Did anyone else see this in yesterday's paper?

[huskymedic]

Unfortunately there's no way to avoid this at college football games.

Actually there is but then folks here will be complaining about hard security and police state tailgating environment.

 

[Jarhead_1775]

There has to be more to this story. I cannot imagine that literally no one would help up a guy that just got sucker punched. Although I do somehow continue to be surprised daily at stupidity at work so I guess it's possible. Those kids would have had a bad time in short order if I ever see anything like that.

 

[UConn9604]

We also shouldn't pretend that the guys who punched the old man are regular fans. Every once in a while you come across people who show up at a tailgate and treat it like it's New Year's Eve (read: amateur hour).

Don't get me wrong -- our Blue Lot tailgates are hardly virginal, and we've gotten pretty sloshed at some games in the past. But the group we tailgate with, and almost every single tailgate around us, is full of people who are more likely to offer up steak tips or their last drop of ketchup to a stranger than take a swing at him.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Anyone else just a little bit skeptical about all the details from the person who wrote the letter to the editor? I'm willing to bet that blame absolutely rests with the vandals and the sucker puncher, but I also think its likely that this guy may have slightly escalated the situation by engaging with the first person a bit more than was warranted. I'm going to make a bit of a leap that this is partially true and take it as a lesson that if I see behavior that is unacceptable to me at a tailgate I'm going to get the nearest security personnel and alert them vs. engaging with the guilty parties myself. Truth is somewhere in the middle here.

 

[06029]

Anyone else just a little bit skeptical about all the details from the person who wrote the letter to the editor? I'm willing to bet that blame absolutely rests with the vandals and the sucker puncher, but I also think its likely that this guy may have slightly escalated the situation by engaging with the first person a bit more than was warranted. I'm going to make a bit of a leap that this is partially true and take it as a lesson that if I see behavior that is unacceptable to me at a tailgate I'm going to get the nearest security personnel and alert them vs. engaging with the guilty parties myself. Truth is somewhere in the middle here.

To get this straight, if the guy saw some sloshed guys chucking cans and bottles at cars in the handicap spot and gets after them, it is his fault that he escalated it by engaging them? Why would anyone make up a story about this? And if only 25% of this story is true, it is still a bad story. Is your belief that he should have not said or done anything?

There are so many things wrong with this situation that needs fixing. First is lot security. Cars have been vandalized and stuff stolen and they are not 1 time events. Second is people getting so spit faced drunk that they are violent. Probably an off shoot of security but this is a scene I have scene at the Rent far too often. Third, is this a pattern of behavior that is becoming acceptable? How many things like this are acceptable? Fourth, this is not typical at every college football game. Do people get spit faced drunk? Yes. Are people assaulted in parking lots? No way. Most schools I have been too (includes 4 B1G, 4 ACC, 2 SEC and 3 Pac12) have better and more attentive security that does not interfere with tailgating but that also make sure crap like this does not happen.

 

[husky10]

To get this straight, if the guy saw some sloshed guys chucking cans and bottles at cars in the handicap spot and gets after them, it is his fault that he escalated it by engaging them? Why would anyone make up a story about this? And if only 25% of this story is true, it is still a bad story. Is your belief that he should have not said or done anything?.

I don't think that was really his point. Correct me if I am wrong @OkaForPrez but he was just basically saying he was skeptical that there wasn't more to the story than was revealed in the letter. Human beings can absolutely exaggerate when they are really upset. He stated that he thought the behavior by the kids was absolutely unacceptable and wasn't making excuses for them though. He basically ended his post saying drunk people, can be unpredictable so if he runs into anything like that he would alert security rather than put himself into a position to get jumped by a group of kids.

 

[OkaForPrez]

I don't think that was really his point. Correct me if I am wrong @OkaForPrez but he was just basically saying he was skeptical that there wasn't more to the story than was revealed in the letter. Human beings can absolutely exaggerate when they are really upset. He stated that he thought the behavior by the kids was absolutely unacceptable and wasn't making excuses for them though. He basically ended his post saying drunk people, can be unpredictable so if he runs into anything like that he would alert security rather than put himself into a position to get jumped by a group of kids.

