Are Bills games really that family unfriendly?

[crazyDingo]

In the age of plastic bicycle helmets, hand-sanitizer, and Ritalin, who is going to protect US from the children? Think about it. The Ralph and topless bars are our last bastions of freedom from the Mommy State.

 

They may take our Lots, but they will never take OUR FREEDOM!

[KD in CA]

The solution is to ban alcohol at the games if the NFL wants a totally family friendly atmosphere. They won't do that because of the revenue they generate from beer sales.

 

My guess is it has more to do with the advertising dollars. The big beer companies spend a lot on advertising during NFL games so they are going to pressure the NFL to keep the beer flowing.

 

However, the ongoing risk to the NFL and teams of huge lawsuits means the NFL will continue to crack down on drinking in the future. The NFL does not want to see more cases like the one with the Giant fan who crippled a little girl while driving home drunk.

[BillsFanNC]

Edit: This is in response to BillsFanNC - lost the quote, sorry!

 

I guess we disagree that things that happen exceedingly rarely are big issues. The topic of this thread asks whether Bills games are really that family unfriendly.

 

Myself, and several other posters are responding that we feel that the stadium is not overly unfriendly on game day, and that many of the people writing that there are literally ten thousand people so drunk that they are falling down, vomiting everywhere, and urinating in their seats is just untrue in our experience.

 

Then, a poster came in with a puritanical view of alcohol consumption, which again many posters took exception with. Many mature, responsible adults feel that consuming alcohol is not inherently evil, and that alcohol consumption on stadium grounds does not turn Ralph Wilson Stadium into some sort of Lord of the Flies style living hell.

 

After this, you took this discussion and somehow changed the title of this thread to "Do you feel that people getting drunk to the point of falling down, and vomiting/urinating freely in their seats is bad?"

 

Answer to that is yes, so I suppose you nailed it

 

I'd say you are the one exagerrating things. I didn't see anyone here claiming it's a huge percentage of the fans acting this way, rather that it's an increasing minority of them. It's a problem. And I don't know how I changed the discussion at all. You agree that people falling down, pissing and puking in their seats is bad. Would you also agree that type of behavior is also not family friendly? How old is/are your kid/s?

[K Gun Special]

My guess is it has more to do with the advertising dollars. The big beer companies spend a lot on advertising during NFL games so they are going to pressure the NFL to keep the beer flowing.

 

However, the ongoing risk to the NFL and teams of huge lawsuits means the NFL will continue to crack down on drinking in the future. The NFL does not want to see more cases like the one with the Giant fan who crippled a little girl while driving home drunk.

 

 

Huge lawsuits? i have never heard of a lawsuit connected to drinking at a NFL game. Doesnt mmean they arent out there..

[fansince88]

Here is a statement that will make me unpopular here. NFL should do is limit the amount of alcohol you can purchase per trip and Cut it off totally after half time. I have never gone to a game because of the things I have heard.

[CodeMonkey]

Huge lawsuits? i have never heard of a lawsuit connected to drinking at a NFL game. Doesnt mmean they arent out there..

Wasn't it not that long ago that a couple people got hit after a Bills game by a drunk driver right near the stadium?

You might not hear about it, but I'd be willing to wager lawyers are engaged there.

[sabres...yawn]

Yes.

 

You might get lucky and have no problem- I usually don't but we have a good crowd around us and park in a small, friendly private lot.

 

The NFL and the Bills basically allow anything- public drunkeness, lewdness, massive littering, harassment etc... Law enforcement can only do so much.

 

Some people are just complete ass*****.

Add alcohol and a crowd mentality and well,.. good luck and enjoy the game

[CodeMonkey]

Here is a statement that will make me unpopular here. NFL should do is limit the amount of alcohol you can purchase per trip and Cut it off totally after half time. I have never gone to a game because of the things I have heard.

They already do cut off beer sales after halftime at the Ralph. I think there is a per-person limit as well but I'm not sure.

The problem is more people arriving at the gates hammered from the parking lots.

[Bills!Win!]

Maybe if the Bills didn't suck so bad, then people wouldn't notice the drunkeness at the games. Heck, I don't even drink, yet I feel like drowning my sorrows when i see this team play...

[Just Jack]

Here is a statement that will make me unpopular here. NFL should do is limit the amount of alcohol you can purchase per trip and Cut it off totally after half time. I have never gone to a game because of the things I have heard.

They already do cut off beer sales after halftime at the Ralph. I think there is a per-person limit as well but I'm not sure.

The problem is more people arriving at the gates hammered from the parking lots.

I believe it's a two beer limit. I usually only buy one at a time, so I'm not completely sure. And I'm in the sideline clubs so we don't get cut off until after the game.

