Aug

12

NFL “Fans Code Of Conduct” Is A Joke

Posted by Jeff Sack under NFL, Off The Field News 

I have been on both sides of the “unruly fan” equation. The first occurrence happened in the late 1980’s I was in my early thirties, and my wife and I were going to see Eric Clapton at a Massachusetts outdoor amphitheater. We had dead center first row seats (don’t bother e-mailing me, I lost the connection long ago!) I had been looking forward to this for most of the Summer, not only was I seeing “Slow-Hand”, I would be no more than ten feet from him. He had a great band with him that night, Mark Knopfler from Dire Straights was playing co-lead guitar with EC. Nathan West was on bass you may remember him from being the bandleader when Arsenio Hall did his late night talk show.

We got there really early, and after salivating over how good the seats were, My wife and I just relaxed and talked. The rest of the seats started to fill up around us, and the crowd was a little loud, but Clapton was scheduled to be on the stage in moments. Soon the band took the stage, and Clapton got a standing ovation. The crowd remained on their feet for the first song. I was standing not more than ten feet from EC and Mark Knopfler trading leads on guitar. Although I was as sober as a judge, I was high as a kite from the experience! Unfortunately the elation did not last too long.

The next song they played was off of Clapton’s CD that had come out just a few weeks before the concert. Having bought the disc when it came out, I knew the tune well, but for many in the audience were hearing it for the first time. The crowd took their seats, well except for me, I kept on bopping to the music. A few seconds later, I heard somebody behind me yelling to sit down, I chose to ignore it. What a moron, I thought to myself, I am this close to Clapton and this guy thinks, I am going to sit down? Fat chance of that happening! Not seconds later however I heard a chorus of voices yelling for me to sit down. I refused to react, they were not going to spoil this show for me. It was not until the song ended, and a couple of fine upstanding citizens decided to serenade me with a string of expletives that I turned around.

When I did the first thing that struck me was the age of the crowd, they were a lot older than my wife and me. I saw a lot of gray haired people, others were bald, not what I considered a “Rock Crowd.” I am not a big man, but I have been blessed with a big mouth, and a loud voice, and I am not afraid to let my opinion known. Out of sheer frustration I started screaming at the crowd “This is a Rock Concert, not the opera! You are not at home, watching this on TV that’s Eric Clapton right there! Come on people enjoy the show!” Judging by the expressions of the crowd, I had not won anyone over.

In the middle of the next song, a guy in a blinding yellow polo shirt with the word security emblazoned across the back comes over to me. You’ve seen this guy before. He’s about 5′8″ with a chest the size of Detroit, and biceps as big as my thighs! The guy who never puts anything in his front pants pockets because his arms are so muscular he can’t reach them. The man had no neck, just a head sitting on a giant set of shoulders. He very politely told me if I did not sit down he would have to ask me to leave. I was so flabbergasted that the only thing I could utter was, “But it’s Rock and Roll.”

I knew I was beaten, I would have been satisfied with a sympathetic nod. Just let me know you understand! I looked into his eyes they were blank, as he repeated that if I did not sit down he would have to ask me to leave. Totally defeated I slumped into my chair. The security guard started to thank me, I cut him off mid-sentence, and asked him if he could please just leave me alone.

My night was ruined, I sat in my seat and sulked the rest of the concert. Even when Clapton played some of my favorites, I would after the initial rush of recognition just sit there and remain stone faced. I was mad at the world, and would not allow myself to feel any enjoyment. I would tamp down my emotions, and be a martyr for rock and roll.

Over the next few days and weeks, as I gained distance from the concert, I started to perceive things differently. After all there are three sides to every story. There is your side, my side, and the truth, which usually falls somewhere between the two sides. What we were all feeling that evening was a sense of “entitlement”. I thought that I was entitled to boogie along with Clapton. The people behind me thought they were entitled to seeing the show unobstructed. Could we have all handled ourselves better? No question about it!

So now I realized I had four options in front of me. I could stop going to concerts,(not going to happen) change my taste in music to bands like Metallica, (again, not going to happen) start sitting on the lawn (why go to concerts?) or give in to the “New Concert Etiquette”.

So now when I go to concerts, I stand with all the other sheep, and sit down with all the other sheep. (Although I do have to admit, that there is still enough of a rebel in me, that I usually hear someone at least once a concert telling me to sit down. I have even been known to push my luck through an entire song on that rare occasion.)

One of the few times I can recall being ashamed of my “Adopted Home Town” of Cleveland, Ohio occurred on December 16, 2001. I was covering the Cleveland Browns as Sports Director for Metro Networks, in a meaningless game, when all of a sudden I found myself in the midst of a riot. As the game was nearing the final minutes they allowed reporters down on the field so we could have easy access for our post game interviews. The Browns were playing the Jacksonville Jaguars and the field officials ruled against the Browns. The incident involved Cleveland receiver Quincy Morgan not having control of a possession that would have given the Browns a first down. Unfortunately the ruling although correct was badly timed. Cleveland had already run another play, when the referees looked at the instant replay, and saw Morgan did not have possession giving the ball to Jacksonville.

