"Bad Day in Buffalo" - Grantland Article

[gobillsinytown]

I had season tickets from 1987 until 1996. I've also been to games in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Nothing I saw in any of those stadiums was out of the ordinary, when taking into account that when 60 to 80 thousand people come together in one place, a minority who can't handle their alcohol are going to get out of control. There were eight of us who had tickets together in the same section at the Ralph, and during all that time I can remember only one incident in our section where somebody gave us a hard time. As is typical, he was someone who had a temper problem to begin with, and being drunk didn't help. We got through it by ignoring the guy, and he lost interest. What happens at the Ralph is not uncommon at all. The only difference I see now is not in the amount of violence, but in the extreme nature of some of it. I think that's a reflection of a significant increase in the overall stress levels across the country due to the worst economic decline since the great depression. People deal with uncertainty and stress in different ways, and combined with a few beers, people who don't handle stress or uncertainty well will act out much more quickly.

Unfortunately, the fan experience depends on luck. If you're sitting around people who just want to watch the game, the experience will be fine. If not, expect some trouble. The best way to handle trouble is to go find security. They get paid to handle it, and since the cost of security is built into the ticket price, the fans are paying for it anyway.

[NoSaint]

It was a decent article, but this part was seemed a little like an uncalled for cheap shot:

 

"Gordon weighs in. "Nobody wants some kid to get drunk and drown in a !@#$ing puddle, Jesus Christ. But we live in this ****ty city."

Buffalo, as the saying goes, is a drinking town with a football problem, so when HBO'sReal Sports wanted to capture drunken revelry for a 2008 segment on binge drinking, they came to Ralph Wilson Stadium. What they filmed — the puking, the staggering lushes swaying their limbs — justified the city's reputation."

 

well, the quote was from the person giving him a taste of the tailgating, and the last half was a fairly accurate assessment of what the Real Sports documentary showed.... soo..... im not sure its a cheap shot.

[SWATeam]

Ultimately, it's up to the individual to police themselves in all situations, not just at a football game. I remembered when this happened and while it's an unfortunate event, it was his fault for drinking too much and then doing whatever he was doing near a creek and a 40 foot embankment. His decisions led him to that spot, not the Bills, drinking laws, etc.

 

If he doesn't get that drunk that day, he doesn't die. But it was his decision to get that drunk.

 

Completely agree with that. Also, banning alcohol in the stadium would probably worsen the situation as people would try to drink more beforehand.

 

The problem I see is not the consequences these people bring upon themselves, but the environment they create for others. I have the right to not have beer spilled all over me, get puked on, be in the middle of a fight, or any number of situations that happen regularly at the ralph. Heaven forbid I'm a fan of another team... The behavior I see is embarrassing. It’s like buying a ticket gives some people the right to act like complete animals.

 

Ultimately it is up to me whether or not to attend the games, no one is forcing me. However, I feel this environment has caused many good fans, especially those with families, to skip going to games.

 

I don’t know what the solution is. There is no easy way to fix the problem while not ruining the excellent tailgating environment for the vast majority that act socially responsible. I think the main drivers for this environment are well beyond the control of the bills. They are far reaching including many social and economic factors of the area. The most important factor the bills could control, in my opinion, is putting a better product on the field. This would shift the focus from the party to the game

Edited December 13, 2013 by Bel9777

[LB3]

 

By the way, I've been to two games in Miami, and it was a much more enjoyable experience, even as a fan of the opposing team.

 

This makes sense as you probably had the whole section to yourself or walked down to the first row right behind the Bills bench because no one was there. I'd be terrified to go to a game in Miami. You can walk around that stadium for hours before making human contact.

Edited December 13, 2013 by KikoSeeBallKikoGetBall

[shibuya]

We'll we see a bad day in Denver article that trashes Denver ?

[SWATeam]

We'll we see a bad day in Denver article that trashes Denver ?

It wasn't trashing, it told a story while painting a pretty accurate picture.

 

Other events are irrelevant to this story and our situation.

[NoSaint]

We'll we see a bad day in Denver article that trashes Denver ?