 

Wasn't it not that long ago that a couple people got hit after a Bills game by a drunk driver right near the stadium?

You might not hear about it, but I'd be willing to wager lawyers are engaged there.

I'm not sure about a drunk driver, but I seem to remember a guy dealing drugs trying to get away from the cops hitting a few people, I believe it was last season.

[8-8 Forever?]

Depends where you sit. Some fans make it pretty scary. That said, must everything be like Disney World? Not everyplace needs to be family friendly.

 

PTR

anywhere outside the 20 yard line or in the upper deck can be very disturbing. keep your kids and wife away from the ralph.. its boys only/kegger meets stag party land... i really is. take one walk past the "Crown Royal Boys" with an open fire burning on the roof of their trashed red van and you thank yourself for not bringing anyone but 'the boys'

[tonyjustbcuz]

With the Bills starting their tailgating crackdown I wanted to see what others thought

 

I've been going to Bills games since I was 5 years old... so I've been going for almost 30 years, my dad took me to games and we had some of the best times going and tailgating and rooting for the team, good or bad. And it is a shame with what is going on... when I was a little kid my dad didn't take me to the rowdy places like the pinto (which I don't actually think is that bad compared to some others). Just like you wouldn't take a little kid into a bar.

 

He taught me right from wrong and the proper ways to do things. If anything, seeing those things every once and a while and my dad explaining to me what I should or shouldn't do probably helped me in life instead of living a sanitized sterile childhood.

 

I think there is plenty of room at a Bills game for families and the people who want to party, if anything the crowd is far less rowdy than it used to be. The rowdiness of the tailgaters is what gives the Ralph its party atmosphere and what makes the games worth going to. It makes it an event. If I want to watch the game in a quieter environment I can watch on my couch and save over $100 a game. If you want to see rowdy and crazy go see a European soccer game, that makes our football crowds look quiet.

 

So basically I think the Ralph is a fine place to bring your family for a game... should you bring them everywhere? Or course not, but nor should you bring your kids everywhere you go in your normal life either. If you kill the "event experience" at a Bills game, you kill most of the reason to go to the game

 

EDIT: I just wanted to add that when I was little we sat in the endzone and upper deck, so I saw my share of crazy... now I sit in sec 134 so I am definitely not one of the wild partiers, I just love the atmosphere of going to the games

 

 

Strictly answering the question presented without having enough time to read your whole post..(watching my 9 month old baby)..I love going to the Bills game, but I have encountered things that make it less attractive as an enterntainment venue than lets say the Bills Game, Erie County Fair, any museum, fireworks displays, art festivals etc....

 

From my perspective here is one distinct difference. Football seems to bring out the rabid animal in many fans who adore the Bills. The losing record doesn't help matters any as fans get frustrated. I think mix that with the festivities that usually include 2 to 3 hours of drinking prior to the game and you got a bad mix for many people.

You just don't see much of this at the Sabres games, therefore there are many more kids percentage wise. When I brought my daughter to the non-alcoholic section at the stadium some people were actually sneaking alcohol into the section anyways. I actually got beer spilled right on me by these young Candiens. It was the game when Kevin Everett got injured. They wouldn't even shut up when the stadium was otherwise quiet. They were so rude and obnoxious that they weren't even aware of the injury. Many other times I've had people right in front of me and my 8 year old daughter and they stood the whole game. When I kindly asked if they would please sit down so my daughter could see the game they just ignored me and it fell on deaf ears. Many similar instances until we don't bring our kids. Now they just go on kids day during a preseason game. More examples but baby's crying...

[TheChimp]

Yeah, let's outlaw swearing in public but turn our backs when our children access crush video websites or chat with 50-year-old perverts jacking off at their PCs every afternoon when they get home from smoking behind the fence at school. I swear, this right wing agenda is killing everything that used to be sensible about this country.

Edited September 18, 2010 by TheChimp

[BillsFanNC]

Yeah, let's outlaw swearing in public but turn our backs when our children access crush video websites or chat with 50-year-old perverts jacking off at their PCs every afternoon when they get home from smoking behind the fence at school. I swear, this right wing agenda is killing everything that used to be sensible about this country.

 

Holy straw man Batman!

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

For parents who want to take their kids to a sporting event but are worried about drunken a-holes, baseball games tend to be incredibly family friendly. Some fans will knock back a couple brews during the game, but I don't think I can remember any more than a couple drunken encounters.

 

If you live in Buffalo you can check out the Bisons, or Toronto and Cleveland are a virtual stone's throw if you're not interested in the minor leagues. I've taken my niece and nephew (6 and 8) up to the SkyDome (excuse me, "Rogers Centre") a few times and also The Jake (excuse me, "Progressive Field") and they love it! You can't beat the atmosphere of a ball game, IMO.

