Spectator Violence Today

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Spectator Violence Today

Spectator violence in sports is everywhere, and it is on the rise.

Just a few weeks ago a San Francisco Giants baseball fan was fatally

stabbed and his friend beaten unconscious by three men following the

game Barry Bonds hit his 700th home run against the San Diego Padres.

The Washington Redskins-Philadelphia Eagles game on September 20th was

delayed when the Eagles had to leave their bench when a cloud of

pepper spray drifted on the field as a result of the police using it

to stop fights between fans. Spectator violence isn’t a new thing; it

dates all the way back to the chariot races in the Coliseum, where

fights between the fans broke out frequently, and riots were not

uncommon. Violence today hasn’t reached what it was in Rome, but it

is reaching new heights in today’s society. The effects of the

increase in violence are not limited to the increased number of

spectator injuries and deaths. This increasing violence is also

portraying a very negative image that sets a bad influence for

society, namely children. Most of children’s role models are sports

figures, and if they see violence in connection with sports, they are

more likely to act violently than if they had non-violent role models.

The media plays the paradoxical role in transmitting these images of

violence through television, magazines, newspapers, and radio. On a

positive note, the exposure that the media gives sports violence is

increasing the efforts to control and prevent such behavior. On the

other hand, the ample coverage that the media gives these violent acts

is resulting in numerous bad examples that children are easily

in...

... middle of paper ...

...permeating every sport. Now that the causes of fan violence are easily

seen, the solution seems quite obvious. If the things that instigate

fan violence are eliminated, spectator violence will decrease.

However, completely eliminating these causes is impossible because of

the inherent nature of sports and the unwillingness of society to

sacrifice sales for safety. However, the safety of our society

unquestionably makes an attempt at minimizing these causes advisable.

It is time that our society starts to place safety above money, and it

starts with the franchise owners. Sports are so influential in

today’s society it is a shame they have a negative image. If a

consorted effort would be made to reduce sports violence, sports could

become the positive influence they should be; building unity,

character, and morals.

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