 

he used buffalo and this story as an example of a much wider league issue, he didnt trash buffalo, he trashed a cross section of the NFL fan culture. if you want him to write 32 articles about 32 cities he surely could, but he picked one day, at one stadium to tell a story of two guys.

[bigK14094]

Night games bring out the crazies....who knows why,,,,maybe the moon does it.. I was at a KC at Bills night game, I think it was 74 (yeh, older than dirt) and a fan crawled out on the wire they use to hold up the net behind the goal post. He came from the north side, players entrance end. He went all the way out to the net, and back again. We were all sure we were about to see him die. But, he made it back, was met by the police and arrested. They did something to stop that after that. Don't know of another occurance of that mess, and I am a life long season ticket holder. (won't make the Phins game next weekend, though, to cold and useless game)

 

ps I don't drink at the games, I have to drive our little group.

Edited December 13, 2013 by bigK14094

[BADOLBILZ]

I will never go to a bills game in buffalo again. The last game I went to was this dolphins game. We got there a half hour before kickoff, waited in lime for about 50 minutes with no standing room and people spilling beer all over us. We finally got in around the end of the first quarter...

 

As we got in the ushered wouldn't let us in until there was a stop in play. Which took us to the end of then first quarter... I have gone to dozens of games in my life, showed up at the same time, did the same things, but never got ln late like that...

 

Then I proceeded to go in after the ushers allowed us to find our seats. There were 7 of us all together and half of our seats were taken by some young punk morons... Also, the seats were in the very center so I had to walk through the whole aisle, where everyone is standing, and barely any room to get by, meanwhile plays are happening.

 

So I go to an usher and tell him to get these drunk idiots to move, they move and we finally get to our seats.... Midway through the 2nd quarter two girls in front of us were hammered as can be, and one of them actually fell on me as I was sitting down... She could barely stand up... Once again I had To go get an usher

 

Later in the 3rd quarter there was this guy with his shirt off with 3 girls. He was screaming his head off the whole game. I don't mind that, but he was doing it wen when there was nothing happening on the field..... He then kept taking the hat off of my friend in front of me, and after 3-4 times my friend flipped out but didn't start a fight..... Later in the 4th quarter the drunk guy has his shirt on and is almost crying because he's so cold and he's leaning against one of the other women, so pathetic....

 

Then as I was leaving to use the bathroom in the 4th quarter, some dolphins fan knocked a sign from out of my hands as I was leaving my seat, then to top it all off there was a fist fight in the street near our parking lot as we were leaving and some guy almost hit us with his car... Then it took us 3 hours to get home. We live an hour away

 

 

 

I am not making any of this up

 

 

I am sure you are not making it up.

 

Here is the problem with your scenario. Fans like you don't keep the team in Buffalo. Two types do: longtime season ticket holders and people who show up for the tailgate/party atmosphere.

 

Understand your place.

 

You don't show up a half hour before a Bills game. That is just asking to be in a line. It's ignorance. If you want to go into the game without rubbing shoulders with partiers then go in at noon. It's not the frickin' drive thru at McDonalds.....there are 70,000 people jammed in a very small area and concern about terrorism is causing a backup at the gates in recent years.

 

And when you get in.......YEAH, the usher is going to make you wait until play stops.....so the people who didn't feel the need to be on time to see the game don't interfere with the people who made the effort to be in the game on time. Those people didn't show up at 12:30......again, ignorance on your part......and pretty inconsiderate to think you should be able to stroll in front of everybody during plays.

 

Three.......if you don't want to be in the middle of the party, buy better seats. It gets old hearing these stories about people who buy cheap tickets and are appalled when they have to sit with what they consider to be riff-raff. I have been a 20 year season ticket holder and the further you get down the upper deck, the less inconsiderate people you are around. I sit in the 4th row of the upper deck and haven't seen even a quarrel the whole time I have been there. These are longtime season ticket holders.

 

But when you LOSE incessantly.......the rest of those seats have to be filled. And it obviously isn't going to be by you and your seven buddies who live an hour away but show up for one game per decade. Instead of being so worried about how inconsiderate people are to you by drinking, having a good time and moderately inconveniencing you......try appreciating that these partying fans are what allows you to sit home and watch the other 79 home games you didn't attend in the past decade. It always amazes me just how self-centered people get about the Bills game. This is a community/party event. If you don't want to be inconvenienced, stay home with your popcorn and a blanket on your lap.

