I'm at a loss as to what should be done about the violence and ugly behavior that occurs around football and sports in general. Any suggestions on what should be done to prevent riots and property damage? What if your car was in the path? What if they trashed your S2000 just because they felt like it? That is what's going on!

No televised football next year? Shoot to kill after game?

 

Were there riots like this after games that weren't based on TV ad revenue?

 

Uh, i think the riots and hooliganism always happened in some way shape or form (testosterone+alchohol+frustration=BAD), but it has gotten much more out of hand b/c of the way some of these folks are venting their frustrations withoput any respect for life and property. I just dont think folks learn the kind of respect they need to truly be considered civilized...but then again this is the US...we can learn or not-learn anything we as individuals want. The fact that the media covers it much more than they used to makes it so everyone in the country, not just those closest to the...action... will hear about it and all be equally discusted. >sigh<

 

sadly enough i think it's just going to happen. i don't think it's about the game.. or about the fact that the raiders lost... or that they're diehard raider fans. they probably would've had a "celebration riot" if they raiders won in my opinion. these kinda people are out there and they'll be around in one form or another whether it be because of the raiders or something else. i'm just glad i don't live in oakland... and damn i thought most of the riots would be in san deigo cuz all of them were gonna be down there trying to get tickets

 

can you see the BUCS just laughing even more because of the riots in oakland?

 

This might turn into an essay... but I've discussed this once or twice with my friends. I hope no one takes objection to these thoughts as they are only my observations....

In Europe... and around the world, people go nuts at football(soccer) matches, kill the refs, have post game violence all the time etc. I also believe there is a correllation between this, and the fact that 1) there are very few sports that are popular, 2) the standard of living is lower(on average).

Okay.. that set aside.... what are the factors that attracts people to sport, or to be a fan? To be attracted to a sport, possibly a person feels the need to a) excel, which would inherently include b) enjoyment of competition(yes there are rare occasions where people excel based on their own standards but that's another essay). Ok, this doens't really explain any behavioral traits that I can figure out in relation to rioting so we move on(or isn't part of my ideas here).

Being a fan is a way of living and taking pleasure in the actions of someone else, possibly because you can't do it yourself for one reason or another. Sports and professional athletes and their prosperity is another way of measuring how far a society has progressed.... with the advent of Sept 11(and other events), we can see that many many people are willing to cut spending to the bare necessities, often including spending time in public places. How wide and big are professional sports in places like Iraq and the states previously known as the USSR? In these places people are more concerned with getting along day to day, then having the opportunity to participate, let alone become a profesional basketball or hockey, or baseball player. The US on the other hand, enjoys a multitude of different professional sports from baseball, basketball, hockey, etc(yes these are team sports, individuals don't count here as they can be handled as "one-offs"), of which at the same time, our population has a very broad fan base for a multitude of sports.

So what is with Raider fans? The parallels here I see are that in Europe, you take a higher percentage of blue-collar workers who don't enjoy the same luxuries that we might here in the states, mix it with a sport that is very accessible(what does it take to mess around with a couple guys in football? a ball and a couple guys, even basketball is more complex), and you provide these people an outlet from their mundane or unhappy lives by living vicariously through their heroes.

Oakland is a city... and that's all I can say about that place after growing up and living there for 21 years. It has progressed slower than many other cities in the bay area, and if there was one city in the bay area where I would NOT buy property, it's Oakland. For whatever reasons, these are the same reasons that attract hard-nosed Raider fans. Also keep in mind that I'd MUCH rather go to a Raider game than a 9er game.

Ok... enough babbling.. I think the Raiders are very much similar to say a football team in Europe. Their fan base probably has a higher percentage of blue-collar, there are probably fewer PSL owners than for other teams season ticket holders, and the income level is probably on average lower. I'm not saying this is a bad thing for Al Davis(it's pretty hard to argue how good a business man he is, GM is a different story), but in a sense they are attracting a certain demographic that is very similar to that of a die-hard football fan in europe.

So what should be done about violence? You could raise the standard of living.. making people in general happier about their lives, interested in other sports and hobbies. I think this is a bit of an achievement or possibly a marker for the NFL to have such a fan base that would do this kind of thing... it shows a certain level of dedication. Probably also why Raider fans are better than 9er fans.

Those are my thoughts... please keep in mind that I'm writing this via a Quick Reply box on the bottom of a page... my thoughts may get a little muddled, and my high-school teachers would probably throw a fit at my unstructured writing style... but hey... I'm unemployed and ranting on a board for car enthusiasts....


Any thoughts or questions? I'll explain points... but this is a GENERAL observation, I'm not asking for someone to say "but what about X country."

 

In Europe, the instances of rioting after football games is similar in some respects as Ash pointed out, but usually these are by people who attend the game. I am unsure about the televising of those games and how it affects those watching remotely, but we do know that these incidents have occurred many times in Europe and with some deadly results.

To clarify the reason people choose to live life as fans... Studies have shown that die hard fans, when watching their favorite teams often experience the same spike in testosterone as those player who are actually playing the spot. While the players have the game to help them as an outlet for this extra punch, the fans do not. This does make it more likely for something to happen. Anyways, to experience the highs of watching a game is why so many continue to be fans. Maybe we are all becoming adreniline junkies?

So why then does it not happen after evey game everywhere? I think the economics of it all contribute, as does the culture of those participants of these after-game activities. In Oakland, many of the participants seemed to younger folks with nothing better to do. Many are not supervised by parents or guardians enough so they do what they want. Some obviously have not been taught to respect others and their property (i suppose if you have no property per se to start with, its kind of a foreign concept)

These younger folks were mostly out to hang with the crowds after a devestating loss. Yet b/c of a few in the group who go past the limits, some of the crowds followed. This is the venting portion that we do not see as often in other places. Participating in group events like this is far more exciting than hanging out at a mall I suppose,l but when things get ugly...

I agree that the depressed economics contibutes to many of the issues that have created the powder keg. Depressed economics mean low paying jobs which means parents work more, which means kids have no supoervision and learn little, which means more likelihood of going out and getting into trouble, either by starting it, or as a follower, or just by getting caught in the middle of it all. If someone has some ideas on how to fix it...

It is sad that Oakland is known for such issues despite the fact that it is a large city where most of the issues are occurring in a small area of the city. Many parts of oakland are very nice, but until they can figure out ways to increase the standard of living for many of the residents...<sigh> sounds so hopeless...