Exactly. Let's just hypothetically entertain that this was the case and take a lesson from it. Do not do nothing. Go to the nearest security personnel on site and alert them to the situation. On a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being deplorably wrong. I think the reality is probably the kids were at an 11, and the letter writer was at a 2-2.5. He might have turned around to tell the kid off for being a punk and posed just enough of a threat that the kids buddy felt justified and cold cocking him from the blind side. Could I be wrong in assuming this? Sure. This could be the absolute worst of humanity and a young man hit an old man with 0 justification, but I don't think that's the likeliest case here.

Be careful.

 

[jackl]

The kids probably blamed the man for running into them.

The Blue Lots are monitored. Cops and parking attendants are constantly around...I sometimes question their usefulness, but they are there.

On the other hand, the blue lots are by and large where the more seasoned tailgaters park. Maybe they would be better served on the other side of the stadium.

Maybe we've been spoiled by always having parking passes for the Blue lot. That is a Horrendous situation. I'm older than that and that sheet shouldn't happen anywhere. I just assumed that all the lots were the same just the distance you had to walk to the stadium was different.

 

[uconnell]

They should put security down there, sounds like it needs it.

 

[Devland]

I had a problem in the concourse area a few years back. At halftime I was walking through a crowded area and put my hand on a young mans back to get through the crowd. He turned and threw an elbow at me that missed. I stopped to confront him and he was ready to go at it. His friends grabbed him, pulled him away, and apologized to me and said he had too much to drink. I doubt they were students my guess is they were was late 20's early 30's. But I have a hard time judging ages of young people these days.

 

[RMS25CT]

They really should stop serving alcohol inside the stadium. Yeah, a lot gets consumed outside the stadium, but if no alcohol in the stadium then there is a 3-3.5 hour period of sobering Up. I'm not saying it would eliminate the issues but I bet it would lower the probability of crap like this happening.

 

[Husky25]

It would not come close to eliminating the issue because the alleged event didn't take place inside the stadium.

They will not stop serving inside (unless forced by law, which probably won't happen) because it is such a money maker.

 

[Marty Jackson]

you can't turn around without seeing some sort of police presence walking into the stadium.
I think they do a good job overall.

even without alcohol you'll always have some idiot ruin things for everyone else. with alcohol, you have many idiots. and you can't have police everywhere. people need to be accountable for their actions.

on a side note, if the attendance is around 20-30K for the game, what does that mean when you include tailgaters. how many people show up to tailgate without having ticket or any intention of going to the game?

 

[Rocktheworld]

We also shouldn't pretend that the guys who punched the old man are regular fans.

Was thinking this as well. It's always people not really affiliated/regular that come in, not giving a f-uck because they're probably not coming back often so they act extra bad.

The people who killed Spring Weekend, for those of you who were at UConn 08-12 like me who saw its ultimate demise, know that it's the people who don't go to UConn who cause all the real trouble.

 

[Milo65]

The state of the parking lot during and after the game is embarrassing! Cans, bottles, trash everywhere. Kids shooting funnels and playing beer pong. The security staff/police let it happen.

 

[Devland]

The state of the parking lot during and after the game is embarrassing! Cans, bottles, trash everywhere. Kids shooting funnels and playing beer pong. The security staff/police let it happen.

Even in the blue lot people leave their trash everywhere. I get disgusted walking though the lot after the game. Are they too lazy to walk to the end of the row and put their trash in the dumpster? pigs.

 

[RMS25CT]

It would not come close to eliminating the issue because the alleged event didn't take place inside the stadium.

They will not stop serving inside (unless forced by law, which probably won't happen) because it is such a money maker.

I agree 100% with your second comment.

However, You may have missed my point. If no alcohol in stadium a person can't continue to consume. If one can't consume inside one can't get drunker. In fact, one can't even maintain the level of drunkenness and likely sobers up even a little if they can't drink for 3 hrs. Then when they leave the game maybe they are less likely to be an a in the parking lot.

 

[uconnell]

I had a problem in the concourse area a few years back. At halftime I was walking through a crowded area and put my hand on a young mans back to get through the crowd. He turned and threw an elbow at me that missed. I stopped to confront him and he was ready to go at it. His friends grabbed him, pulled him away, and apologized to me and said he had too much to drink. I doubt they were students my guess is they were was late 20's early 30's. But I have a hard time judging ages of young people these days.

A few years ago there was a real problem with the drunks around the jumbotron being really drunk and really nasty. The last 2 years or so it has been pretty quiet there.