Worst Fan Experiences?

Would you defend the same behavior in a movie theater?

 

The old Foxboro Stadium used to be the worst. It was insane to go there unless you were a drunk male in his 20s. The Krafts put a lot of emphasis on security, and Gillette Stadium is now a very pleasant if somewhat sterile venue for any ticket-holder.
So it can be done. One has to conclude the 49ers management just doesn't care.

 

FedEx Field blows. Terrible location, terrible stadium. Never had much trouble in the way of idiot fans, though. Other than all Redskins fans being idiots in general, of course, for following such a fucking horrible franchise.

But yeah. FedEx blows.

 

Eagle games? Always a monkey house, especially when they're not playing to lofty expectations.

 

I used to see a lot of crazy shit at Bills games back in their Super Bowl years, particularly when the Jets, Dolphins, Raiders or Cowboys would come to town. Went to see the Jets at Rich Stadium last year, place was full of green and white jerseys, Bills fans didn't give a shit. Pats game this season was overrun with Brady and Welker jerseys. Again, yawn.

Toronto is very tame, especially since the Argos moved out of the Ex and into Rogers Centre. As JR would recall Argo games at the Ex were crazy, drunken, near-riotous outings, particularly if JR's dreaded T-Cats were in town. Now, the fans that go to Argos games sit on their hands in the most sterile environment in the CFL.

Never been to a Toronto FC game but they are known for their party atmosphere, there were reports a couple of years ago of drunken louts trying to act like hooligans against the few visiting fans that show up but that seems to have stopped.

Jays games at the Ex could get rowdy if the Yanks, Sox or Tigers were in town, but after some crazy shit happened a few years back during their weekly $2 Tuesday promotions they have got much tougher with security. Again, no tailgating at Jays or Argos games so that keeps the goofy shit down since beer in the stadium is larcenously priced.

Leaf games? Tough to get rowdy when you are worried about spilling beer on your Armani suit.

 

Took my 9-year-old son to a Bengals game a couple of years ago. It was my first NFL game, too, though I've been to a TON of college games and believed I had a reasonable idea of what to expect. Found our seats and immediately noticed the 8 or 9 guys in front of us were constantly making trips -- 2 or 3 guys at a time -- to replenish beer supplies. Coupled with what they had imbibed before the game, they were all completely trashed before the second quarter even began. The already profane language continued to escalate, so much so that my son put his hands over his ears. Then the fighting began, first with each other and then with a few Lions fans in front of them. Security came but did nothing. After my son got knocked over by a drunk stumbling backward, we left. Informed security, who STILL did nothing.

If that's the crowd the NFL wants, screw the NFL. I immediately became a non-fan that day.

 

When you operate a business that sells tickets to the public, there are minimal standards of crowd behavior that your business has a responsibility to maintain. These standards vary from music clubs where not getting shot is about all you can hope for to say the behavior expected of those attending the Masters. Fans getting drunk is acceptable if deplorable. Fans getting abusive and profane is almost impossible to control. Fans getting abusive to other spectators is out of bounds at any sports event, and teams that don't control it should be penalized by losing their liquor licenses.

 

That's all it takes for you to give up on the NFL?

 

I'm comparing one public entertainment with another.

Why are the rules of behavior for one so much lower than they are for another?

 

Yes - a drunken brawl that spills over into my row and results in my 9-year-old being knocked to the ground, and then goes unpunished by security is more than enough for me to give up on the NFL.