[dave mcbride]

I am sure you are not making it up.

 

Here is the problem with your scenario. Fans like you don't keep the team in Buffalo. Two types do: longtime season ticket holders and people who show up for the tailgate/party atmosphere.

 

Understand your place.

 

You don't show up a half hour before a Bills game. That is just asking to be in a line. It's ignorance. If you want to go into the game without rubbing shoulders with partiers then go in at noon. It's not the frickin' drive thru at McDonalds.....there are 70,000 people jammed in a very small area and concern about terrorism is causing a backup at the gates in recent years.

 

And when you get in.......YEAH, the usher is going to make you wait until play stops.....so the people who didn't feel the need to be on time to see the game don't interfere with the people who made the effort to be in the game on time. Those people didn't show up at 12:30......again, ignorance on your part......and pretty inconsiderate to think you should be able to stroll in front of everybody during plays.

 

Three.......if you don't want to be in the middle of the party, buy better seats. It gets old hearing these stories about people who buy cheap tickets and are appalled when they have to sit with what they consider to be riff-raff. I have been a 20 year season ticket holder and the further you get down the upper deck, the less inconsiderate people you are around. I sit in the 4th row of the upper deck and haven't seen even a quarrel the whole time I have been there. These are longtime season ticket holders.

 

But when you LOSE incessantly.......the rest of those seats have to be filled. And it obviously isn't going to be by you and your seven buddies who live an hour away but show up for one game per decade. Instead of being so worried about how inconsiderate people are to you by drinking, having a good time and moderately inconveniencing you......try appreciating that these partying fans are what allows you to sit home and watch the other 79 home games you didn't attend in the past decade. It always amazes me just how self-centered people get about the Bills game. This is a community/party event. If you don't want to be inconvenienced, stay home with your popcorn and a blanket on your lap.

 

To be fair to the poster, that was a night game on a work day. He may have shown up half an hour before kickoff because he, you know, had to work that day.

Edited December 13, 2013 by dave mcbride

[BADOLBILZ]

To be fair to the poster, that was a night game on a work day. He may have shown up half an hour before kickoff because he, you know, had to work that day.

 

A lot of people have to go to church before the game on Sunday. It still falls under the category of THEIR problem. You show up a half hour before the game, you are going to be late for the game.

Edited December 13, 2013 by BADOLBEELZ

[dave mcbride]

A lot of people have to go to church before the game on Sunday. It still falls under the category of THEIR problem. You show up a half hour before the game, you are going to be late for the game.

Church?? You ain't required to go to church. Go on Saturday if you need to - every freaking church in WNY has Saturday afternoon masses. Work is of an entirely different order.

[Buftex]

Buffalo is also increasingly becoming one of the few stadiums left that's virtually surrounded by a parking lot and/or open space, leaving open the possibility for it to become a wasteland of fire pits and crushed beer cans.

 

Very true. I know people pipe-dream about a "downtown stadium" for the Bills, and it makes me wonder if they realize how much that would change the game-day experience of going to a Bills game for everyone. Not saying it would be bad, just very different. I have been to a handful of games at Reliant Stadium, for instance, in Houston. It is a beautiful stadium, great place to watch the game, but there is really no "game-day" vibe outside the stadium. Defintely more family friendly, but a much more placid experience. I wouldn't give up my game-day memories at Rich Stadium for anything... but looking back, I also realize, me, my brother, and friends, were probably lucky that more things didn't go wrong along the way...

[NoSaint]

 

 

Very true. I know people pipe-dream about a "downtown stadium" for the Bills, and it makes me wonder if they realize how much that would change the game-day experience of going to a Bills game for everyone. Not saying it would be bad, just very different. I have been to a handful of games at Reliant Stadium, for instance, in Houston. It is a beautiful stadium, great place to watch the game, but there is really no "game-day" vibe outside the stadium. Defintely more family friendly, but a much more placid experience. I wouldn't give up my game-day memories at Rich Stadium for anything... but looking back, I also realize, me, my brother, and friends, were probably lucky that more things didn't go wrong along the way...

