Rowdy Fans Riot After College Football Games

Fox News ^ | Sunday, November 24, 2002 | AP

[Sparta]

COLUMBUS, Ohio

[leadpenny]

That's normal at NASCAR. What I meant was "out of control" where someone else gets hurt.

[BurbankKarl]

A medic treats a University of Washington Daily photographer's bleeding head after he was hit by an object thrown onto the field after the UW defeated the Cougars 29-26 in three overtimes. (November 24, 2002)

[leadpenny]

Let me make sure I understand you. You condone the "show-boating," not only in the end zone, but after almost every play? I'm not critisizing you if you are. It's just not for me.

[RangeRatt]

traffic after the race, waiting in line at a restaurant afterwards...it's all part of the experience. As for NASCAR fans being rude and boorish, well, you have to remember the level of education that some of them failed to acheive during their lives. I have never had a problem with the fans at a race, and that goes from Talladega to Daytona to Wewahitchka, Florida- we are mostly blue collar, hard working people who want to spend a weekend out watching a couple of races and not be bothered with the outside world. It is as much our escape as is college football for the alumni and fraternity folks. Everybody has a sport, and we should respect diversity, not try to triumph over it.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I think that the showboating and stuff is a lack of player discipline. I grew up watching the Miami Dolphins in the 60's to 80's, and Shula kept them focused, business like, and their record reflected it. They (and other teams as well, such as the Steelers, Cowboys, Packers, etc) played with class and character and for the sport in a team environment, not in a selfish self serving display you see nowadays. The lack of self control is affecting all areas of the game, into the stands as well.

[Kev-Head]

Startin to remind me of how the Europians act after a Soccer Game. I wonder when the riots will start in the stands.

[billbears]

Well thank you for that invalid and worthless response. Call some names will you? And yes I have been on the receiving end of the visiting team tearing down the goalposts and was attacked. One black eye and a sprained arm in the NC State/ECU game. After that the two teams didn't play for about 8 or 9 years if I remember. Thanks for caring.

My point is that it's going to be done. Perhaps make the goalposts out of something disposable. I don't know. But sending out more and more police isn't going to do anything except incite more violence. But from your well thought out response I see your solution is to beat the subjects down?

[MonroeDNA]

Between rap, hop-hop, LA riot culture spread, and kids finally being off ritalin, this was bound to happen.

Our culture has reaped what it has sown, and it's gonna get worse.

[Future Snake Eater]

Heck yeah! I was there, working the Army ROTC concession stand. My girlfriend and I caught the last 10 minutes or so of the game and watched as the entire field filled up with people tearing down one goalpost. The sheriff's deputies and event personnel on-hand tried to block them from the other one but to no avail. Normally I cringe at such boorish displays, but it was one heluva game.

[billbears]

The fans citizens have no longer earned the right to go out on the field after the game (own guns, speak out against their government, etc), they can't be trusted. I'm sure it's a small percentage of the fans citizens, but they've ruined it for everybody else.

Funny what replacing a few words will do, huh? I agree somewhat with your response and I would argue for a solution something to the effect of what my fellow North Carolinian suggested. Goalposts that are made out of something less than steel and iron, something disposable. It's not like they're ever struck, so something of a lesser weight and less expensive material could be used. Then again, I can see where that would not only condone more run outs, but they would probably increase.

I do agree it's a problem, but I don't see how more police are necessarily going to be the solution

[billbears]

No, it was the 1987 ECU game. ECU came in and beat NC State 28-14. They tore down our goalposts and started more than several fights in doing so. I've seen people do it at their home stadium after a big game but not at someone else's stadium. ECU hasn't played NC State since and I think they've only met once or twice since then

[afraidfortherepublic]

I don't condone any of this nonsense. For Heaven's sake, these fans are acting like drunken European soccer fans! That said...

In Berkeley, Calif., hundreds of University of California fans overwhelmed security guards and tore down the goal posts following the Golden Bears' 30-7 over rival Stanford.

OMG! It's been about 13 years since Berkeley beat Stanford. This is a wonderful day! I can see where the fans would get out of hand on this one! At least I don't read where any CAL guys stripped the skirt off a co-ed wearing red who walked by their rooting section (which was always the threat in my day.)

Give 'em the axe, the axe, the axe...
Right in the neck, the neck, the neck...

Our Sturdy Golden Bear...

Oski wee wee
Whiskey woo woo...

Go Bears!

[afraidfortherepublic]

See 112.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Mush, Huskies, Mush!

[afraidfortherepublic]

See #114.

[ewing]

An unidentified Washington State U. fan throws a bottle onto the field after an officials ruling in the 3rd Overtime of the Washington/Washington St. Game.

[afraidfortherepublic]

...but I see the possibility for even more injuries in just running out on the field.

About 8 or 10 years ago several students were killed at Wisconsin when the fans rushed the field and the police stopped them. The crush of kids backed up in the stands and people were trampled.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Suspend him if he's a student -- fine him and jail him, if he's an adult. Anyone who throws a bottle, or other lethal weapon, should have his attendance privileges stripped for the rest of his life.

But....Cal beat Stanford. Yippee!

[gabby hayes]

What an absolutely stupid statement to exhibit patriotic pride in wanton criminal behavior. In any athletic event, this is flat out enough to make me root for the other side. Have you participated in competitive sports or the military other than vicariously? Or, maybe the more appropriate question, how many brewskis?

[conservative_2001]

. If the administration had class, they would forfeit the victory to send a strong message to any thug thinking of ever pulling this crap again.

Is today Be a Weanie Day at Free Republic? This is one of the dumbest comments I've ever heard here. Why should the players and the entire school forfeit a win because of what some hoodlums did afterwards? The players played hard, they didn't riot. The coaches prepared all week for the game, they didn't riot. Most of the fans were law-abiding, they didn't riot. By forfeiting the game, OSU would be sending a message that these thugs do indeed represent Ohio State. They don't, and should be marginalized.

But that won't happen, this is the U. that fired John Cooper only because he lost, not because he ran a program rife with abuses. No class.

Wow, two dumb comments in one post. Cooper was fired because the program couldn't do a thing called "graduate" its players. And if you saw OSU's conduct in his final bowl game, against South Carolina, you would not have made a comment as uninformed and silly as that one.

If he were fired for losing, he would have been fired years before he was. And he should have been. I'm surprised a "conservative" would have a problem with holding coaches responsible for their performance.