Yahoos at BC Place Stadium

[B.C.FAN]

Whether or not people agree with it, I guarantee that the net result of this ugly night will be the severe curtailment of free ticket giveaways for the exhibition game. It's the right call.

I think it's pretty easy to put two and two together here. Do you think any of these fools were season ticket holders, or had paid for their tickets in any way? No and no. This is what happens when freebies are flowing all over town, and no one values the tickets. Lesson learned -- large volumes of freebies simply end up in the hands of people who not only aren't potential customers, but who alienate the very people who are current customers. In '08, the Lions are just going to have to be like everyone else, and endure a small crowd of die hard season ticket holders for their exhibition game.

I still don't buy that. Lots of sports teams give away freebies. Of all the Grizzlies games I went to, I think I paid only once. I didn't see fights breaking out in the house. The people in this incident say they witnessed a a fight beside them in the premium seats. Those likely weren't freebies. Some people don't need free tickets to be jerks. That's just the way they are.

[Solar Max]

Well B.C. FAN, that leaves us without a solution, unless PavCo hires a LOT more security people, which isn't going to happen.

One thing though: of all the NASCAR Nextel Cup races we've been to, with crowds between 160,000 and 200,000, I have never seen a single fight.

Race Weekend costs around $600. The Sunday event at least $200. That usually separates the ones who want to cause trouble from those that want to see some racing.

[B.C.FAN]

Security was lacking at the last game. Usually security people line the field and are quick to respond when someone jumps on to the field. In the preseason game, there was one security guard on the visitor's side of the field and she was oblivious to the fan attacking the onfield official until she was dragged over there.

I saw very few security people throughout Level 2. The visible presence of security people doesn't necessarily deter troublemakers, but it helps break up trouble before it gets too far out of hand.

[Balraj]

They only increase security levels when they know in advance that a big crowd is expected such as the playoffs or even the grey cup. Many of those security guards who do work there mostly tend to work in other places so for them to be called in they haven't to know that a certain number of people will be there.

[Lionut]

Let's be honest -- football games tend to attract young buttheads far more than do basketball games. Yes, there were lots of freebies floating around for the Grizzlies, but it's a different crowd, different demographic. The fact that security wasn't at its regular staffing levels also contributed to the problem, by the sounds of it.

Putting aside the question of whether or not it contributed to the security problem, giving away free tickets by the bucketful also doesn't help the club from a marketing perspective. Every sports marketing expert going will tell you that "papering the house", i.e. filling the stands by giving away freebies, is a bad strategy. You not only devalue your product, but you start conditioning people to expect it for free. Sports teams just can't seem to help themselves, though, as they return to this failed strategy again and again as a face-saving measure for sure fire losers like exhibition games.

[Shi Zi Mi]

This isn't an anomaly and it seems to me that this discussion occurs after the pre-season game, every year.

So, with all the freebies, you would think that SOMEONE in the Lion office would have thought of possibly ENSURING that an extra helping of security would be in place for the game.

[Lions4ever]

Interesting results from a recent study out of the U of Waterloo.

When we hear of these despicable yahoo attacks we automatically chalk up their cowardly, sociopathic, behaviour to bravado via alcohol. Somehow, alcohol is a part participant in the attack.

According to the study, alcohol is far less to blame than the individual. The "Alcohol Problems and Solutions" website says:

Because alcohol doesn't cause bad behavior it isn't a legitimate excuse for such behavior.

In short, bad behavior isn't the fault of the alcohol but of the person.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Contro ... 96839.html

[Soundy]

I don't think you'll get any disagreement there... the problem is, the alcohol helps lower inhibitions and affects judgement, so where the sober idiot might have enough self control to think, "Hmm, I really want to jump on the field and tackling a line judge, but that would be a bad idea" and stay in his seat, the alcohol takes away that reasoning and instills a "Hahah, WTF, this is gonna be fun! Damn the torpedoes!" mentality.

[LFITQ]

That is a very interesting article L4E. nice find.

I wonder if it has been used in court to the favour of the prosecution against someone using the intoxicated excuse?

[TheLionKing]

The saying "A drunk says what a sober man thinks" applies here.

[David]

What they're also finding in FAS babies - and God alone knows how many we have in this region - is that they're growing up with a serious impairment in judgement. In other words, they may be congnitively aware that their actions are deviant, anti-social, sociopathic etc., but they lack the ability to inhibit these tendencies in the heat of the moment.

Take for example joy riding. They may know that stealing a car and leading police on a high speed chase is wrong, yet they also need the exhilaration. Therefore all rational judgement or 'cause-effect' indicators that you and I might possess are totally absent.

As for security at BC Place? Yet another reason the Lions need their own facility - so they can hire, trian, and deploy as many qualified security personnel as needed!

DH 8)

[notahomer]

Short piece in todays Sun, apparently Ackles played phoned in calls to the post game show (about yahoo-type behaviour) at a BC Place staff meeting. Douglas makes an intresting point that I don't agree with. Apparently the Lions bottom line is not affected at all by whether beer is served at the ballpark Maybe not directly but...
I know lots of 'fans' in my section that miss out on lots of the opening action, near-halftime action simply because of beer lineups. I don't know how things would change if beer wasn't sold at football games anymore but I am not sold that the Lions bottom line would not be affected if this was the case. The Lions may not be getting any 'direct' funding because of beer but........ Anyway, check out Douglas's piece in todays Sun if you are intrested.

[Soundy]

Concession sales wouldn't go to the Lions books at all. They'd go into BC Place coffers... and BC Place ownership's coffers. Of course, if both team and stadium are owned by the same person/group/entity, then both concession and team money goes to THEIR bottom line. Doesn't necessarily mean any of that money goes back to the team.

[Soundy]

BTW, aforementioned article is here: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news ... f303be9cc6

[Rammer]

I don't think you'll get any disagreement there... the problem is, the alcohol helps lower inhibitions and affects judgement, so where the sober idiot might have enough self control to think, "Hmm, I really want to jump on the field and tackling a line judge, but that would be a bad idea" and stay in his seat, the alcohol takes away that reasoning and instills a "Hahah, WTF, this is gonna be fun! Damn the torpedoes!" mentality.

Exactly! In discussing similar issue with an ICBC executive recently, he mentioned that there are three things that get you into trouble, speed, alcohol, no seatbelt, and it is common for major accidents to always involve two of the three ICBC concerns. Same goes for these yahoos who don't have their "risk gene" kick in until about age 25 or so, then pour in the alcohol and you get the result that sporting events would rather avoid.

Funny how the local radio hosts are always looking to point a finger at the Lions yahoos actions and how it doesn't happen in the USA. Well to that I have to say a 21 year drinking limit helps considerably. IN BC Place they should invoke an age restriction to the sales of alcohol as well, perhaps that slows these incidents from happening in the future, but it won't eliminate them.