When Fans Go too Far

[RoadFish]

I don't know how many of you have followed the news of the paramedic, Giants' fan who got beaten in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium, but he was beaten so badly the he has brain damage and lost an eye. His nose was slit and the attackers also slit his tongue. I have attended a lot of Dodger games and I always thought that security was not what it should have been. Fights in the parking lot and stands were not uncommon. I witnessed a knifing at one game in the 70's. I never realized how much the violence at these games echoed the hooliganism found in European soccer. I somehow had the perspective that we weren't THAT bad. I was wrong. Sad state of affairs. Do you find this sort of thing in your local sports?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dodger-beating-20110726,0,5470534.story

[Mpsecare]

I admire their passion? No, that's just crazy. I don't get how people can get so worked up over something that they put zero effort in. One of my buddies at work was breaking shit and screaming because his team gave up a goal or run, or whatever it was.
crazy motherfuckers!:devilzeek

[Soup_Monger]

Things were pretty bad here in the late 80's... but it's been calm for a long time... well.. apart from the Polish professional hooligans who have taken everything to a new level.

There still stabbings and slashings in Scotland... but we have always loved those.

That's a very isolated incident at the Dodgers game... not the sort of running battles in the streets and 15 on 1 type batterings that happen here.

Shame for the guy though.

He should have had a gun... what with him being an American and all eh?

[RoadFish]

A fan from Toulouse was killed in Belgrade before a match a couple of years ago. Some of the Serbian fan clubs are hotbeds for hooligans.

[kayakjax]

In the '80's, the New York Mets and St.Louis Cardinals were both in the National League East Division and were serious rivals.

My buddy was a Cards fan, and I was a Mets fan, so we got tickets to every game the Mets played at Busch stadium for several years. (Generally two series a year.)

Usually, the fans were good natured in their abuse of my Mets gear, but in 1986, one particular series of games were at the very end of the season. Both teams were within a game and a half with only six games left. (This is the year the Mets went on to win the World Series.)

It was a whole 'nother animal. A St. Louis radio station gave out "Mets are Pond Scum!" t-shirts, and packs of teenagers roamed the stadium chanting "Mets SUCK! Mets SUCK!". It got truly ugly when it became obvious that New York was going to knock the Cards out of the hunt.

This was the one time as a fan I really feared for my safety. I was 28 or 29 and in pretty good shape, but 100 to one aren't good odds in a melee.

I turned my Mets t-shirt inside out and tucked my cap under my arm, and felt fortunate to not be beaten up by the time that game was over.

Unfortunately, the fans weren't the only ones I had problems with.

As I was leaving the downtown area in my car, I had my hat back on. A cop directing traffic pointed at my hat and shook his head, and wouldn't let us into traffic. I was pissed by this time, and refused to take it off. We sat there for probably ten minutes until there was such a snarl of traffic behind us that other cops showed up, chastised the first guy and let us (and all the cars backed up behind us) out.

[Tank Buster]

He should have had a gun... what with him being an American and all eh?

I agree. Unfortunately here in California the gun laws are up the ass.

[SugarSkull]

Just send in Epic Beard Man. :semper:

[falcon125]

Cant remember a superbowl, world series or Stanley Cup without fans doing the burn,rape and pillage thing in the last 15 years.

Give people a reason to go crazy and crazy they go.

I blame the rap music.:madaddy: