CA Assembly Committee Passes the Amended “Improving Personal Safety at Stadiums Act”

Posted on April 25, 2012 by KSamoun

Great news for California sports fans! Today, an amended version of the bill known as the “Improving Personal Safety at Stadiums Act,” was sent before the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media and passed by a unanimous vote.

On April 17, 2012 the bill, which would have created a “Ban list” of persons convicted of violent crimes at sporting events statewide, A “Stadium Violence Reward Fund”, and require all professional sports venues post, in visible areas, the venues security telephone and text messaging numbers, failed to pass the Public Safety Committee.

Some of the Assembly Committees major concerns were the criminal enhancements, the constitutionality of the bill, fear might incite further violence due to release of public information, and budgets concerns with implementing the “Stadium Violence Reward Fund” program through the Department of Justice.

After the bill failed to pass the Assembly Public Safety Committee last week, Assemblyman Mike Gatto and his staff were not about to give up. They amended the bill removing the “Ban List” and “Stadium Violence Reward Fund” altogether. What remains is the portion of the bill that contained the “Safety Notification Provision”.

After passing the Public Safety Committee yesterday, the amended bill was set before the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media today and passed unanimously.

Although the bill was significantly amended, this is a big step towards improving fan safety at sporting events. The Bill will require all professional sporting venues to provide visible game day security text codes and hotlines for its fans. The Bill still has a process to go through before even getting to the Governor to be signed into law, but it looks very promising.

Fans Against Violence, a San Francisco based organization dedicated to improving the game day experience for fans in all sports, compiled a centralized list of the current security text codes and hotlines for the NFL, MLB and MLS and are currently in the process of putting together lists for the NBA and NHL. We encourage all sports fans to do what they can to support this bill.

There is still a long process for this bill reaches the Governor’s desk to be signed. We encourage all sports fans to do what they can to support this bill.

Fantastic Article on Fan Violence by NYC Attorney Nicholas R. Hector

Posted on April 23, 2012 by KSamoun

Great article on Fan Violence by Nicholas R. Hector. Nicholas is a NYC Corporate/Entertainment Attorney and entrepreneur with a love for and an extensive knowledge of sports law, sports media, and the unique relationship between public relations/image cultivation and the professional athlete.

This article was originally published on ThirdandFour, a sports blog co-founded by Nicholas Hector and Andrew H Fine. Nicholas has graciously allowed us to repost his article and given his support to FAV Please take a minute to visit their site.

Where the Regulation of Violence in Sports Will Inevitably Extend:The Stands & Outside the Stadium/Arena

The professional and college sports industries have without question reached milestones with respect to revenue generation over the past decade. Both the National Football League and the National Basketball Association experienced pre-season lockouts and subsequent consuming negotiation sessions with their respective players’ unions concerning profit sharing. In 2010, the NCAA signed a monumental $10.8 billion contract with CBS Corporation and Time Warner Inc.’s Turner Broadcasting for the media rights to its beloved Men’s Division I College Basketball Tournament, known by most as March Madness.

The University of Kentucky fans "celebrate" the Wildcats' Final Four win over Louisville to gain a spot in the National Title game.

It goes without saying that fans are the impetus behind such revenue growth. Whether a country and its citizens are facing a recession—even bankruptcy—or marvelous economic times, avid followers and fans of professional and college sports teams will pay hard-earned money for the pleasure drawn from watching talented athletes perform for up to three hours on the field, court or ice. Fans will do so by attending such events, watching them at bars/restaurants, or through the purchase of oversized, flat-screen televisions for home. David Levy, the President of Turner Sports, acknowledged in signing the March Madness media contract with the NCAA that “the tournament’s popularity and success [had outgrown] the ability for one network to provide all the coverage fans are looking for.” Similarly, CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus recognized, “the opportunity for viewers to watch whatever game they want to on up to four different networks has to result in more eyeballs, more gross rating points and more exposure for the tournament, thereby creating much more value for the advertisers.”

I think it’s awesome that fans of professional and college sports teams continue to use this source of entertainment as an escape from the struggles facing the lives of individuals on a daily basis in many countries around the globe, including financial turmoil, disease, death and general unhappiness. However, over the same decade that the sports industry has experienced rapid revenue growth and increased popularity, the fan experience at and following sporting events has become more violent, tragic and unpleasant. A problem clearly exists that neither the professional leagues, the NCAA Directors nor the athletes have sufficiently addressed, or are even equipped to address.

