "stupidity" is not worth being tased or tackled and arrested. But I guess the highlights of it broadcasted around the world (and it going viral) is worth it, in your mind.
Last season, the NFL acknowledged that more fans were enjoying the "home" experience of watching games. The general feeling was that more people own large, HD flat screen televisions and with the success of the NFL's own programming (such as NFL Red Zone and NFL Sunday TIcket) fans now have a competing option to attending games in person. Though there is some truth to this, I think a growing number of fans are actually just more comfortable watching the game at home. While the out of pocket expense aspect of attending a game in person in a tough economy may actually be the leading reason for more fans staying home, dealing with crowds and unruly behavior I believe has to be a factor in that decision as well. If you have vile acts occurring at stadiums, like the fan last year at a Philadelphia Phillies game who purposely vomitted on an 11 year old girl and her father, why would you want to come out and "enjoy" a contest? No doubt alcohol plays a part in some of this disruptive behavior but some of it is just straight selfish attitude. The feeling that some fans get is that the "world" revolves around them regardless of the fact that there are 55,000 other fans at the game as well. It is a mere reflection of our society, a lack of comprehension that we should share space and respect others in public venues. I often hear fans criticize athletes for being selfish and arrogant; it's time for some them to look in the mirror. Come out to the games and have a good time; stop spoiling it for others with your selfish, arrogant and immature attitudes. Nowhere on the back of a game ticket does it say other fans should be subjected to it.
Some fans are really taking the fun out of going to ballparks, stadiums and arenas. Over the years I have witnessed countless verbal abuse, heated arguments and physical fights at sporting events. A couple of years ago I was at a New York Mets home game against the Florida Marlins. A young female arrived late and sat a few rows ahead of me donning a Boston Red Sox cap. A fool in front of her noticed her and just started berating her with uncalled for, nasty language because of her cap. Now mind you, this was a Mets fan not a Yankees fan (not that it would have made it alright if it was a Yankees fan and he clearly had forgotten that Bill Buckner had made it cool for Red Sox fans to visit Flushing). She could not have been anymore than 16 or 17 years old and this "jerk" decides to unload on her as if she had just killed his family. Thankfully, another male fan in her row got him to hush up. If only he would have just kept his focus on the game in front of him, he would not of had to see the Red Sox hat that drew his ire. Instead he disturbs the whole section, which had a decent amount of kids in it and possibly turned off a young lady from coming to the park ever again. All because he had no self control and no respect for others in this public space. Another verbal abuse incident that I witnessed was a bit in reverse, at an NFL game in Philadelphia. As the Philadelphia Eagles were crushing the Dallas Cowboys on the field, I was walking towards a concourse area and heard a loud voice just scolding a Cowboys fan; all kinds of curse words just flying all over the place. I wasn't really too surprised being it was in Philadelphia but as I approached the piercing voice and the Cowboys fan I was shocked to see the orator of these "fine" words was a kid! This girl had to be about 12 years old! And there was what looked to be her parents, right next to her, grinning with pride. I wonder where she learned that behavior??? Now it may be debatable whether this Cowboys fan should have been dressed in Cowboys gear from head to toe in Philadelphia. But what is not debatable is a grown man being subjected to such language from a kid while her parents condone the action. There is nothing wrong with some friendly, consensual verbal jabbing at a game; that actually makes it a little more fun. But if a fan is not a willing participant in your jousting, leave him/her alone.
