Sunday's game experience

[IndyMark]

1. While this behavior is not unique to Buffalo, it is not completely illustrative of all stadiums......I have been to (a) Lambeau (b) Qualcom © Hoosier Dome & Lucas Oil and (d) Cincinnati.....(all in Buffalo gear) and without a doubt, Buffalo fans can be the most liqoured up, profane, blisteringly stupid fans around.....HOWEVER, by and large, Bills fans can also be the BEST (kindest - too many great stories to share).

 

2. If the overall expecation is that football games, attended to live, are to be profane-laced, drunk-fests, with the end-goal of fighting and "what do you expect"........then, those who believe that are fairly dumb and not worth engaging in a debate on the topic.

 

3. That said, I have taken my 9 year old son back to Buffalo for the last 3 years for a Bills game and my job as a parent is to educate him on being able to seperate the wheat from the chaff; so to speak. Sure, there are dumb drunks who you ignore......but the vast majority of fans are well intended, solid football fans who want to enjoy the game day experience....and remember it; without being arrested or in a fight. Basically, you will see all types son, so no worries, ignore the idiots and have a good time.

 

Really, I cannot tell you how many Bills fans "lookout" for my son when we are either walking in the overcrowded concourse to find the food line or restroom, or who when we are walking across the tailgate lots and toss a football his way for a quick throw and catch, or even while standing in-line for the port-o-lets if some dumb drunk starts laying out the "F" word or is so drunk they cannot even stand.......really, I have not had to fight a fight when many presented themselves....my Bills brethen (whom I do not know) have done that for me (or really, my son)-

 

I NEVER hesitate in taking my son to a Bills game (again starting when he was 6).......too many good things to experience......

[altleg]

Its pretty sad that you can't take children to football games

 

I have been to mlb games in multiple stadiums, along with NHL games and all are great family atmospheres where you can enjoy the game and not have to worry about drunken idiots puking on you, fights breaking out around you, or hearing idiots screaming profanities and vulgar insults around just because their team is losing, or because a fan from another team is sitting near by.

 

With the NFL, the fans seem to have the attitude of it being their right to do those things and get excessively drunk because "thats part of the experience" and if you don't like it, don't take your kids or go to the "family section" of the stadium

 

This is all going to eventually lead to the removal of private tailgating before games by the NFL, and into controled/regulated NFL/team sponsored tailgating areas where you will be buying beer like you would in the stadium and eating from concession stands

 

You are definitely on to something here regarding tailgating.

 

 

I like to take the Bills Season ticketholder survey each year (despite its horrible construction) because there are usually questions that give you a clue as to what the brass is thinking. I especially took note as to how the survey mentioned the "priviledge of tailgating". I responded in my free form section that I did not regard tailgating as a priviledge and consider it a very important part of the game day experience. But the choice of words seemed interesting.

[Dante]

JPS: I agree, that behavior is unacceptable around kids. But, as others have wondered, what did you expect?

I would expect people to be somewhat civil. People who can't control there booze shouldn't drink. In mixed company is it really necessary to drop the F Bomb continuously? Going to a ball game give you a free pass to be a ahole?

[apuszczalowski]

You are definitely on to something here regarding tailgating.

 

 

I like to take the Bills Season ticketholder survey each year (despite its horrible construction) because there are usually questions that give you a clue as to what the brass is thinking. I especially took note as to how the survey mentioned the "priviledge of tailgating". I responded in my free form section that I did not regard tailgating as a priviledge and consider it a very important part of the game day experience. But the choice of words seemed interesting.

Its just the way I see the NFL (not saying its the Bills) taking things in the future as a way to increase revenue at the stadiums. They are already starting to go this way with the new parking rules and I believe they are now trying to turn the area behind the scoreboard into the party area.

 

Tailgating still is a privelege, not all stadiums have it the same as in Buffalo, it might be part of the what fans love about attending a game, but it still has to be treated like a privilege. It would be like saying that driving a car is your right because you need to drive to get to work. Driving a car and having a liscense is still a privelege that we all have

[plenzmd1]

1. While this behavior is not unique to Buffalo, it is not completely illustrative of all stadiums......I have been to (a) Lambeau (b) Qualcom © Hoosier Dome & Lucas Oil and (d) Cincinnati.....(all in Buffalo gear) and without a doubt, Buffalo fans can be the most liqoured up, profane, blisteringly stupid fans around.....HOWEVER, by and large, Bills fans can also be the BEST (kindest - too many great stories to share).

