NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The NFL has a problem on their hands. Every week, there are at least 2-3 videos of fans getting into physical altercations at stadiums going viral. Depending on who you ask and viewpoints, it’s either good or bad. The NFL is a business. Their job is to make money. And with 32 stadiums across the league, they do that hand over fist. But should there be an exception?
With so many fights, fans are wondering how could this be stopped. The main culprit people are pointing the finger at is alcohol. The average cost of a beer at an NFL game is $10. The average seating capacity in a stadium is at least 60,000. Let’s go with a safe low number and say that 20,000 of those fans at one stadium are over 21 and will purchase beer. With beer selling for $10 a pop, that’s $200K right there in just one stadium. And with at least 12 games going on every Sunday, that comes to $2.4M in beer sales off just one beer sold. And that’s going with a low number. Why would the NFL cut the sale of alcohol at the stadiums? There’s too much money involved.
How Can The NFL Stop Fans From Fighting
Here is my solution. It may make not sense and the NFL will need to find a way to make it work (not my job). My idea is to separate fans. Hear me out. When a fan buys a ticket, make them fill out what team they’re there to support. If the home team crowd outweighs the traveling team, make a barrier of some sort. And it also doesn’t help when fans are watching the opposing teams fight on the field before the game. If they stop the foolishness, hopefully, the fans will too.
I say this because most of the fighting is between fans of different teams who are sitting right next to one another. Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, sitting behind, next to, or in front of fans of the Dallas Cowboys. We all know that trash-talking goes on, but when alcohol is involved, that trash-talking could be escalated quickly. Separate them from the start. Place the Eagles fans on one side of the stadium and Cowboys fans on the other side. For those who do not drink, sit them together or with the barrier. Yeah, I know it’s a lot of work and people can lie, but what else is there to do?
At that age, one would think that people could control themselves. Fans are dying and getting seriously hurt and some have even died due to these fights. At the end of the day, it’s a game on the field but not a game in the stands. Something needs to be done and be done right now. The NFL has to take a stand. Either stop selling alcohol, pay attention to the people who tailgate and drink, and possibly restrict access to those you believe may have gone over a limit. But most importantly, find a way to separate the fans of opposing teams.
It’s a lot to ask and will take great planning and detail but something has to be done. Treat it like High School Football. Fans of the teams are mostly on opposite sides of the field. It might work and it might not but what does the NFL have to lose?
The NFL is a business but like a business, they must do what’s best for the customers. There is a way they can continue to sell alcohol while doing their best to make sure everyone stays safe. If they can find a way to protect QBs, they can find a way to protect fans from themselves.
Think about the excitement of having fans on opposite sides of the field will bring. Stadiums are entirely too big for this to completely work. But imagine having a mascot cheering on one side of the stadium then it goes to the other side. It’s an atmosphere that’s alive and well, especially in College Sports. Why can’t the NFL adopt that as well? As I stated earlier, it will take a lot of planning but it can be done.
