An Ugly Finish

It was an exciting game, for both Jet and Patriot fans. It was a game which no one wanted to win, but no one wanted to lose either. It was filled with great plays by both teams, and bonehead plays, too. As I said to a Patriot fan friend of mine in the opening minutes of the game, it was going to be a game of "last man standing". And it actually was.

At the end of regulation, the score was tied, and overtime would take place where anything could happen, great play or fluke, to determine the final outcome. And it did.

But this commentary isn't about the game, because it is, after all, only a game. The outcome doesn't affect world peace, breakthroughs in technology, or scientific achievement. It doesn't fix the economy, save the whales, or find the cure for cancer. It doesn't solve climate change, or prejudice, or anything else which could benefit the lot of mankind.

No, this commentary is about the stupidity of what happened on one of the ramps exiting MetLife Stadium after the game. When viewing the security recording, you can't hear what might have been said, since the audio is covered by background noise. Apparently, words may have been exchanged between the male Jet fan and the female Patriot fan. Suddenly, after some pushing and shoving, the man swings at the woman, punches her with a closed fist into her head and knocks her back, stunning her. Fortunately, the man was restrained by other fans and the woman was caught before she fell to the concrete floor, preventing further damage.

I have provided the link for your review and reference:

http://ussignal.blogspot.in/2013/10/new-york-jets-fan-punches-woman-in-face.html?m=1

As a Jet and football fan, I can say this is no way to behave before, during or after any game, win or lose. The problem, most likely, was caused by alcohol, which the team has no control over how much beer or booze is consumed before the game by tailgaters, and yet, will sell as much beer as possible during the game until the beginning of the fourth quarter. Yeah, the team needs to sell the beer in order to increase revenues but at what ultimate cost to the team's reputation.

There are laws on the books concerning public drinking and public intoxication, yet sports arenas are exempted. Why? Because tax dollars are so important that society finds it necessary to bend the rules? Eventually, public intoxication causes the government more time and money than just about any other societal violation. So is selling beer really worth the expense? Not to this fan.

Perhaps, finally, the Jets, Mets, Patriots, Red Sox and all the other sports teams will find other ways to raise revenue than contributing to drunken behavior by its fans. And by the way, who would be responsible for a drunken fan if he got into his car and killed someone? If this had happened at a bar, or a private home, it would have been the bartender or homeowner's fault.

So, the lesson here is clear. It is time to reverse the practice of serving beer at sporting events. It is not necessary. Believe me, I have no problem sitting in my or my friends' living rooms and have three or four beers, or anything else I may wish to imbibe.

But for us to continue to condone alcohol consumption at the game, and then to appear shocked and dismayed that this behavior could happen, is not naïveté on our part; it's downright hubris.