We are very proud to announce Fans Against Violence has been chosen to be the featured article in “Inside Tailgating“magazine. We’re so grateful for their interest in our cause, and for providing the attention needed to help put an end to fan violence. Kindly pick up your copy of the Winter 2013-2014 to read the whole story, and help spread our message to fans of all sports and teams!
Inside Tailgating Magazine is a great resource for everything tailgating! Be sure to visit their website and subscribe today!
Soccer matches worldwide are no stranger to fan violence. Some of the most extreme acts of violence have happened in countries like Brazil, Columbia and England to name a few. Most recently, a referee was killed, in the most gruesome of ways, by a mob of angry fans in Brazil after the referee stabbed a player with a knife!
Although here in the US we are very familiar with violence at sporting events nationwide, we do not often hear about violence in the world of US Soccer. Lately it seems the violence is escalating. Not long ago there was a referee at a youth soccer game was punched in the head by a player and later died from the injury and just last week pandemonium erupted as up to 400 rival soccer fans clashed during El Super Clasico pregame festivities in Las Vegas.
In this most recent incident, during the USA vs El Salvador match in the CONCACAF Gold Cup at M&T Stadium in Baltimore, there were reports of multiple fights both inside and outside the stadium.
According to World Soccer Talk’s Morgan Green, when he spoke with stadium security they said had tripled the amount of security for this event and it still was barely enough to handle all the fights that were going on.
What possesses fans to go to these extremes? OVER A GAME?
There is no definitive answer. Some say alcohol, some say the “mob mentality” takes over. What we do know is this behavior MUST stop. There is so much hate in the world already. Our sporting events should be a place where we can unwind and have fun, not a place where we fear for our safety and our lives.
Two years ago today the sports community was forever changed when San Francisco Giants’ fan, Bryan Stow, nearly paid the ultimate price for his team loyalty. Stow traveled the 300 miles to cheer for his beloved Giants at the home of their rival, and was beaten almost to death in the parking lot of a Los Angeles Dodgers’ home game leaving him with severe brain injury.
This incident brought the issue of fan violence to the forefront, prompting the creation of FansAgainstViolence.org. All of a sudden, fan violence was a topic of conversation on a national level. Major news outlets, such as CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC were all talking about the violence in the stands.
Bryan Stow and Family
Since that day, Mr. Stow has been slowly recovering from his injuries, though a full recovery is not likely, as his injuries were numerous and severe. Mr. Stow’s family has since started a website, which updates well-wishers and fans of his current condition, along with improvements and changes in his condition.
So, what does all of this mean? What should we take away from this tragic and senseless act of violence? Is there a “silver lining?” Those questions are difficult to answer.
One way to look at the result of this terrible incident is that the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and the NCAA have all taken steps to protect fans in the stands. There are emergency security text code numbers fans can use to report fights and disturbances, stadiums have increased security and, most importantly, most fans are no longer tolerant of people such as those men who attacked Mr. Stow. Decent people in stadiums all across the country, and the world, are reporting violence in the stands more readily. This incident also prompted California legislation, the Improving Personal Safety at Stadiums Act, authored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto(D-Los Angeles) which requires all professional sports venues in California to have a Security Text Code program in place. That, in and of itself, should be counted as a minor victory.
It’s sad that it took the near death of a fan to bring this problem to the forefront of conversation, but as Mr. Stow and his family attempt to heal and return to some sense of a normal life, they can take solace in the fact that, although it came in the wake of such a horrific event in their lives, the likelihood of this happening to someone else in the future is greatly diminished due to his story.
Fans Against Violence continues to support Mr. Stow and his family as they live through this tragedy. As always, we send our well-wishes and prayers to the Stow family. FAV will continue to do everything possible to prevent this from happening again.
To see ways you can help or get involved with FAV, please visit our Get Involved page.
If you would like to donate to Bryan Stows family directly, you can visit our Donate to Bryan Stow page.
We cannot change things on our own, but by raising awareness and offering suggestions to prevent this sort of thing, through the support of fans, teams and leagues, we will be able to make a difference in “Taking Back the Stands!”
We are so thrilled to release our first Public Service Announcement for our FanShake Program. The FanShake program and the FanShake Cam was built on the premise that the smallest of gestures can sometimes have the most impact. With the simple act of shaking an opposing fans hand and welcoming them to “your house” you can change the entire mood of your section.
The FanShake Cam first made its debut at the Oakland Raiders season opener versus the San Diego Chargers and was a huge hit! Our hope is that by encouraging fans to welcome each other through the FanShake, we can start to help reduce the number of incidents at sports venue nationwide.
So Next time you are at a game..make sure and do the FanShake!!
In September FAV held a raffle for tickets to the Oakland Raiders vs Denver Broncos game on December 6, 2012. The winner of the tickets, Michael Sottile of New York, graciously donated the tickets back to FAV and asked that we give the tickets to some kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend a Raider game.
