WP: Beer, Boorishness in Stands Spoil Games for Some Fans

[KingRex]

Yes, and tossing beer on anybody is going to far. I'm not condoning ANY of that behavior, or fighting.

Just don't tell me to sit down, and be quiet. Good old-fashioned rowdiness, and fun is to be expected at NFL games. Honestly, who would want to go to a game, when the only time the fans made any noice was when the team scored. What fun is in that? Just don't do anything stupid, or go to far, and don't expect to not be "heckled" that is, teased, verbally abused, for being a fan of the opposing team. It's all in good fun, don't take it personally, and if you can't take the heat...get out of the KITCHEN!

I'm still young. I can be rowdy, even in bars. I would NEVER, EVER tell a fan to "Simmer down now" if he was jumping up and down, yelling and cussing. I do the saame at baseball games. I draw the line at assaulting kids, or adults in any physical way.

[Commander PK]

I hate how people act like it's just people getting rowdy in the upper deck. Its all over the stadium, minus the wine and cheesers in the club level.

My dad used to have season tix in the club level, great seats, but the "fans" up there have a stick up their ass.

Cause they aren't there for the game. They are their to pat each other on the back, and congratulate themselves for being rich enough to afford the "club level" seats. I speak against the majority.

[Commander PK]

The money will go into Snyder's coffers either way.

Doesn't matter. It's OUR stadium. We are the ones who support the team. Without us, there is no Redskins, and there is no stadium, and there is no "snyder's coffers" atleast not from football anyway.

I want every seat to have a Redskins fan sitting (or standing next to) in it. I realize this isn't possible with today's fans being spread out, but just don't expect to come in and feel comfortable. We can't stop them from getting ahold of the tickets, but we can stop them from wanting to come back. What is wrong with that? It's our stadium, and it's for Redskins fans. Like I said, I might go to Lincoln Financial to watch a game, and I'm going to be expecting to be heckled and jeered the whole time. That's part of the fun of football. If you can't take it, or lash out foolishly. Don't go.

[WallyVon]

Doesn't matter. It's OUR stadium. We are the ones who support the team. Without us, there is no Redskins, and there is no stadium, and there is no "snyder's coffers" atleast not from football anyway.

I want every seat to have a Redskins fan sitting (or standing next to) in it. I realize this isn't possible with today's fans being spread out, but just don't expect to come in and feel comfortable. We can't stop them from getting ahold of the tickets, but we can stop them from wanting to come back. What is wrong with that? It's our stadium, and it's for Redskins fans. Like I said, I might go to Lincoln Financial to watch a game, and I'm going to be expecting to be heckled and jeered the whole time. That's part of the fun of football. If you can't take it, or lash out foolishly. Don't go.

Well I wouldn't take part in any heckling. It's pointless.

[Commander PK]

Well I wouldn't take part in any heckling. It's pointless.

we can agree to disagree then.

and I'm not going to throw a beer on you, or assault you because of it.

[bofluid]

The Redskins' most notorious incident occurred two years ago when, during a game with the Philadelphia Eagles, a Prince George's officer used pepper spray to break up a fight. The spray wafted over the Eagles' bench. No arrests were made because the boozing brawlers stopped throwing punches and blended into the crowd.

That's inexplicably bad reporting, and it's something that should not appear in the pages of such an esteemed paper as the Post. How in the world was the reporter of this piece able to deduce that the knuckleheads who engaged in this brawl were intoxicated by anything more than raging stupidity? This is indicative of a culture that is all too willing to pass the blame off on booze and not the individual whenever questionable behavior arises in a venue where alcohol is prevalent.

[Commander PK]

That's inexplicably bad reporting, and it's something that should not appear in the pages of such an esteemed paper as the Post. How in the world was the reporter of this piece able to deduce that the knuckleheads who engaged in this brawl were intoxicated by anything more than raging stupidity? This is indicative of a culture that is all too willing to pass the blame off on booze and not the individual whenever questionable behavior arises in a venue where alcohol is prevalent.

Agreed. Odd's are they were drunk, but that is no excuse. Drunk or Sober, you are responsible for your actions.

[Commander PK]

I'm out. Pick this back up tommorrow.

[Mr. S]

how many fights actually break out in FedEx, watching the game yesterday, the announcers were like 'the Hogs have even invited a Raiders fan into their seats, Redskins fans are some of the classiest and most knowledgable fans of the NFL, and are very loyal". I mean, people get drunk and scream, but I dont condone belligerency, just heckling.

Do fights break out a lot in FedEx? Going to my first game against the Cowboys in December, and I mean, I want to enjoy it.

