Football is a physical sport. We all know this. These God-like creatures, filled with competitiveness and adrenaline, greet one another on the gridiron in hopes of defeating one another. They play for their city, for the fans, for themselves. The physicality of the sport lasts four quarters, then that’s the end.
What about the off-the-field antics that are similarly taking place at football games, but not on that same gridiron? The fans these athletes play for turn on one another. And the hard hits take place in fan brawls, only at the end of this, there are no winners.
Sports are not to blame, I’m not here to tell you that. However, it’s become a common thing for violent brawls to take place in and around sporting events.
Bryan Stow
photo courtesy of SportingNews.com
San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow suffered brain damage when he was attacked by two Los Angeles Dodgers fans in 2011 on Opening Day as he was leaving Dodger Stadium. He now requires long-term care and 24-hour assistance for the rest of his life according to USA Today.
As recently as July, Stow won a lawsuit against the duo as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers and was awarded $18 million. Superior Court Judge George Lomlei lectured the two Dodgers’ fans saying “You are the biggest nightmare for people who attend public events.”
49ers/Colts Fan Brawl
Unfortunately this won’t be the first time you see the 49ers’ fans in this article. This one involved both San Francisco and Indianapolis. Long story short, a fan is shown attempting to “karate kick” a female.
Alabama Woman Fights Oklahoma Fan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-eJ4ly8-gA
I am sure alcohol was involved, but still that’s no excuse. This lady jumped and even did a crowd surf like a crazy teenage girl at a One Direction concert and began hitting the rival OU fan (and student by the way) at the Sugar Bowl back in January.
According to a blog, she was watching the game from the Oklahoma side of the field when she heard Sooner fans taunting her son and she walked over to the group to tell them to stop. When she walked away, she heard someone call her a name. Some advice that we all learned from the Animal Kingdom: don’t mess with a momma’s cub.
49ers/Cardinals
photo courtesy of CBS Sports
Like I said, the 49ers would be mentioned more than once in this article. During a 49ers-Cardinals game at University of Phoenix Stadium last month, a brawl broke out between members of the two teams’ fan base. The fight began in the seats then was moved to the concrete stairs. It’s still unclear who started the fight, however at one point the security guard (the ONLY security guard I might add) at the scene was being choked.
Photo courtesy of imgarcade.com