We were thrilled at the prospect of giving a child such a wonderful opportunity. We immediately contacted the Oakland Raiders who also jumped on the opportunity to make this a very special day. Along with the tickets to the game, the Oakland Raiders donated Field passes for the kids.
We immediately contacted the Boys 2 Men Youth Outreach group and held a contest, asking each child to write a sentence on what we can do to end violence.
We were thrilled to be joined by Oakland Raiders Wide Receiver Derek Hagan in picking and announcing the three winners. We are also very grateful to have super fans Gorilla Rilla & the Pirate, as well as, Dont Even from the Hazmat Boyz for come down and show their support for FAV and make the day so special for some very well deserving children. It was a very memorable day for them and FAV.
Here are a few of the entries from the children of Boys to Men Youth Outreach BOYS 2 MEN YOUTH OUTREACH
Helping to decrease the violence in the Oakland community!
By…….
James (10): Having Confidence in yourself and self-control.
Solomon (10): Having Integrity, Discipline, and Honor, leading positive.
Jordan (10): By showing others Respect and having a positive outlook on life.
Arnell (5): By having Discipline – Training that teaches one to obey rules and to control ones behavior.
Allen (10): By showing love to everyone.
Flore (8) and Flora (8): Having pride in your- self.
George (5): To be good and respectful.
The winning entries:
Damariye (11): By following our 5 daily words: Discipline, Morals, Integrity, Self-Esteem, and Respect, alone with some Love and that will make all the fans safe and happy.
Julia (11): By having Morals – Principles of right and wrong.
Joseph (13): Leading by example, To be respectful of our self and others.
Sundays during football season tend to place media focus on the match-ups, the players, the injury reports, the spreads and the action on the field. So little is said about what takes place off of the field- particularly in the stands, in the parking lots and on stadium premises. Outside the Lines gives us a look at the dangers of fan violence, the impact it has on its victims and the need to create safer environments in which fans can enjoy the experience of a football game. The necessity of advocacy groups such as Fans Against Violence is also stressed, and Outside the Lines features Kathy Samoun at the opening Raiders game against the San Diego Chargers, promoting FAV’s cause on foot and encouraging fans of both teams to be welcoming and respectful towards one another. Also interviewed is Aaron Curry of the Oakland Raiders, who is a supporter of FAV and the fight against violence. Raising awareness and exposing people to the seriousness of this issue is a great step towards lessening the number of incidents and attacks reported each week, and we are glad ESPN is shining some light on it.
In case you missed yesterday’s airing of “Outside the Lines, ” here are some highlights from this week’s episode.
Aaron Curry sends out a message to Raider fans asking them to end the violence! Wanting join in the FanShake™ Fun, Aaron is asking fans to post their FanShake photos to the FAV Facebook page or tweet your photos to @FansAv @AaronCurry51 with the hashtag #FanShake. Five Lucky winners will win autographed pictures of Aaron Curry!
Sacramento, CA – Next time you find yourself at a football game, with a front row seat to a brawl in the stands between two rowdy fans, you’ll be able to more quickly and less conspicuously summon stadium security. Assembly Bill 2464, the Improving Personal Safety at Stadiums Act, authored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), was signed into law today by Governor Brown.
The Act will require major-league sports stadiums in California to clearly post the numbers fans can use to call or text-message stadium security, both inside and outside the venues. Most stadiums verbally announce the contact information for stadium security at the beginning of the game, but many fans don’t remember this number several innings later and in the midst of an emotionally charged altercation mere steps away. Now fans don’t have to memorize this number – it will be a mainstay at all professional sports stadiums and arenas in the state.
Posting these signs will enable incidents to be resolved more quickly, before a victim is seriously injured. In fact, several of the more high-profile beatings lasted over a span of several minutes, during which frantic fans dialed 911. In those instances, it is stadium security (from within the stadium) and not the police (coming from outside the stadium) who is best equipped to quickly respond and prevent an injury from becoming more serious.
The signs mandated by AB 2464 will also serve as a reminder to would-be perpetrators that they will be caught, hopefully adding an ounce of prevention to this modest cure. “It has become apparent that we need to act to keep the action at professional games on the field and out of the stands,” said Gatto, “AB 2464 is a simple, common-sense, and preventative solution.”
AB 2464 is one of three bills signed into law today authored by Assemblyman Gatto.
Mike Gatto represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and parts of Los Angeles, including Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Atwater Village. He is the Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. www.asm.ca.gov/gatto
chosen to be the featured article in “Inside Tailgating“magazine. We’re so grateful for their interest in our cause, and for providing the attention needed to help put an end to fan violence. Kindly pick up your copy of the Winter 2013-2014 to read the whole story, and help spread our message to fans of all sports and teams!