[rdsknbill]

I'm hungover.

[stwasm]

I dunno, drunken fans get on my nerves like nothing else. I have nearly gotten in fights when they would cheer when opposing players got hurt and I would ask them to chill out, and then some crazy escalation would ensue. Having a bunch of people doing things they would not ever do as individuals is hardly what I am looking for. I want a win and people around me to witness the glory of the Redskins. I do not want a bunch of drunk and belligerent fans around me or anyone I care about. I guess I am a p*!!y then.

Agreed! I saw a young woman get really drunk, pass out on the pavement, crying her eyes out and urinating on herself. Alcohol makes you stupid and there are adults at games who don't want to hear the foul language even if it is a football game.

[TheKurp]

The very foundation of the laws in this country are based on premise that one's actions are fair and just so long as they don't impinge on the freedoms and rights of others. Attendance inside a stadium should not equate to leaving those ideals at the entrance. Defense of any other behavior means forgetting what makes living in this country preferable over anywhere else in the world.

[Larry Brown #43]

I wonder if the writer of the article is familiar with what happens in other parts of the world (England, etc.) at soccer matches. Some bad stuff happens from time to time at American football games, but honestly the European soccer fans laugh at how civilized we are at our sporting events. Over there, people get trampled, assaulted and sometimes killed. I've seen things and heard stories that would blow your mind. We're a joke by comparison...but that's probably a good thing.

[heyholetsgogrant]

Ugh we are turning into the Chicago Cubs of the NFL....team never wins, so everyone drinks their azz off.

-Grant

[flexxskins]

Maybe kids shouldn't be allowed to attend NFL games. It's too violent and risky for children.

That is just sad. But it seems as though that that is exactly what it is coming to. I have a newly born son and I couldn't wait to take him to his first Redskins game. Now it looks like by the time he is old enough to go, children might not be allowed.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I stated on another tread recently that I no longer really see the appeal in attending sporting events live, except for maybe mid-week baseball games.

I've been to games in about 6 pro football stadiums in the last decade. And I don't know why anyone would spend hundreds of dollars to sit among obnoxious drunken people and watch little dots run around a field when you can watch the game in a comfy chair with free food at home.

And I will never understand why people think it is their right to get drunk and act a fool at a football game, concert, etc. It's not a whine and cheese argument. If I go to Adams Morgan on a Saturday night, I know that I will be surrounded by drunk people. Why else would you go to Adams Morgan on a Saturday Night?

But at a sporting event, the game should be the focus, not the beer.

[FranklinNoble]

Personally, I think it's pretty damned stupid to spend a small fortune to go to a Redskins game, and then spend the entire time drunk off your ass. If you wanna get wasted, do it at home.

Nothing would make me happier than to see them completely eliminate alcohol from sporting events.

[jbooma]

I remember tailgating at RFK you have some beers and food and then have a good time. For some reason now tailgating has become basically a college fraternity type atmosphere. I used to get trashed before the games all the time, but realized it was such a waste. Why spend so much money just to be able to make it through half or 3 quarters of the game.

Drink and have fun but be responsible, but why drink to get drunk at a game. No offense to some of the tailgaters but it seems the tailgate party has become more important to some then the actual team and game now, is that right?

[skinstzar]

Maybe kids shouldn't be allowed to attend NFL games. It's too violent and risky for children.

Other way around. Why punish kids for being fans. They should do random breathalizers for anyone who looks enebriated. If they are above a certian blood alcohol level then it is an immediate ejection. I drink at almost every game I attend and have never come close to getting into a fight or anything of that nature. I have had mustard thrown on me by an Eagles fan, I have been kicked in the back by the people behind me and I just ignored it. Not because I didn't want too, but because I want to keep my image clean and I have a sense of self respect that prevents me from doing things that put me at risk, and may tarnish my image. This being said, the biggest problem that I see is the PWT that are big part of the skins fan base. How the absolute garbage of society gets these skins tickets I will never know.

Then to compound the problem you have the team itself. In section 417 yesterday, there were 5-6 small groupings of Raiders fans. All game they cheered, spilled beer on people, cursed at little kids. They simply showed their true colors. So when it comes time to end the game and decide which patrons would have the last word, the skins F the whole thing up. They put on one of laziest perfromances I have seen in the 10 years I have owned my tickets. So in closing I would like to say the following.

Thank you Sean Taylor- you played your arse off.

Thank you Lavar Arrington- despite being pulled out of the game for an inferior player on every obvious passing down, you still brought your game in the fourth quarter.

