Test required for rowdy NFL fans

[truth on hold]

I think the league realizes the demographic has swung dramatically to the primary fan being a father with kids vs a younger single guy. And they want/need to spend time with their kids as much as possible. I think this is perhaps the biggest factor to cleaning up the sports image and atmosphere at the games.

[shoretalk]

Why not give them the Wonderlic, as well...

 

"Unruly football fans booted from NFL stadiums this year will be required to pass a code-of-conduct exam, or they will not be allowed back in for another game."

[shoretalk]

I have been going to Bills' games since the mid 1960's. I was a season ticket holder when The Ralph opened until I moved out of state in 1977. I continue to come home for Bills' games and with my Virginia-based brother have once again purchased season tickets.

 

Living in South Jersey, I have experienced the worst fans anywhere in Philadelphia where you can get killed for wearing an opposing team's jersey. I have seen women pushed on steps just for being a fan of the wrong team.

 

To the bullying teen who implied that it is ok to pour beer on someone wearing a Brady (Believe me I hate the Pats as much as any other reasonable fan does but I do not hate their fans.) the civilized answer is that you need therapy! These are not war zones ... these are games played by wealthy adults.

 

Overall my Bills' game day experience at The Rslph continues to be one that I can bring my daughters to although when they were younger I did have to hurry them past fans losing their tail gating meal on the floor of the concourse and explain why an adult would purchase and wear an obscenity filled t-shirt from an Abbott Road vendor.

 

At first I was going to be dismissive of this post but after reading it I think it is a good idea. I don't need to watch a Bills' game surrounded by drunks shouting F you ref F you Brady F you Ryan, etc.. The opposing players, coaches and the ref's cannot hear the F's but neighboring fans with children, older parents, or spouses trying to be supportive of their husband's support of the Bills do!

 

We can shout our cheers and boo to our heart's content but the purchase of a ticket does not give permission to ruin the day for those in neighboring seats! Boot the bums and then test them!

[Gordio]

I am hoping in the very near future to make the 6.5 hour drive to the Ralph with my 11 year old son, who has never visited the shrine. I do wonder sometimes how I will explain the guy next to him barfing all over himself while screaming F bombs left and right. Being a wild, supportive fan doesn't mean being a jerk.

I'm all for this new policy.

 

 

I have been going to the games for last 25 years @ the Ralph & I have never seen this happen. Now I am sure it does happen, but the chances of the guy next to you or in front/behind/near you is doing this is probably less then 1%. Pay a little more & sit in the better seats(no endzones) & your chances of seeing this are probably even less then that. If you do take your son to his first game, I doubt you will ever have to explain to him why this type of behavior goes on.

[CodeMonkey]

"Unruly football fans booted from NFL stadiums this year will be required to pass a code-of-conduct exam, or they will not be allowed back in for another game."

All they need to so is enforce a sobriety check on the way in and when purchasing alcohol and 99% of the problems would be solved.

[Gordio]

All they need to so is enforce a sobriety check on the way in and when purchasing alcohol and 99% of the problems would be solved.

 

 

For you to suggest something like this pretty much tells me you never been to a NFL game before. Not practical. You know how long the lines would be to get in if everybody had to submit to sobreity test prior to entering? You have to start getting in line @ 9:30am just make a 1pm kickoff.

 

There is alot of drinking & crude behavior going on but I don't know maybe it is just my experience but I think it gets overblown. Mind your own business, be respectfull to everyone & your not going to have a problem at least that is what I see going on. Although I will say I have always sat in good seats, I don't know what really goes on in the endzones. I have not sat there since my college/high school days.

[CodeMonkey]

For you to suggest something like this pretty much tells me you never been to a NFL game before. Not practical. You know how long the lines would be to get in if everybody had to submit to sobreity test prior to entering? You have to start getting in line @ 9:30am just make a 1pm kickoff.