 

i think this kind of cuts to the core of the crossroads the league is at though - "gameday experience" and "family friendly" dont have to be mutually exclusive, but based on how many grew up with the league they are very hard to imagine coexisting -- the way the sport, and fan base was built was on a foundation of booze and violence that is hard to maintain as you grow into the icon it is today, especially with some of the shifts weve seen in culture along the way.

Edited December 13, 2013 by NoSaint

[bills1960]

So we have drunks and places like Denver, SF, SD and Oakland have people getting stabbed. Pick your poison, but the NFL has a problem on its hands and its not just us.

[NoSaint]

So we have drunks and places like Denver, SF, SD and Oakland have people getting stabbed. Pick your poison, but the NFL has a problem on its hands and its not just us.

 

definitely and i think the article does nothing to shy away from that point

 

The NFL has a different, more lucrative relationship with alcohol, or, in this case, Big Alcohol. In 2010, Anheuser-Busch signed a six-year, $1.2 billion deal with the NFL, making Bud Light the official beer sponsor of the league. Around the same time, the league instituted a number of public deterrents to combat binge drinking. Prior to the 2009 season, the NFL made recommendations to teams about the maximum serving sizes for beer and other alcoholic beverages, the number of drinks a fan can purchase at one time,10 and recommended limiting tailgating to three and a half hours before each game. Still, 7,000 fans were ejected from NFL stadiums during the 2011 season, according to the league. Then in 2012, it ruled that any fan ejected from a game had to complete a four-hour online course on alcohol abuse, anger management, and general bad behavior before being allowed back.

 

Even with the new guidelines, ugly incidents continue to haunt the league. The fan who died after falling over a pedestrian overpass at a September 49ers game, the male Jets fan who slugged a female Patriots fan at MetLife Stadium this October, the dead man found in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot during the December 1 Broncos-Chiefs game — all reportedly alcohol-related.

[rockpile]

It's not "getting too far out of control"......it was out of control 50 years ago. It is BEYOND question a much less hostile, drunken environment than it was 20 years ago when I became a season ticket holder. We just live in a PC environment now. That environment has forced the hard partying tailgating into private lots. It becomes a problem at night when those private lots(yards) are packed, it is pitch black........that night Hammer's lot was pitch black at 6:30,,,,,,,,and drunks are crossing roads and all kinds of rough terrain that they didn't used to have to when the main lots were tailgate friendly. In general, the fans are much better behaved than they used to be but the tailgate is no longer the relatively contained exercise it once was.

 

Bingo! People used to carry cases of beer into the Rockpile.

[plenzmd1]

Bingo! People used to carry cases of beer into the Rockpile.

 

We brought beer balls into the Ralph in the late 70's as well..with a power hitter ...could go up in the upper deck corner at most ofgames and be 50 yards from the next nearest fan...smoke whatever you wanted all game!

 

Only stadium experience where i have seen a true difference was New Orleans this year. Every other stadium i have been too has 20 drunks out of control, and 70,000 other people behaving just fine.

 

But this guy had to write about the" non stop talking with a butt in his mouth" sterotype..i still say fug him and his"we live in this ****ty town, what else we got to do but get drunk"

[bbb]

Night games bring out the crazies....who knows why,,,,maybe the moon does it.. I was at a KC at Bills night game, I think it was 74 (yeh, older than dirt) and a fan crawled out on the wire they use to hold up the net behind the goal post. He came from the north side, players entrance end. He went all the way out to the net, and back again. We were all sure we were about to see him die. But, he made it back, was met by the police and arrested. They did something to stop that after that. Don't know of another occurance of that mess, and I am a life long season ticket holder. (won't make the Phins game next weekend, though, to cold and useless game)

 

ps I don't drink at the games, I have to drive our little group.

 

That game was actually against the Giants in 1975. A horrible game all the way around..........The Chiefs game was the first MNF game ever for the Bills - 1973. OJ went over 1000 yards in the 7th game of the year.

[dave mcbride]

For those complaining about present day behavior, I give you this. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197409160buf.htm