 

2. If the overall expecation is that football games, attended to live, are to be profane-laced, drunk-fests, with the end-goal of fighting and "what do you expect"........then, those who believe that are fairly dumb and not worth engaging in a debate on the topic.

 

3. That said, I have taken my 9 year old son back to Buffalo for the last 3 years for a Bills game and my job as a parent is to educate him on being able to seperate the wheat from the chaff; so to speak. Sure, there are dumb drunks who you ignore......but the vast majority of fans are well intended, solid football fans who want to enjoy the game day experience....and remember it; without being arrested or in a fight. Basically, you will see all types son, so no worries, ignore the idiots and have a good time.

 

Really, I cannot tell you how many Bills fans "lookout" for my son when we are either walking in the overcrowded concourse to find the food line or restroom, or who when we are walking across the tailgate lots and toss a football his way for a quick throw and catch, or even while standing in-line for the port-o-lets if some dumb drunk starts laying out the "F" word or is so drunk they cannot even stand.......really, I have not had to fight a fight when many presented themselves....my Bills brethen (whom I do not know) have done that for me (or really, my son)-

 

I NEVER hesitate in taking my son to a Bills game (again starting when he was 6).......too many good things to experience......

 

well said..much better thann I

[apuszczalowski]

I would expect people to be somewhat civil. People who can't control there booze shouldn't drink. In mixed company is it really necessary to drop the F Bomb continuously? Going to a ball game give you a free pass to be a ahole?

I have heard many say that yes it does, especially when the team is bad

 

I just don't get why people would spend the kind of money that the pro sporting events charge for a ticket, and then get so drunk that they will barely remember what happened that day. I won't even try to understand the others that get into the stadium and continue to drink while watching the game at the prices they charge for beer. If I want to watch the game and have a bunch of drinks, I will pick up a case and watch the game at home where I can be as drunk and obnoxious as I want and still have money left in my wallet

[Andrew in CA]

The behavior was pretty bad for me in 338 as well... however, I think it has more to do with how bad the team played (coupled with the horribly obnoxious Jets fans) that created such a terrible environment. It seems to me if the Bills are kicking ass, or the game is tight, people behave better because they're into the game. In this one, the fans were out of it pretty quick because the team was playing like it was 2010, so they just turned their anger on anyone in sight wearing green, or anyone that gave them a dirty look.

[plenzmd1]

 

. I won't even try to understand the others that get into the stadium and continue to drink while watching the game at the prices they charge for beer. If I want to watch the game and have a bunch of drinks, I will pick up a case and watch the game at home where I can be as drunk and obnoxious as I want and still have money left in my wallet

Because I love to have beers while watching the game, always have, always will...is that really bad??? Now.getting so drunk as to not remember the game or being a lout??has never happened to me.

 

In terms of the tailgating..I think you are correct. Going to the game in Dallas this weekend..b the looks of things there Jerry has made tailgating rather difficult..but thats about revenue and not about behavior in my mind

[apuszczalowski]

Because I love to have beers while watching the game, always have, always will...is that really bad??? Now.getting so drunk as to not remember the game or being a lout??has never happened to me.

 

In terms of the tailgating..I think you are correct. Going to the game in Dallas this weekend..b the looks of things there Jerry has made tailgating rather difficult..but thats about revenue and not about behavior in my mind

I'm not saying thats bad, I just said I don't understand given the price for beers and the quality you get.

[plenzmd1]

I'm not saying thats bad, I just said I don't understand given the price for beers and the quality you get.

 

Ahh, you and I on the same page WRT the quality LOL..as with women when you are young..any port in a storm

 

Now i do not think the prices are that bad, but i am used to DC prices..all relative I guess

[Peter]

Unfortunately, it is.

 

Even though it is a football game, it really should be a place where you can take your kids to enjoy the game.

 

I can understand "some swearing," but the barrage of it together with the amateur and professional drunks is ridiculous.

 

I simply do not understand why someone would want to get drunk out of their mind at a football game.

 

Forget about the game. That was brutal enough. I brought my family and a few friends in section 131 and there were fantastic displays of public drunkenness and about 10 people who inserted the F work in front of virtually everything. I am hoping it was an anomaly, but I just shouldn't have to apologize to my friends and explain to my daughter what a dirty Sanchez is.

 

Are we Bills fans really that bad?

