This past Sunday Titans owner Bud Adams made some obscene gestures directed towards the fans in attendance at the Buffalo Bills game. As much as I agree with Mr. Adams assessment of the fans in Orchard Park NY, his behavior was sickening. The very rich and slightly deranged owner of the Titans has made a portion of his personal fortune from dollars that come from NFL fans. There is a thing know as 'shared revenue'. It simply means that teams, like the Titans, that play in small markets and don't find themselves playing in the Superbowl very often, still get to participate in the millions of dollars that the NFL rakes in every year. So, I would think Mr. Adams would have the utmost respect and maybe even some love for NFL fans (who provide those dollars), even those of rival teams. If his heart is not overflowing with gratitude for all the greenbacks the fans have sent his way, I would hope he would at least have enough respect for his fellow man, as well as himself, to not wave his middle fingers at those sitting in the stands from his comfortable luxury box.
This spoiled, pompous, old man is not the first person to behave in a disgusting manner at an NFL game. Drunken, obnoxious, loud mouth behavior has become the rule and not the exception. I personally have encountered countless debaucherous and immature fans. The worst memory I have, the one that stands out the most, happened at the Giants season opener in September of 2005.
A few quick notes: it was Brandon Jacobs first game as a rookie, also Kurt Warners first game as a Cardinal... and his return to Giants stadium a year after playing for the Giants. Sitting in the seat directly behind me was a highly intoxicated man who was probably in his mid 30's, and was acting like he was 5 years old. To be perfectly honest, this was not one of the NFL's most dramatic games. The crowd was loud and enjoying the game, but this man was taking it to a whole new level.
He kept yelling and bragging to everyone around him about how much cocaine he had done while he was tailgating, and even gave me a personal invite to "do a few lines" with him after the game. The most sickening part of the game came during the 3rd quarter when this foul mouthed hooligan started to refer to every Giant player using the "N" word. He started throwing the N word around with some-sort-of evil glee and I think his amusement was coming from the fact there was a african american family of 5 sitting only 3 or 4 rows ahead of us. A mom and dad with their 3 young children we forced to listen to this low life, and the reason it still eats at me is because I did nothing to stop it.
The drunkenness and foul language that is now commonplace on any given Sunday has not only made the game day experience not suitable for children, but it's not bearable by decent adults either.
I was recently reading a shocking article online ( nfl.fanhouse.com ) about a Steelers fan who allegedly was poisoned at a Chicago bar after an altercation with some Bears fans. He was being persecuted for wearing his black and gold jersey and the Bears fans later offered him a drink to make amends. Shortly after consuming the mystery beverage the man passed out and was rushed to the hospital. When he regained consciousness he was temporarily blind. He may have been given a drink spiked with antifreeze, and even if those who did this didn't intend to kill him, they almost did.
There is something very primal and territorial about pro sports teams and the rival city's that they represent. The NFL was built on the electrifying and exciting game day experience and the hatred of the "other team" and their fans. However, when fans are getting attacked at games, things have gone to far.
It's fascinating to me how fans and society as a whole has regressed in their overall respect for other human beings. A lot of adult NFL fans discovered their passion for the game by going to the games when they were children. Don't we have an obligation to todays children to make sure the game day experience is suitable for them? If we can't do it for each other, maybe we can try to act like decent human beings for the children's sake.
I would like to hear Mr. Adams explain his behavior to his grandchildren.
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