[TH3]

To answer the question - absolutely yes. I am a former season ticket holder (and tailgater) and now a parent and I would never take my kids/wife to a game. If it is hedonism that people want - well that is what goes on in ths lots and stands - and that is fine, European Soccer games are worse - but just not an atmosphere for wife/kids.

 

Boxes are somewhat different.

[auburnbillsbacker]

I was a season ticket holder for 7 years. The first two years my seats were surrounded by quality people who were also season ticket holders. The game time experience was great. The last 5 years however, it has been hit or miss. At least 2 -4 games every season my enjoyment of the game in ruined by drunk fans who show no respect to anyone. It doesn't matter that my wife and I have bills gear on. I have tried to use the "bills hotline" twice, but both times nothing was done. In fact I was nearly kicked out of game when the people I called the hotline on simply made accusations against me after security arrived. I have tried moving my seats in hopes of finding a better location with no luck. It was my hope to be a bills season ticket holder for my entire life. I don't think I will go back. Maybe if you could buy a group of seats with friends and family it would be worth it, but that might be hard to accomplish. I have never however, had any trouble when tailgating. The pre and post game experience have always been great.

Edited September 18, 2010 by auburnbillsbacker

[BornandRaised]

With the Bills starting their tailgating crackdown I wanted to see what others thought

 

I've been going to Bills games since I was 5 years old... so I've been going for almost 30 years, my dad took me to games and we had some of the best times going and tailgating and rooting for the team, good or bad. And it is a shame with what is going on... when I was a little kid my dad didn't take me to the rowdy places like the pinto (which I don't actually think is that bad compared to some others). Just like you wouldn't take a little kid into a bar.

 

He taught me right from wrong and the proper ways to do things. If anything, seeing those things every once and a while and my dad explaining to me what I should or shouldn't do probably helped me in life instead of living a sanitized sterile childhood.

 

I think there is plenty of room at a Bills game for families and the people who want to party, if anything the crowd is far less rowdy than it used to be. The rowdiness of the tailgaters is what gives the Ralph its party atmosphere and what makes the games worth going to. It makes it an event. If I want to watch the game in a quieter environment I can watch on my couch and save over $100 a game. If you want to see rowdy and crazy go see a European soccer game, that makes our football crowds look quiet.

 

So basically I think the Ralph is a fine place to bring your family for a game... should you bring them everywhere? Or course not, but nor should you bring your kids everywhere you go in your normal life either. If you kill the "event experience" at a Bills game, you kill most of the reason to go to the game

 

EDIT: I just wanted to add that when I was little we sat in the endzone and upper deck, so I saw my share of crazy... now I sit in sec 134 so I am definitely not one of the wild partiers, I just love the atmosphere of going to the games

 

 

I won't take my 8 year old which is depressing. Some people are already jerks sober and then they get blitzed it gets worse. Last 4 games I went to I have had at least one person within rows of me that was either talking about hunting down and killing the official( all game long, like every play) or saying inappropriate ( very detailed ) things to every woman walking up the isle. When someone in our section did finally say something to the "kill the ref guy", he turned his ire to him and started grousing about him being a tub of crap ( that was the entire second half) and then he followed him out early to fight him. I mean what the heck is wrong with some people. My obervation is the guys I always have a problem with are blizted beyond belief. Its a tuff problem as I like put back my share of beers at the tailgate as well but I never turn into a idiot (says me). The only time I had a no issues like this at a game was when we lucked into 50 yard lines seats 23 rows up for the bills oilers playoff game. Everyone there were season ticket holders and it made a difference. If I owned the team, I would look for drunks and not let them in if they are above .12 BAC. Yeah that is higher than the driving limit but I am just trying to guess here what the ahole limit is. Course they can get lit up in the stadium as well. But doing something at the door would reduce the ahole count even getting in.

[Billy in 4C]

I'm divided - I don't have kids so it's hard to say.

 

I've been going since a little kid and some of my best memories are watching fans getting plastered and picking fights. You used to be able to bring in a thermos filled with alcohol - so things have definately changed. When Santa ran on the field on Christmas eve a few years ago and was taken off in cuffs that was hilarious!

 

But the pre-game has turned into a frat party where everyone gets obliterated before the game. The Bills lack of winning has turned it into an atmosphere where it is all about the party - not the game. If you go to a game expect drunken aholes. That's reality. I don't think rules will change it as much as winning.

[Billshank Redemption]

I dont really think its the tailgating atmosphere its just where you sit. I mean if you sit in the rockpile then no but if your sitting in or near season ticket holders then yea definitely people just need to be smart it is football after all