The fans became so incensed that they started bombarding the field with beer bottles! They were literally raining from the sky, it was like being in London during the blitz. Browns Team President Carmen Policy tried to make light of the situation, saying the bottles did pack much of a wallop. Judging by the divots in the field when they hit the ground, where I had stood seconds before, I would have to totally disagree. Policy said that about 3500 “hooligans” were throwing the bottles. I was on the field, it was more like 35,000 fans who were launching the plastic missiles. I saw women north of forty in fur coats flinging bottles. That game and the ensuing chaos would become known as “Bottlegate”, and was a moment of shame for the NFL and the City of Cleveland.

I was reminded of both incidents last week when the NFL announced that they would implement a “Fans Code Of Conduct” starting this upcoming season. In an article last week in “USA TODAY” NFL executive vice president Eric Grubman announced the new rules for fans. Grubman told reporters “Here’s the standard; Enjoy yourself, come root for your team. But don’t infringe on the enjoyment of another fan.” Pretty wide guide lines Eric, could you be more specific?

Grubman also said “If you want to come root for another team, that’s OK. But we don’t want somebody pouring a beer over your head.” Grubman does not say who would hold more responsibility in that incident, is it the pourer of the pouree who is to blame?

The new “Fans Code Of Conduct” will also have stadium personnel denying fans entrance into the stadium if the fan appears too wasted, or ejected from the game for the same thing. The question comes down to this, is this just a nice “politically correct speech” and it will be business as usual in NFL stadiums all over the country? Or is the NFL serious about trying to implement and enforce these new rules. Because if that is the true purpose behind last week’s announcement, the the NFL has only one choice, they as a League have to disassociate themselves completely from beer. They can’t sell it, they can’t promote it, and they can not advertise it. And the chances of that happening is as likely as having a snowstorm in Las Vegas in August.

So now we have to come up with solutions, to make this work despite overwhelming odds. First of all you are going to need to use a breathalyzer, on anyone you are trying to keep out, or anyone your are trying to kick out. If you do not have documented proof that these people are above the legal limit of intoxication, you will have your pants sued off of you. With the breathalyzer you will need to have trained people running those devices.

So let’s suppose that the League is serious, and they want to adhere to a kinder and gentler NFL. And they start ejecting trouble-makers for infractions such as : Intoxication, behavior that is unruly, disruptive or illegal in nature.

Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures (truthfully , when was the last you were at a NFL game and did not hear cussing?) Their first logical rule: any impedance of the progress by fans such as throwing bottles or running out onto the field. And last on the list “Verbal or Physical harassment of another team’s fans” What constitutes verbal harassment of another team’s fans? Is saying your team stinks verbal harassment? If not where do you draw the line? Again much too large a shade of grey.

Football is by far our most violent sport of the big three Pro Sports we celebrate as fans here in the USA. I don’t ever remember a third baseman or a small forward writing a book by the title “They Call Me Assassin.” It also may the most cathartic of the three, every time your defense stops the other team from finishing a play it’s time for a party.

From the fan’s perspective in the seats, you have a combination of emotions surging through your body. The NFL fan is feeling, competitive, a rush of adrenaline, and testosterone. Combine that with the effects of alcohol, you are not going to have a bunch of diplomats in attendance.

There is another part of the “NFL experience” that is unique among the big three Pro Sports, the concept of tailgating. It is ingrained into the fabric of the Sunday ritual for NFL regulars. The result is you have fans who are totally wasted before they are within 50 yards of the stadium. By halftime, you have fans who no longer have any white area in their eyes. Instead their eyes resemble the Chinese Olympic uniforms, a sickly combination of red and yellow! And dependent on how the Browns are playing determines whether you have happy drunks, or belligerent drunks.

Look I understand the concept of what the NFL is trying to accomplish. They are trying to make the “NFL experience” more family friendly. Unfortunately though it is not a family friendly atmosphere. Although I am not a parent, if I did have children, I would not bring my eight year old into the “Dawg Pound” in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

A few years ago “Sin City” the city of Las Vegas, Nevada tried to become more family oriented. The plan went down in flames. Unfortunately I see the same scenario taking place in trying to make NFL stadiums into family fun centers, it is doomed to failure.

Now what is do-able, and something that the League should look into, is having two or three designated “Family Areas.” You could prohibit alcohol, and having select areas to keep in order makes a lot more sense than trying to police an entire stadium. Because in spite of the noble intentions, the NFL “Fans Code Of Conduct” can not possibly succeed.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net


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