The locale: Oakland, Ca at the Oakland Colosseum watching an A’s game.
The date: Tuesday, August 4th 2009
The game: Texas Rangers vs. Oakland A’s
The players involved: The cops, the sober fans, the drunken fan (singular)
Perspectives:
The sober fans - So you decide to take the family to an A’s game. Baseball has long been an acceptable venue for a “family” outing, I mean, it is America’s Pastime after all!! You know what to expect when you go to a bar - rowdy intoxicated obnoxious people. Hence, not the ideal place for the kids and in-laws. Not to mention, when you take the family to any MLB game, your making a financial “investment” with hopes that the returns are a great day of fun, good baseball, and lots of memories. The average cost for a family of four to attend a major league game is ~$200 (Oakland A’s = $187.23) and in places like NY, a Yankees game will run you $410.88…that’s some serious cash to drop on a single 3-5 hour event!! The last thing you want is some drunken fans to turn your family experience into something that reminds you of Coyote Ugly at happy hour!!
The drunken fan: It’s a sporting event, NOT Disneyland!! Sports are what they are because people (for whatever reason) take pride in their favorite teams , they are passionate and have a sense of ownership, and when you get 15,000 of them together you create an energy that just can’t be matched anywhere else. As long as there has been sporting events, there has been alcohol, and as long as there has been alcohol there has been drunks. Point being, getting drunk at a sporting event is nothing new. In fact, like a bar, it is the one place where a group of passionate people can come together, let their guard down, and rally behind their favorite sports team. People who choose to take their families should, at the very least, be aware that potential “hecklers” might be sitting nearby. As long as the person is not physically assaulting anyone or causing damage shouldn’t they be allowed to display their excitement however they choose? And we can’t forget to mention here as well that it is quite expensive to see one of these sporting events - yup, drunks have to pay too!!!!
The cops: Over the past several months, police officers have taken quite a barrage of criticism, thanks largely in part to the media (that’s a whole other discussion). But regardless of who is, has, or will be at fault, the fact remains that cops are given instruments to use in order to protect themselves and the rest of us. To claim it is used excessively or without regard probably depends on who you ask…but take a look at this situation in particular. You have an older man, presumably in his 60’s, who is obviously drunk. But he’s not just a little old drunk guy, he is 6′2 and nearly 300lbs. After repeatedly refusing to leave, the man becomes combative. There are 2-3 officers on the scene and it’s pretty obvious that simple small talk is not going to do the trick. After attempting to forcefully remove him one of the officers tase him, bringing 6′2″ 300 sitting defiantly down to 2′1″ 300 flopping on the ground. Once it was apparent that this individual was not only going to be defiant, but also combative, the officer had every right to use whatever means necessary to subdue the individual. Why should they stand toe to toe (even 3:1) with anyone? This wasn’t a street fight? They shouldn’t have to be worried about being called punks for backing off and using a weapon - they put their lives on the line everyday, and everyday I am sure it is their intent on going home to see their families.
You be the judge:
