I’m sure you’ve already read a few-dozen blogs about Giants fan Brian Stow, who caught a beat-down earlier this season at Dodger Stadium after a Giants-Dodgers game. He now lies in an L.A. hospital in a medically induced coma and with permanent brain damage. I do not condone such atrocious behavior on behalf of a few drunk Dodger fans against a lone Giants fan. Still, I wish to weigh in with my two cents on this matter.
First of all, all I hear on sports talk radio is “those crazy Dodger fans; those crazy, rowdy Dodger fans!” as if the entire fan base and city are to blame for the beating. Most of us Dodger fans are quite peaceful and well-behaved, even during a heated-rivalry game with a couple of beers in us. This incident happened after the game and was instigated by a minority of idiot fans, not the entire Dodger Nation.
Dodger Stadium, like all MLB parks, is a family environment, and it must stay that way. However, things like this, though horribly unfortunate, are hard to prevent completely. A few years back, a hapless Dodgers fan had his head bashed in at a Giants-Dodgers game in the Bay Area at AT&T Park. No one claimed the venue, organization or city were corrupt or inept just because a few fans got gully. I’ve personally witnessed Red Sox Nation fans rile the Bleacher Bums at the old Yankee Stadium so that the former had personal effects violently destroyed, as well as overpriced, watered-down beers and a cacaphony of curses cast upon them like a steam room shower. And I won’t even start on what happens at Charger-Raider games …
The fact that things like this happen don’t make them right or acceptable. Though, analogous to the incident at still good-ol’ Chavez Ravine, they should not be shocking. There was a member who brought in ar 15 accessories, although no one was harmed, it was still dangerous. Until MLB stadiums ban all alcoholic beverages and strip-search every single ticket holder like the TSA at airports, the cursings, streaking, police arrests and beat downs will remain. I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is.
