Omg! Drunk Amok Nr 50-yd Line
By FRANCIS X. CLINES
NYT
The football playoffs begin this weekend with the two worlds of fandom on sadly discordant display. On television, the games play on with balletic grace. It’s another story up in the stands, where drunken louts can be heard vilely abusing and threatening fans of the opposing team, and lewdly harassing women who dare to root for the visitors.
For years, season-ticket holders across the league have paid top dollar to put up with the overlay of thuggery at games. The crudeness grows with colder weather and heightened alcohol intake, as bibulous loudmouths celebrate their primacy, pretending to be one with the muscular entertainment down on the field.
There’s no getting used to this, even by making protective earplugs part of the game-day apparel. Most disheartening is to see families with small children suffering through the vulgarity. Anyone who considers objecting — by daring to summon a security guard — runs the risk of facing gang retaliation, for the Alpha male bellowers rarely have the guts to stand alone.
But hope is on the way. The National Football League, aware that the stadium experience has soured, has instituted an electronic lifeline. Cellphone texters can privately dial a number displayed at the stadium and complain to security offices without fear of retaliation. The accused disrupter can then be discreetly observed and ejected from the game if guards confirm the abuse.
(More here.)
NYT
The football playoffs begin this weekend with the two worlds of fandom on sadly discordant display. On television, the games play on with balletic grace. It’s another story up in the stands, where drunken louts can be heard vilely abusing and threatening fans of the opposing team, and lewdly harassing women who dare to root for the visitors.
For years, season-ticket holders across the league have paid top dollar to put up with the overlay of thuggery at games. The crudeness grows with colder weather and heightened alcohol intake, as bibulous loudmouths celebrate their primacy, pretending to be one with the muscular entertainment down on the field.
There’s no getting used to this, even by making protective earplugs part of the game-day apparel. Most disheartening is to see families with small children suffering through the vulgarity. Anyone who considers objecting — by daring to summon a security guard — runs the risk of facing gang retaliation, for the Alpha male bellowers rarely have the guts to stand alone.
But hope is on the way. The National Football League, aware that the stadium experience has soured, has instituted an electronic lifeline. Cellphone texters can privately dial a number displayed at the stadium and complain to security offices without fear of retaliation. The accused disrupter can then be discreetly observed and ejected from the game if guards confirm the abuse.
(More here.)
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