 

There is alot of drinking & crude behavior going on but I don't know maybe it is just my experience but I think it gets overblown. Mind your own business, be respectfull to everyone & your not going to have a problem at least that is what I see going on. Although I will say I have always sat in good seats, I don't know what really goes on in the endzones. I have not sat there since my college/high school days.

Been to many Bills games but none in any other stadiums.

I'm not talking about giving a breath test or even a field sobriety test to everyone.

They are already frisking everyone on the way in. Have the cop doing the frisking pull out people that appear intoxicated to another group of cops to do a sobriety test on them off to the side. If they are drunk they forfeit their ticket and sent on their way (probably back to their cars to drive which is another problem).

 

Simple and very practical process and would not be an issue or a slowdown for anyone not intoxicated.

 

You are right though, generally the better (i.e. more expensive) the seats, the less of an issue it is.

Edited April 16, 2012 by CodeMonkey

[Gordio]

Been to many Bills games but none in any other stadiums.

I'm not talking about giving a breath test or even a field sobriety test to everyone.

They are already frisking everyone on the way in. Have the cop doing the frisking pull out people that appear intoxicated to another group of cops to do a sobriety test on them off to the side. If they are drunk they forfeit their ticket and sent on their way (probably back to their cars to drive which is another problem).

 

Simple and very practical process and would not be an issue or a slowdown for anyone not intoxicated.

 

You are right though, generally the better (i.e. more expensive) the seats, the less of an issue it is.

 

Okay, sorry misunderstood you. They kind of do that now, at least from what I have seen. A couple times I have seen people not let into the game due to be intoxicated over the last few years.

[Just Jack]

Article states requirements wont be the same for every stadium. Some for bills fans:

 

When is it permissible to yell "Ralph's a cheap old Fart"? Answer: never

 

Is sex in the bathrooms allowed? A: no

 

Per above, even amongst teachers? A: still no

Let's see if we can come up with some more.....

 

Q: In 1996 (Jim Kellys last season) when the Bills beat Dallas 10-7, who was the starting QB?

 

A: Todd Collins

 

Q: Johnson or Flutie?

 

A: Trick question, there is no right answer, just opinions

[John Adams]

I have been going to the games for last 25 years @ the Ralph & I have never seen this happen. Now I am sure it does happen, but the chances of the guy next to you or in front/behind/near you is doing this is probably less then 1%. Pay a little more & sit in the better seats(no endzones) & your chances of seeing this are probably even less then that. If you do take your son to his first game, I doubt you will ever have to explain to him why this type of behavior goes on.

 

Same here. Swearing, yes. I've seen fights from a distance occasionally. Barfing: never seen.

 

I have and will take my daughter who is 10 to games. Not night games, but a 1pm kickoff is fine.

 

When I bring her, we do sit in better seats on purpose.

Edited April 16, 2012 by John Adams

[RyanC883]

Don't do it. The place is completely out of control during the game. There is no explanation possible. Regrettably, the inmates have taken over the asylum at the Ralph. I'm coming up for a game this year, but probably will just go alone, because I know what to expect. The NFL at the Ralph is just a big 30-something toilet of hammeredness. I don't really care, because having grown up there I know that IS southern ontario/WNY "culture". Conversely, my understanding is Carolina Panthers games are like little girl cocktail parties... so.. choose your poison I guess.

 

The Ralph is hardly out of control. If you don't like it, stay away. The majority of people I sit around are yelling at the other team, getting loud for our defense, heckling, etc. Totally acceptable behavior at an NFL game. Yelling at other fans, dumping beer on them, etc. not acceptable (friendly banter aside). I have rarely seen the latter behavior.

[Joe Miner]

Why not give them the Wonderlic, as well...

 

"Unruly football fans booted from NFL stadiums this year will be required to pass a code-of-conduct exam, or they will not be allowed back in for another game."

 

 

It's Monday.

 

This better be the stupidest **** I hear all week. Or it's gonna be a very long week.

[RyanC883]

Same here. Swearing, yes. I've seen fights from a distance occasionally. Barfing: never seen.

