According to a copy of the code, drunk and "disruptive" fans can be ejected from stadiums or parking lots without refund — and stripped of their season tickets. The same goes for fans that verbally or physically harass other fans, use obscene language or gestures or interfere with the game by throwing objects onto the field. Fans that become drunk or unruly during pregame tailgating will not be allowed into stadiums. This is so long overdue.
The standard: enjoy yourself, come root for your team — but don't infringe on the enjoyment of another fan has been part of some stadiums but not Boston, New York, Cleveland, or Philadelphia to name a few."If you want to come root for another team, that's OK. But we are going to pour a beer over your head.”
The NFL's 32 clubs will be charged with implementing and enforcing the code. At this Sunday’s Patriots game, Verizon offered a service for fans so they can text officials if they see other fans getting unruly.
All NFL clubs are expected to spell out the rules to season ticket-holders and fans through news releases, mailings and stadium-area signs and announcements. Each club will have a front-office employee designated as being in charge of the policy.
The Oakland Raiders have launched a video on their website showing season ticketholders imploring fellow fans to respect and abide by the code. The Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, will introduce a hotline this season enabling fans to call or text-message security from their seats.
The NFL, the USA's most popular pro sports league, attracted 17.3 million fans to regular-season games during the 2007 season, an average per-game attendance of 67,755. Both were league records. The league began looking at a code of behavior after hearing a growing number of fan complaints about their experience at games. Football should be a family event and currently it is more like a frat party inside and out of the stadium.
The rules say season ticket holders and others fans are not only responsible for their own behavior but for that of guests or anybody else occupying their seats. Most of the time I see season ticket holders behaving in a friendly manner it is their guest or the one game “wonders” that cause most of the problems.
The country's richest, most powerful sports league has its work cut out for it as it communicates the get-tough rules to fans and prepares some of its teams to implement the policy. The NFL and its clubs need to launch public awareness campaigns to educate season-tickets holders and their guests.
I commend the league for taking a stance to protect the right of paid spectators. The hard part will be implementing it. You would think that sports would be a great time had by all. I could see them including it in fan guides and season-ticket contracts. As for the process of deciding who's intoxicated and who's not ... good luck. Field sobriety tests in the seats might work.
As the season is underway, NFL fans might notice more security patrolling parking lots. While tailgating is a treasured part of the fan experience, it can also lead to trouble inside the stadium. Ninety percent of the stadium behavior that's too over the top is probably occurring because people had too much to drink in the parking lot.
It is about time someone has decided to tackle unruly behavior at sporting events. If not, we will just all become a bunch of Hooligan Soccer fans from England. That is a story for another day.
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