[bills44]

NFL home games are an "event" for fans - there are only 8 (or 7, for us and GB) typically on a weekend, so fans tend to plan their days around home games. In the NHL, you have 41 home games (or 40, for the Sabres this year), 81 in MLB, and 41 (?) in the NBA, most on weekday evenings, so you won't see the same level of fan excitement as you would at an NFL game. FWIW, IMO, the Meadowlands was no better than RWS is, as far as fan behavior.

 

Behavior at the F'N Center is no better, IMO. I won't discuss who the morons at Sabres games typically are, but people who regularly attend games can figure it out.

 

I've seen idiot fan behavior at MLB games too.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Yes - the stadium experience, unless you are buffered in a box or the family section, is no place for anyone under PG-13. Hell, even in those circumstances, they have to walk through the lot(s), and those are at times right frmo Dante's Inferno. For the home opener, we sat in the best seats you can buy outside of a box and were privy to fights and general public lewd behavior. Would love to introduce my kids tot he stadium, but not for another half century or so - I dont want them thinking it is acceptable in any way or circumstance for people to behave this way...

 

I Started taking daughter and son to games back in the early 90s and they turned out just fine. Your kids are exposed a lot more in every day life than what they hear and see at a Bills game. Most of us just want to think that our Kids can't handle the stadium, but if you have done your job at home bring them up and taught what is right and wrong, the stadium should not be a problem.

I agree with mead on this one. Kids are precocious. On top of that, you are interpreting the world for them. Life is full of beauty and ugliness. Better to be there during the ugliness so you can make sense of it for them. (Depending on the age of the kid) rather than raising kids in a make-believe world, I think it's better that kids are not naive and wide-eyed at things that happen every day.

 

It was my first time at a Bills game in Buffalo, and it was horrible. A lot of drunk fans trying to instigate fans. People throwing stuff, lots of cursing, etc etc. Not a family environment, and not what I expected of Bills fans. I love the team, but I'm not sure if I'm ever going to go to another game in Buffalo, that was just horrific.

Very sorry to hear that, D. NFL games have become less and less enjoyable to me as time has gone on.

 

These threads come up at least once a year, and I always respond in the same way. I see no reason what so ever to not bring kids to a game. Mine are now 12(almost 13) and 10. We have gone to an NFL game almost every year since the oldest was 5 or so. Man, have they ever seen some nasty drunks, heard some cuss words, and seen overall boorish behavior. ,And,most important they have seen how idiotic these people look. They have seen their father or uncle respectfully ask people to keep the cussing to minimum,as an occasional F Bomb or CHIT at a big play does not bother me so much.True words that hurt, like racial or religious epithats, I have never heard at a game.It has never gotten to the point where we had to get security involved at all.

 

They have been to 4 different stadiums...find knucklehaeads in each and every one.

 

We have had great times at the games..would not trade it for the world.

Yeah again. Depending upon their age, I think it's great to expose kids to the reality of certain contexts and be there to help them interpret it… and to dwell on the positive experiences. But I do wish there was much less drunken stupidity at NFL games.

 

I fully agree with the OP. I've been going to games for about 23 years. I know there are lots of folks here who will respond that this is always how it's been (and some who like it that way). I disagree. The difference now, as I see it, is how young and obnoxious the fans are. It used to be middle-aged alcoholics with a wry sense of humor, who fundamentally seemed to be decent folks letting off steam. Now, it's a blue collar frat party, a Phish show without the wonky jams. Bills games have become an excuse for drunken kids to act like goons. They have no respect for anyone, or themselves (especially the girls). And the worst part is, unlike the sad old-timers I grew up watching the games with, these kids know nothing about football. They're not even there to watch the games, really - most of them want an excuse to get tanked. Many of them want an excuse to fight. Frankly, it's not even worth going to the stadium anymore unless you sit with the wealthy folks in the club seats. The 99% may be disenfranchised, but the 1% know how to be respectful to their fellow fans.

I agree that the world has changed and the crowds have changed. Even when I was a young party animal, there was NEVER "having fun" at other people's expense. It seems like people used to be able to get hammered without getting belligerent. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like there is a breakdown in the basic respect that people have for one another.

 

I just don't get why people would spend the kind of money that the pro sporting events charge for a ticket, and then get so drunk that they will barely remember what happened that day. I won't even try to understand the others that get into the stadium and continue to drink while watching the game at the prices they charge for beer. If I want to watch the game and have a bunch of drinks, I will pick up a case and watch the game at home where I can be as drunk and obnoxious as I want and still have money left in my wallet

To add to your excellent point about being too drunk to appreciate what you're seeing (and paying through the nose to do so), think of it this way.