Thank you Marcus Washington, you play your guts out on every play.

**** you Joe Gibbs and the rest of the coaching staff, as well as the offense. You didn't score a single touchdown on the Oakland Raiders at home. Their pass defense is laughable and you completely abandoned the run game. The one thing that was working.

**** you Clinton Portis- How bout you shut your ******* mouth this week. You come to practice and don't say a god damnn thing. Two fumbles, one inside their 30 and one inside ours. That is the game right there. I thought you were the real deal a couple of weeks ago. Now you aren't worth a dollar bill.

Please do not circumvent the profanity filters again. We have kids here too. --Henry

[fight_on_til_you_have_won]

Ban alcohol from the games. Period. I think it's crazy that alcohol is okay in this society but marijuana isn't, but that's a different thread altogether.

I went to the Redskins/Bears game in Soldier Field in Dec 2003. I almost got my ass kicked by a mob of drunk a-holes because of my Redskins beanie. That was it - I was minding my own business.

What it boils down to is whether people heckle the opposing fans in good spirit or in mean spirit. It seems to me that the mean spirited hecklers don't really respect the game of football, they just want to feel dominant over another person.

[chiefhogskin48]

This article is written by someone who a) has a personal vendetta against drinking doesn't understand that football has always incorporated a tailgaiting/drinking culture and c) Fedex is one of the tamest venues in all of sports.

Give me a break. If you don't like drunkenness, don't go to a game. It's second only to bars in terms of public intoxication.

[skinstzar]

This article is written by someone who a) has a personal vendetta against drinking doesn't understand that football has always incorporated a tailgaiting/drinking culture and c) Fedex is one of the tamest venues in all of sports.

Give me a break. If you don't like drunkenness, don't go to a game. It's second only to bars in terms of public intoxication.

Yes, if you don't like drinking, give up your season tickets. Let more drunk fans go to the game and make it horrible for everyone else. It is a venue to watch a football game first and foremost. If your enebriation causes you to infringe on anothers ability to enjoy the game live then you are the one who should be leaving. The event was created for the love of football, not the love of ones self and the chicken **** act of getting so drunk you lose respect for others.

[jbooma]

This article is written by someone who a) has a personal vendetta against drinking doesn't understand that football has always incorporated a tailgaiting/drinking culture and c) Fedex is one of the tamest venues in all of sports.

Give me a break. If you don't like drunkenness, don't go to a game. It's second only to bars in terms of public intoxication.

Thats the problem it hasn't always been like that. I can understand going to a bar and getting trashed, but what good does it to go to a game and get drunk??

[PA Skin Fan]

I remember tailgating at RFK you have some beers and food and then have a good time. For some reason now tailgating has become basically a college fraternity type atmosphere. I used to get trashed before the games all the time, but realized it was such a waste. Why spend so much money just to be able to make it through half or 3 quarters of the game.

Drink and have fun but be responsible, but why drink to get drunk at a game. No offense to some of the tailgaters but it seems the tailgate party has become more important to some then the actual team and game now, is that right?

This is true. I have been coming to Skins games since 1980, when I was only 9 years old. I remember fans got real loud and passionate, and were really into the game. I don't remember a whole lot of drunk people out of control back then. Some people tailgated I guess, but it didn't seem to be the focus of everything. It seemed like people came primarily to cheer on the team and to focus on making the game loud and uncomfortable for the opposing team.

Now, it seems like for a lot of people, the tailgate IS the event. I think part of this is the fact that FedEx field is in such a bad location, that people have to arrive early to get a good parking space, so you might as well tailgate. Tailgating can be a really great time - but it shouldn't take precedence over the game.

It does seem like there are more people at games now whose only reason to be there is to drink and have a party. They aren't really into the game - how can you be when you are wasted??? They might scream and yell, and act stupid, but they aren't real fans. They are the kind of people that stand up for a wave when the team is on offense; the kind of people that throw beer from the top stands (I've been hit by this before sitting in the lower deck), and stagger in and out of the seats 8-10 times a game to go piss or get another drink.

I don't know what can be done about this, and obviously a lot of Extremeskin nation don't see anything wrong with it, but to me it interferes with the enjoyment of the game when you have drunk morons all around who could care less about football.

Now, I'm not discouraging rowdiness, yelling, standing up or anything - I am ENCOURAGING THIS - what I don't like is the people that get so drunk they are just acting stupid - starting fights or whatever and paying little attention to football. :2cents:

I

[RDSKNfaithfull]

Wow I think I will have a few extra next week after this read. Maybe we should all look at the Club level for a example how to act during a game:doh: