Necessities to Ensure Safety of Fans
Wesley Tsai
Staff Writer
It is half-time; and your favorite team is up by 7 points. There is a noticeable distinction of color blocking a row behind you and there is a loud commotion coming from that area. In a split second, a fight breaks out and the distinguished opposing fan is getting stomped on. According to the Huffington Post, on Oct. 14, this situation occurred between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma over a football game. A few fans sustained injuries but they were not critical. For the safety of future games and fans, some people questioned whether or not security should be increased to ensure safety.
“I think people wield too much civic pride when it comes to sports; however, I understand their behavior because fans should have the luxury of boasting about the team that represents their city. In terms of preventing aggression, there is no definite way of controlling all the people in the stadium. I would increase the amount of security to regulate any behavior that would be too aggressive,” senior swimmer Travis Nguyen said.
The option of increasing security to regulate behavior would provide a larger horizon for safety ensured by being able to watch over blind spots of the stadiums. Some believe that fans have a responsibility to play a part when it comes to safety, despite the athletes being the main attraction in the stadium. For example, according to New York Daily News, two San Francico 49ers fans brawled out in the bathroom due to “impatience for an open stall.” This wasn’t necessarily brawling against opposing fans. Also, when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in 2010, the riled audience took to the streets for a riot, causing many injuries and resulted in one person beaten unconscious.
“By attending these games, people are acknowledging the risk that others around them might get a bit emotionally involved in the conduct of the sporting teams and fail to make correct choices in relieving those feelings,” senior volleyball player Ethan Spencer said.
Many fights occur within the blind spots of the human eye and it is nearly impossible for security guards to watch the entire perimeter of the field or parking structures. With a size that vast, the majority of people would rather increase the security to ensure safety for the common people. However, with instances such as the fight between two University fans and the Lakers riot, one conflict was on the premises of the field while the Lakers riot took place over central Los Angeles. In these cases, increased security may not have prevented those instances.