 

The product on the field is the very highest expression of American Football. These people are the absolute best in the world at what they do. You have highly-trained professionals plying their trade. Why would you want to get so drunk that you can't appreciate what you're seeing?

 

Do people get drunkenly belligerent when they are watching a great movie, at a great concert, or at any other type of sporting event?

 

I guess a lot of these so-called fans aren't really fans of football. Apparently many in attendance see an NFL game as an opportunity to get publicly drunk and stupid.

 

Unfortunately, there is something about football which brings out drunken stupidity in people.

 

But these things are all life lessons that can be a benefit to your kids if you're teaching them about the world.

 

 

[HARCO186]

Sporting events around the world are bad and in other countries soccer games people are killed and stomped on so hearing drunk people yell and swearing is not that bad. If it's that bad watch your boy play a video game or go online and have some dude act like a 12 year old girl and try to pick them up. I'm sure you watched to catch a preditor on msnbc. Taking a kid to a football game at least you are there with them and can see what is going on is my point. A bunch of drunk people watching people get pounded to the ground and hit each other. It's not a figure skating event so you get what you expect to see. I'm not saying its right but exposing a child to see that stuff is better than having your kid experience without some support or explenation. They will come across it eventually, hell explain to them what the tv means by viagara commercial.

[apuszczalowski]

Do people get drunkenly belligerent when they are watching a great movie, at a great concert, or at any other type of sporting event?

Yes, Drunk and/or on some sort of drugs (some say its because they experience the music so much better high)

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Yes, Drunk and/or on some sort of drugs (some say its because they experience the music so much better high)

But drunk/drugged AND belligerent?

[zow2]

I've watched NFL games at a dozen other stadiums. I love the Bills game day experience but even i can admit, the language and poor behavior are the worst anywhere. I won't even get into what happened to a couple college buddies of mine (back in the 80's) when they wore opposing gear to the stadium (i warned them not to). Yes- there are tons of great people at RWS but a few just go overboard.

Also, i think people tend to be better behaved in Dome stadiums. It's something about being outside where you feel more liberated to drop F-bombs all over the place...as opposed to being in a warm, comfy, kind of quiet indoor stadium.

[BADOLBILZ]

I just can't understand why this comes up.

 

Football is legalized violence. It should never be confused with a trip to the museum or even a trip to a baseball game.

 

You shouldn't bring children to games, or even allow them to view games at all unless you are complicit with them seeing people intentionally hurt other people. If you are good with that.....then perhaps your moral boundaries have already been compromised.

 

I'm by no means saying that it justifies ILLEGAL behavior by fans, but it should never surprise anyone that violent competition brings out bad behavior in a certain percentage of spectators. With all due respect, it's idiotic to think that it won't.

 

That said, I agree with Mead and others that kids are far more exposed to the less kind and gentle side of life than most parents think. If they are raised well it shouldn't harm them in the least.

[Jauronimo]

The NFL game day experience is a frat party x100. That is what it has become. Its no longer a family oriented, father son experience, unless your kid is an alcoholic and the terms of his probation allow him to go to the Ralph. I don't have much of a problem with the party scene, although the threat of violence for simply looking at someone the wrong way is not something I'm fond of.

 

The NFL is right to be concerned about the gameday experience as it pertains to young fans. How will the NFL grow its brand if you can't take a kid to the game until they're 18? I think tailgating will be a thing of the past in a few years as the NFL and stadiums crack down on the partying. Too many idiots will ruin the fun for the rest of us, as its apparently too much for some to act like they've had a beer before.

[8-8 Forever?]

She is 16. And it's not just her. I did not want to hear it.

Well, it's been going on forever, and its not just the Ralph. My wife (who knows exactly what to expect at NFL games) and I were at Fedex in $200 club seats and the 4 guys next to us had to be actually ejected for being so bombed they were at risk of going over the club level front row railing. Unbelievable. But NFL games are a license for an all day drunk beginning about 10 in the morning. 5000 DWIs could easily be given out after every NFL game. It is just the way it is. If you can't handle it, get the big screen and watch at home. Once DTV provides viewer controlled multiple camera angle viewing (via HD webcams) and mutable announcers (so you only hear the stadium noise/announcers, etc) , I'll never go to another game. This game was my first in the Ralph in 3 years and sure enough, a bunch of canadians behind us F'd this and S--t'd that for 3 hours. Whatever.