Fans Against Violence – FanShake PSA – Brought to You by TheMadFanatic

Posted on December 4, 2012 by FAV

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!!

Fans Against Violence and the Oakland Raiders Introduce the FAV FanShake Cam

Posted on September 25, 2012 by FAV

We are so thrilled to share with you the FAV FanShake Cam™ which was first Introduced at the Oakland Raiders home opener on Monday Night Football vs San Diego Chargers. In all the excitement, everyone forgot to record the unveiling! Thankfully we did not forget to record it at the Raiders/Steeler game so we could share it with you if you weren’t able to attend the game!

We are happy to announce the FanShake™ has been a huge success and has received a tremendous response by the fans!

We look forward to spotting you soon on the FanShake Cam™ so be sure to stand up, shake the hand of a visiting fan and get your FanShake™ on!!

How Assumptions Lead to Fan Violence

Posted on May 7, 2012 by John Doublin

We see and hear about it at nearly every sporting event around the world: Two or more fans get into a shouting match about their favorite teams. “My team is better than yours. Your team sucks. You guys are going down!”

If it remained simply a war of words, that would be fine. In fact, that’s the whole point of fandom; supporting your team regardless of how bad they are, or what’s happening on the field.

Unfortunately, it almost never ends with verbal exchanges. Invariably, a fight breaks out and someone gets hurt.

What are the reasons behind this? Why does “trash talk” almost always end in hurt feelings and emergency room visits? The answer is multi-faceted.

Perhaps the biggest contributor to these incidences is passion. Passion for the game, passion for the team and a passion for being able to call your team a “winner.” Passion is great, but only if it’s restrained and directed in a positive manner.

The next time you hear a fan of the opposing team spouting off about this or that, just remember…that person is just as passionate as you are and they are simply looking to cheer their team on…just like you.

Don’t take offense, even if what they’re saying is offensive and rude. Keep in mind that if you react to their venom, you become no better than them. “The fight avoided is the fight best fought.”

Be the “bigger,” more mature person in these cases.

Another factor that often leads to fan vs fan violence is assumptions. Assumptions about a particular fan base, an assumption about a person’s intentions and assumptions that your words aren’t as inflammatory as you think.

Often times, appearances can lead people to make assumptions about the character of a given person. These assumptions can cloud judgement and cause a person to act in a way that is outside their normal personality.

On Halloween, when a six-year-old boy knocks on your door wearing a hockey mask and carrying a pretend ax, do you automatically assume that he is a serial killer that has been raised from the dead? Of course not.

For some reason however, when fans of opposing teams go to, let’s say, an Oakland Raiders game, they tend to assume that the people with the spiked shoulder pads and face paint are automatically thugs that don’t deserve the common courtesy of respect.

That is narrow minded and unfair. The fact is that some of these “Super-fans” are pillars of the community. Their game-day personas are simply that—personas. Wayne Mabry is not actually a “Violator.” He’s a regular person with a job and responsibilities just like you.

Mr. Mabry is not only a “normal” person, he’s a passionate philanthropist, having raised a ton of money for local and national children’s charities. I have been given the honor of interviewing Mr. Mabry and the transcripts from that interview will be available at Raider Nation Times soon.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

The most obvious reason for these confrontations between fans is the one thing professional sports leagues absolutely refuse to remedy: The sale of alcohol at games.

The fact is, there is just too much money to be made from alcohol for the teams or leagues to remove it. It’s sad, but it’s true. Everyone knows that professional sports is a business and the leagues and the team owners are in it to make money…and alcohol is extremely profitable.

It is a proven fact that alcohol lowers inhibitions and causes people to over-react to volatile situations. It has also been shown to amplify emotions. Think about that for a second. Your ability to control your actions and your emotions are skewed and your team is losing. Nothing good can come from that.

This alteration of the frontal lobe of the brain results in bad judgement and stupid decisions; decisions that send people to jail and the hospital. It’s not rocket science.

What can fans do to prevent this? That’s simple…DON’T DRINK AT GAMES! You can wait until you get home. We’ve all heard the expression, “I don’t need alcohol to have a good time.” So, why do we need it to enjoy a sporting event? We don’t.

Please, “drink responsibly”…or not at all. You’ll be doing us all a favor.

Take a look at this video and ask yourself these questions:

Is this how I’d want my children to act? Are the people chanting “let them fight” really the kind of people that represent my feelings about this game? Do I want my children subjected to this behavior? Is this scene enhancing or detracting from my game-day experience?

Ultimately, there is only one group of people that can prevent fan vs fan violence; the fans themselves. Report potential problems to security, (there are text codes to reach security posted at most every stadium). Don’t drink to excess. Don’t make assumptions about other fans. Be passionate, but be mature and think of the message you’re sending your children.

If fans don’t police themselves, the leagues will do it for them. We, as fans, have to step up and do the right things. If we don’t, the teams and the leagues will do it for us…and that will suck the fun out of everything for us. The rules for attending games will be overly restrictive and ruin our experience. “…the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, ax and saw.”

Please, don’t let one or two bad apples ruin the bunch for the rest of us.

