LIMIT TAILGATING
By Scary Barry Rodriguez August 31,2011
San Francisco- As a member of the media and a season ticket holder the Scary one is very aware of game day conditions at Candlestick park. On August 20th a preseason game was held with the 49ers playing their cross bay rivals the Oakland Raiders. Unfortunately there were numerous fights in the stands, parking lot and shootings. This came as no surprise to anyone who has attended games involving the Oakland Raider fans.
Every year many season ticket holders opt out of the game against the Oakland Raiders because they know that many of their fans are thugs and for certain there will be problems. I have witnessed these problems firsthand myself. A couple of years ago I was waiting to enter the stadium when a large group of Raider fans cut right in line and the Stadium security was at such a reduced level that nothing was done to prevent this. I wrote a letter to the head of stadium operations for the San Francisco 49ers and he personally called me and gave me the excuse that the baseball playoffs had contributed to the situation.
Yet every year this has been the case when the Oakland Raiders come to town. I have covered both the Niners and the Raiders as part of the media. In Oakland , the police are outside in the parking lot and the Alameda county sheriffs inside in the stadium. There is less of a problem in Oakland. Why is this ? Why wasn't the 49er organization prepared to handle what happens every year when the Oakland Raiders come to town ?
These questions haven't really been answered. The trouble at the August 20th game generated national media attention and brought heat down on the San Francisco 49er organization. I am not privy to the input of NFL Security chief Jeff Miller when he talked with the team CEO and owner Jed York aka " The young genius ". The response by the team to the situation was over the top ! To do away with tailgating during and after the game is to just eliminate what has been a tradition with thousands of longtime 49er fans ! Add to this having a " Sobriety " checkpoint outside the stadium gates. What a winner ! It takes an hour just to leave after the game and now add at least another thirty minutes to that because the checkpoints will slow down the traffic flow even more. So why couldn't the team allow tailgating for at least two hours after the game ?
There are so many measures outside of eliminating tailgating that would prevent the level of violence that occurred at that August 20th game. Every car entering stadium parking lot gates is checked so why can't game tickets be scanned at this time ? Set up designated tailgating areas with pregame reservations that include the number of parties involved and game ticket requirements. That would make the job of the police easier . Inside the stadium there is just not enough security for the amount of fans involved in my opinion.
Just eliminating the Oakland Raider game took care of most of the problems. For many season ticket holders the restrictions on tailgating was the last straw ! The product on the field the last five years has been terrible, the stadium sucks and the Yorks just don't get it ! Running a football team is not the same as owning shopping malls or operating race tracks. Young Jed York talking on the tube about sitting in stands with his family at the last game makes me sick ! Everyone in the NFL and most of the fans know that the 49er organization is amateur hour material ! The management should have been more circumspect about the situation before taking drastic action. The " Fan " experience has just left the building !
Courtesy of Scary Merlin Productions. BarryRodriguez (c) 2011. All Rights Reserved.
By Scary Barry Rodriguez August 31,2011
San Francisco- As a member of the media and a season ticket holder the Scary one is very aware of game day conditions at Candlestick park. On August 20th a preseason game was held with the 49ers playing their cross bay rivals the Oakland Raiders. Unfortunately there were numerous fights in the stands, parking lot and shootings. This came as no surprise to anyone who has attended games involving the Oakland Raider fans.
Every year many season ticket holders opt out of the game against the Oakland Raiders because they know that many of their fans are thugs and for certain there will be problems. I have witnessed these problems firsthand myself. A couple of years ago I was waiting to enter the stadium when a large group of Raider fans cut right in line and the Stadium security was at such a reduced level that nothing was done to prevent this. I wrote a letter to the head of stadium operations for the San Francisco 49ers and he personally called me and gave me the excuse that the baseball playoffs had contributed to the situation.
Yet every year this has been the case when the Oakland Raiders come to town. I have covered both the Niners and the Raiders as part of the media. In Oakland , the police are outside in the parking lot and the Alameda county sheriffs inside in the stadium. There is less of a problem in Oakland. Why is this ? Why wasn't the 49er organization prepared to handle what happens every year when the Oakland Raiders come to town ?
These questions haven't really been answered. The trouble at the August 20th game generated national media attention and brought heat down on the San Francisco 49er organization. I am not privy to the input of NFL Security chief Jeff Miller when he talked with the team CEO and owner Jed York aka " The young genius ". The response by the team to the situation was over the top ! To do away with tailgating during and after the game is to just eliminate what has been a tradition with thousands of longtime 49er fans ! Add to this having a " Sobriety " checkpoint outside the stadium gates. What a winner ! It takes an hour just to leave after the game and now add at least another thirty minutes to that because the checkpoints will slow down the traffic flow even more. So why couldn't the team allow tailgating for at least two hours after the game ?
There are so many measures outside of eliminating tailgating that would prevent the level of violence that occurred at that August 20th game. Every car entering stadium parking lot gates is checked so why can't game tickets be scanned at this time ? Set up designated tailgating areas with pregame reservations that include the number of parties involved and game ticket requirements. That would make the job of the police easier . Inside the stadium there is just not enough security for the amount of fans involved in my opinion.
Just eliminating the Oakland Raider game took care of most of the problems. For many season ticket holders the restrictions on tailgating was the last straw ! The product on the field the last five years has been terrible, the stadium sucks and the Yorks just don't get it ! Running a football team is not the same as owning shopping malls or operating race tracks. Young Jed York talking on the tube about sitting in stands with his family at the last game makes me sick ! Everyone in the NFL and most of the fans know that the 49er organization is amateur hour material ! The management should have been more circumspect about the situation before taking drastic action. The " Fan " experience has just left the building !
Courtesy of Scary Merlin Productions. BarryRodriguez (c) 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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