Stop the insanity
Up to NFL, Goodell to end the violence in the stands
WHAT are we doing? How has it gotten to a point that when you go to an NFL game you have to really be concerned about the idea that you might be in a fight or one might break out right next to you?
Maybe that was always the case, but, like a lot of things with the advent of camera phones, we see it nearly every week on social media. The CowboysChargers game Monday night in Inglewood, Calif., was the latest, with several fights breaking out.
It has been the norm every week this season, with the combatants generally looking as if they are drunk, out-ofshape WWE performers.
Earlier this season at New England, there were initial reports of a 53-yearold Patriots fan, who had been a season-ticket holder, dying after an altercation with opposing Dolphins fans. The Norfolk County district attorney later ruled that the traumatic blows inflicted upon Dale Mooney, the fan, did not lead to his death and, instead, identified an unspecified medical issue as the cause, according to Boston.com.
Even so, where is the outrage over punching each other at sporting events?
In a survey by SportsBook Review of 3,000 NFL fans, nearly 40 percent said they have been a witness to a violent crime in or around a stadium.
Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL need to do more. They have media contracts for $110 billion that extend into the 2030s. In that time, they should put aside some more money to solve this issue. There is a Fan Conduct Policy that can include ejection, the loss of season tickets and legal action.
“There are rules,” Goodell said at the owners’ meeting Wednesday after he received a contract extension. “If people aren’t going to behave in our stadiums, they aren’t going to be in our stadiums. We’ll take those steps and measures to protect our fans.”
Social media can magnify a problem and make it feel worse. It is second-hand reality. We are seeing it through a screen and, if you watch it multiple times, it makes it feel like more than it is.
There is a feeling from the NFL that the issue is not bigger than in previous years. Even if that is the case, it is still a problem.
The videos constantly show unruly fights, featuring head butts. Those can turn into wild melees. And that doesn’t even account for loudmouth fans who can just ruin an experience by sitting next to someone who just wants to root for his or her team.
The NFL may be the most successful sports business in the world. It has gotten there because of its product, but also because everything is done for the bottom line.
This is just business. It is time to clean up what goes on in the stands.