Indeed, the European professional soccer leagues have essentially condoned fan violence since their creation. The Philadelphia Eagles’ late Veterans Stadium maintained holding cells to accommodate unruly fans. These facts represent proof that the sports industry has accepted violence as part of the overall fan experience for quite some time. For instance, in 2004, Lakers forward Ron Artest—or as legal documents now refer to him, Metta World Peace—climbed into the stands as an Indiana Pacer at The Palace of Auburn hills to exchange punches with a few rambunctious fans. In 2010, I attended a New York Jets game in New York as an Atlanta Falcons fan and was threatened by four Jets fans following the Falcons’ last minute defeat of the Jets. Fortunately, violence never ensued, though not as a result of action taken by stadium security. In 2011, a San Francisco Giants fan experienced the wrath of Dodger Stadium when several Dodger fans beat him almost to the point of death. And just a few weeks ago, University of Kentucky basketball fans nearly burned down and destroyed Lexington, KY, following the Wildcats’ Final Four win over state rival Louisville to gain a spot in the National Title game.

However, what has either been condoned or overlooked by these leagues and the NCAA will inevitably draw a divide between fans, compelling those who are visiting the home stadium or establishment (e.g., sports bar) of an opposing team to discontinue their participation. This decreased fan participation and interest will inevitably compel revenue to decline for the professional sports leagues, the NCAA, media outlets and corporate partners and sponsors. Should violence and unpleasant behavior by fans persist at or following sporting events, how could it not have a domino impact on the sports industry?

So, where should we as fans and professionals in the industry place blame and seek assistance in preventing this evolving problem? First and foremost, responsibility should be placed on the individuals who are involved in such inappropriate behavior. Fans have progressively turned their allegiance to sports teams into something personal. However, sustaining a loss through a favorite team is not analogous to losing a love one. Fans must realize that their personal lives will continue unscathed, so long as they categorize sporting events as entertainment and nothing more. This point allows me to transition to my second and final position. The professional sports leagues, the NCAA, the athletes, the media outlets and the corporate partners and sponsors must take on the responsibility of reminding fans of this fact. Indeed, most professional sporting venues stop serving alcohol at a certain point during team play. College venues refuse to serve alcohol altogether. Great, by taking alcohol out of the picture, these entities and individuals have indirectly implied to the fans that they should behave responsibly. However, I’m asking—maybe even pleading to—these same entities and individuals to make a direct and blatant statement to the fans: “Stop the violence and inappropriate behavior!” The NFL has already done so much to prevent violence on the field in an effort to protect its brand and revenue stream. Take the next step and prevent it from occurring in the stands and outside the stadium.

Hey guys, it’s your money, not mine, that’s being placed on the line.

A Proposed California Bill Banning Violent Fans from Sporting Events, Fails to Pass

Posted on April 18, 2012 by KSamoun

The Bill, known as the “Improving Personal Safety at Stadiums Act,” failed to pass the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, April 17. The main provision of the bill would create a statewide “Ban List” of fans convicted of violent offenses at California professional sports arenas.

Among Assembly Committees concern’s on the proposed bill were the criminal enhancements (additional time to serve), the constitutionality of the bill, fear of further violence from releasing personal information of convicted fans to the public, and budgets concerns arising from creating a new program within the Department of Justice.

While this is definitely a setback, the bill is not dead. According Assemblyman Mike Gattos’ staff, they will be working this week with the Assembly Committee staff and Chair to amend the bill. They have hopes of resubmitting the bill for consideration next Tuesday April 24th.

Although, the bills main provision is the proposed “Ban List”, it also comes with some other very interesting provisions. The bill would require all professional venues post, in visible areas, the venues security telephone and text messaging numbers. It would also require a verbal announcement of the signage locations:

Once per quarter for a football game.
Four times per game for a baseball game.
Once per period for a hockey game.
At least three times for any other professional sporting event.

Another provision to the bill is the “Stadium Violence Reward Fund.” This provision would require each professional team to contribute $10,000 annually (until $180,000 is acquired) into a fund administered by the Department of Justice. The purpose of fund is to provide a reward to the general public who assist in the apprehension of persons committing violent acts at professional venues.

With the growing number of violent acts at sporting events nationwide, we believe this bill is a step in the right direction.

Click Here to view the entire Bill
Click Here to view the Assembly Committee Analyses