Please don't police NFL fans
Ben Homrig
Issue date: 8/12/08 Section: Opinion
USA Today reported this week that the NFL has released its new "Fan Code of Conduct" whereby disruptive (and drunk) fans will have their season tickets revoked if they act in an unruly manner.
This decision marks the point where the NFL officially ceases to become a professional sports league and transforms into Disney World on FieldTurf. In Roger Goodell's snow globe of a football league, commercial success off the field has become more important than the product on the field.
Let me give you a run down of the specifics on the code, one through six:
1. "Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal in nature."
Does stabbing people count? It does? Great.
Well there goes the infamous Black Hole that the Oakland Raider nation calls home. I don't think the NFL and Oakland P.D. have enough personnel and tear gas to tell that crowd that they have to behave.
2. "Intoxication or other signs of alcohol impairment that results in irresponsible behavior."
If the NFL does this, fans will buy less beer, the product of an industry that generates the greatest ad revenues for the league. This seems a little backwards to me. Plus, beer and football go hand-in-hand for many people. Striking fear in the hearts of beer-drinking fans will dampen the time-honored tradition of tailgating. Plus, if you are a Chicago Bears fan in 2008-09, drinking alcohol in excess might be the only way to numb oneself against the results of the upcoming season. The same goes to our Cincinnati readership.
3. "Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures."
This one scares me a bit. If the NFL teamed up with the FCC to watch an Indianapolis Colts game with me and my crew, we'd make MTV's Janet Jackson Superbowl XXXVIII performance seem like an episode of Sesame Street. I would lose my season tickets after the blown coverage on Adam Vinatieri's first kickoff.
4. "Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field)."
This decision marks the point where the NFL officially ceases to become a professional sports league and transforms into Disney World on FieldTurf. In Roger Goodell's snow globe of a football league, commercial success off the field has become more important than the product on the field.
Let me give you a run down of the specifics on the code, one through six:
1. "Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal in nature."
Does stabbing people count? It does? Great.
Well there goes the infamous Black Hole that the Oakland Raider nation calls home. I don't think the NFL and Oakland P.D. have enough personnel and tear gas to tell that crowd that they have to behave.
2. "Intoxication or other signs of alcohol impairment that results in irresponsible behavior."
If the NFL does this, fans will buy less beer, the product of an industry that generates the greatest ad revenues for the league. This seems a little backwards to me. Plus, beer and football go hand-in-hand for many people. Striking fear in the hearts of beer-drinking fans will dampen the time-honored tradition of tailgating. Plus, if you are a Chicago Bears fan in 2008-09, drinking alcohol in excess might be the only way to numb oneself against the results of the upcoming season. The same goes to our Cincinnati readership.
3. "Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures."
This one scares me a bit. If the NFL teamed up with the FCC to watch an Indianapolis Colts game with me and my crew, we'd make MTV's Janet Jackson Superbowl XXXVIII performance seem like an episode of Sesame Street. I would lose my season tickets after the blown coverage on Adam Vinatieri's first kickoff.
4. "Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field)."
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