 

I have and will take my daughter who is 10 to games. Not night games, but a 1pm kickoff is fine.

 

When I bring her, we do sit in better seats on purpose.

 

 

Good point. For the guy bringing his kid to a game, I started going to games at 8 years old. You use it as a teaching moment. And by the way, if you've never been to another NFL stadium, you can't say the Ralph is bad. The Steelers fans are worse, and nothing needs to be said about how terrible Eagles fans are .

[JPS]

"Being fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life"

 

But at the Ralph, it's a badge of honor. From a guy who frequently brings visitors to Buffalo, it is embarrassing. Last season was my last as a season ticket holder.

 

Last thing....A TEACHING MOMENT?!!! That's nearly the dumbest thing I ever heard. Why not just bring them to a whorehouse after?

 

Good point. For the guy bringing his kid to a game, I started going to games at 8 years old. You use it as a teaching moment. And by the way, if you've never been to another NFL stadium, you can't say the Ralph is bad. The Steelers fans are worse, and nothing needs to be said about how terrible Eagles fans are .

I've been to the Vet, Riverfront, Giants, Cleveland, Metrodome, Soldier, Gillette and Lambeau. As far a public drunkenness, RWS is at least near the worst. I don't even think that can be debated.

[Dr. Fong]

I am hoping in the very near future to make the 6.5 hour drive to the Ralph with my 11 year old son, who has never visited the shrine. I do wonder sometimes how I will explain the guy next to him barfing all over himself while screaming F bombs left and right. Being a wild, supportive fan doesn't mean being a jerk.

I'm all for this new policy.

 

It's really not as bad as all that. I took my 8 year old last year and we didn't see anything that needed an explanation.

 

I'm indifferent on the policy because as far as I knew if you were asked to leave you weren't allowed to come back. I guess not. I just think that this is an example of the NFL trying to mandate something that should be up to the teams.

[Chandemonium]

Iv'e only been to maybe 10-12 games, but I never thought the Ralph was that bad as far as drunken behavior. I think people see one or two really bad incidents and oversell them as being representative of the overall experience or the fanbase in general. Sure, I've seen a few altercations and heard some swearing, but I can say the same thing about where I went to high school and I never felt personally threatened or unsafe in either place. I can't say that its a matter of cheap vs. expensive seats in my case either, as the only cheap seats I haven't sat in are The Rockpile, and I've never sat in what I would consider the expensive seats either. (i.e. lower bowl between the 20's or club seats.)Unless sitting in the Rockpile is like a three hour brawling pukefest and that's where everyone who complains about a bad experience has sat, I just can't see how it could be as bad as some make it out to be.

[John Adams]

Good point. For the guy bringing his kid to a game, I started going to games at 8 years old. You use it as a teaching moment. And by the way, if you've never been to another NFL stadium, you can't say the Ralph is bad. The Steelers fans are worse, and nothing needs to be said about how terrible Eagles fans are .

 

Been to lots of Eagles games. Never seen anything different from Bills games.

[Dante]

I think any private enterprise should be able to deny entry of a person if they have proven themselves to be a ahole. You have to think of your other paying customers at the event and how their experience is adversely affected. You don't want to discourage a guy and his kid from coming back because some jerk off can't handle alcohol and gets in a fight beside them.

[CodeMonkey]

I am hoping in the very near future to make the 6.5 hour drive to the Ralph with my 11 year old son, who has never visited the shrine. I do wonder sometimes how I will explain the guy next to him barfing all over himself while screaming F bombs left and right. Being a wild, supportive fan doesn't mean being a jerk.

I'm all for this new policy.

If you get good (expensive) seats you shouldn't have any problems in the stadium.

[JPS]

If you get good (expensive) seats you shouldn't have any problems in the stadium.

Never had a problem in the Club seats (but they suck to watch a game). Had horrible experiences in 131 (sidelines behind Bills bench) and mixed results in End Zones. I agree with your comment that hammered people should be refused entry.