What's more fun than witnessing someone getting verbally abused? Well of course, it is two or more people screaming obscenities at each other! Yay! I'm sure you've seen and heard these conflicts before. You know, the ones where folks are standing up shouting at each other to the left and behind you; then you just can't help but look to see what's going on even though the game is to your right and in front of you. You have to watch because hey, who knows what's coming next? Maybe a fight? Seriously, I can truly do without this nonsense as well. And 99.9% of the time its over something really, really stupid. And usually these shouting matches are in an earshot of children. But who cares? I'm going to get my point across anyway right? "Your team sucks $^&**@". "Well you can suck *&*$#" "F*** you A##$4$$" - and a lot of times, a fight follows that exchange. Punches thrown, bodies slammed over rows of seats....yea exactly what I had in mind when I came to see this baseball game. Heck, a fight even broke out in the stands at a tennis match in the US Open last year (and I thought tennis spectators were suppose to be sophisticated and civilized - LOL). Major League Baseball's opening day at Dodgers Stadium this year may have showcased one of the worst fan altercations ever. After the game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, Giants fan Bryan Stow was beaten into a coma in the stadium's parking lot. Stow, was allegedly beaten by some Dodgers fans because he was wearing Giants gear. Nearly four months later, Stow is still hospitalized and suffering from a brain injury. All because of what??? Though not as serious, I certainly have seen my share of physical altercations at sporting events. I even was a victim of a beer shower (more like a nice sprinkle) from a hurled cup that was intended for a guy a couple of rows ahead of me. Silly me; I was actually watching the game and suddenly felt a little wet. Thanks guy - I appreciated the free brew - not! And now, with technology being what is today, a lot of these incidents are being taped and posted online. If you went to YouTube right now and searched "fans fight" and plug your favorite team next to it, I'm pretty sure you will find at least one (if not more) fight that was recorded and posted that involved fans of your favorite team. I don't know about you but I'm not looking for an undercard for the game I actually paid to see. The professionals on the field will do just fine thank you.
And speaking of the professionals on the field, my fellow fans, can we "bring it down a thousand" with them too? As paying fans you have every right to boo and jeer players, and if your smart, you'll strategically help your team gain that all important home field advantage. What you don't have the right to do is be overly abusive with the language, throw stuff at players (and onto the field) and run on the field of play. It is unbelievable how many cowards live out among us. They yell and throw stuff at players behind the shield of anonymity in the crowd and also "the shield" that players will not want to get in trouble for retaliating if they can spot them out. Just because we pay for tickets, it does not give us the right to cross the line; it only gives us the right to be entertained. If you feel like you're not being entertained, boo or after awhile don't spend your hard earned money anymore at the games. The infamous NBA fight that broke out at the Palace at Auburn Hills back in 2004 was a benchmark "event" initiated by fans. While visiting Indiana Pacers' player Ron Artest and some of his teammates had absolutely no right and no business fighting up in the stands with Detroit Pistons fans, the whole melee never would have happened if Artest didn't have a drink thrown on him (from a fan). And for those fans that love running out onto the field, you do it at your own risk. Fifteen minutes of "stupidity" is not worth being tased or tackled and arrested. But I guess the highlights of it broadcasted around the world (and it going viral) is worth it, in your mind.
Last season, the NFL acknowledged that more fans were enjoying the "home" experience of watching games. The general feeling was that more people own large, HD flat screen televisions and with the success of the NFL's own programming (such as NFL Red Zone and NFL Sunday TIcket) fans now have a competing option to attending games in person. Though there is some truth to this, I think a growing number of fans are actually just more comfortable watching the game at home. While the out of pocket expense aspect of attending a game in person in a tough economy may actually be the leading reason for more fans staying home, dealing with crowds and unruly behavior I believe has to be a factor in that decision as well. If you have vile acts occurring at stadiums, like the fan last year at a Philadelphia Phillies game who purposely vomitted on an 11 year old girl and her father, why would you want to come out and "enjoy" a contest? No doubt alcohol plays a part in some of this disruptive behavior but some of it is just straight selfish attitude. The feeling that some fans get is that the "world" revolves around them regardless of the fact that there are 55,000 other fans at the game as well. It is a mere reflection of our society, a lack of comprehension that we should share space and respect others in public venues. I often hear fans criticize athletes for being selfish and arrogant; it's time for some them to look in the mirror. Come out to the games and have a good time; stop spoiling it for others with your selfish, arrogant and immature attitudes. Nowhere on the back of a game ticket does it say other fans should be subjected to it.
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