Follow John Doublin on Twitter: @CoachJayDee and find more of his work at www.RaiderNationTimes.com

One Year Later: A Raider Fan Recounts the Events of Her Brutal Attack

Posted on November 12, 2011 by SusanManuel

I didn’t go to the Chargers vs. Raider game this year in San Diego. The pain is still there. I knew it would bring up a flood of emotions and I am not sure, even a year later that I am ready for it. Even writing this now, is a struggle. But I want people to be aware.

I went last year with a friend who used to play for the Chargers. He was involved in alumni and special appearance functions. I was busy picking up some tickets for some of his crew and trying to get to the stadium to deliver them.

It was December 5th, and the traffic into the stadium was horrid. I was just sitting on the freeway, stuck, with the guys calling wanting to know where their tickets were. Finally I decided to get off at the next exit park and walk in. I knew it would be faster than trying to park inside.

I followed a few other vehicle with the same idea and we parked in an empty office parking lot. I paid attention to my surroundings, making sure I could find my way back to the truck after the game. I got the tickets to the guys at the gate, got to my seat, and enjoyed the game. It was a wonderful win. The Charger fans were cordial, and I was careful not to get too out of hand with my celebrating or comments.

Everyone filed quickly from the stadium, but I was so proud of our team, I had to stand over the tunnel and make sure the last Raider player, coach and staff had left the field, and had been appropriately “hurrah’d.”

Cell phone reception was iffy inside the stadium, but after the game, my friend was able to get through to me and let me know his friends would take him back to the hotel where I was staying.

I headed out to where I had parked his truck, walking with other people from the game–a mix of both Raider and Charger fans. And I felt nothing threatening.

I was only a block or two from getting back to my friend’s truck and all the people I was walking with at that point headed in different directions. I turned down the when two guys in hoodies stepped out of a brushy area where the sidewalk narrowed. I was careful to move to the far right side and noticed that they just had generic clothing on. They weren’t Charger fans. And they weren’t Raider fans.

Just as we were closely passing on the sidewalk the first blow came. Directly to my eye and blow after blow from the both of them continued to pummel my face and head. They pounded me.

Susan Manuel after being Brutally attacked

Susan Manuel 3 days after being brutally attacked

I could hear men run up and chase them, and what felt like a large woman grabbed me and comforted me.

It was at that point I realized my vision was gone. I could not see and at best any vision I could get was a blurred, triple vision.

They took my trademark fedora, they took a bracelet I was wearing, and they took my “2010 Season Ticket Holder” mini Raider backpack.

The backpack contained chap stick, gloves, an old digital camera, and sunglasses.Luckily my cell phone was zipped in my left Raider jacket pocket, and the keys to the truck were zipped in the right pocket. My cash and ID were zipped in a small secluded pocket.

They never said anything to me. Never asked for money. Never called me names. But it was clear, they meant to take my vision in the first blow.

The police asked me what they had on their hand when they hit me. I never saw the punch coming as they were too close and passing me at the same time.

The doctors asked the same thing. What weapon did they have? The damage to my eye was deep and extensive. I was sent to XRay, as they were sure my orbital and facial bones were fractured. I also had a concussion. Because they were not able to knock me down, the damage was contained to my head and face.

I was out of work for a month until I was able to regain some of my vision. There were of course repeated doctor visits to various specialists. But what was worse was hearing from other people…

Why didn’t you fall down and play dead? (Uh, because they would have kicked my ribs in and killed me). Why didn’t you have pepper spray? (Uh, because even if I had it–there would have not been enough time to get it out and use it). And yes, even one “helpful” person said you should have been carrying a gun. (And you really think I would have gotten into the game packing a gun, and again, there would have been not time to get it out and use it). And, then there was a person who said God must have been mad at me to allow this to happen to me.

A year later, I still have vision problems when I look up, down or to the side. it has taken time for me not to panic when I am alone, or when I am in a crowd.

And what did I learn?

-On game days, stay buddied up–no matter what.
-Do not carry anything of value in a bag or purse.
-Keep anything of value on your body. -Park in a controlled stadium parking lot.
-Even go to the bathroom or to concession stands in pairs. -Be constantly aware of appearances. (I was more focused on what the assailants were wearing than what their face looked like).
-Realize it doesn’t have to be a fan of the opposing team who assaults you. It can be anyone.
(The police determined they guys were not affiliated with either team, and were probably not even at the game).

Stabbing Outside Charger-Raider Game: Fan Rivalry Taken to the Extreme

Posted on November 12, 2011 by RaiderKat

Wednesday morning, after taking my daughter to school, I came home, made coffee and signed onto Facebook to see what was going on with all of my friends and family. A number of my friends were preparing to make the trek from the Bay Area to San Diego for the Chargers-Raiders game. You could feel the excitement everywhere! The San Diego Chargers-Oakland Raiders game is typically one of the most exciting games of the season, but for a brief moment, I felt concern for my friends rather than excitement.

Very shortly after the formation of Fans Against Violence I was shocked to learn that one of my friends, Susan had been brutally attacked following the Chargers-Raiders game in San Diego last year leaving her with severe injuries including losing her vision for a month. Naturally, knowing my friends were attending this years game left me worried. I messaged my friends and asked them all to please stay safe, make sure they stayed, at the very least, paired up and not to wander anywhere alone.

This morning I woke up to the news of a 25yo man having been stabbed in the parking lot following the game. Although the identity of this man and has not been released, most of the reports I have read insinuated it was again a “Raider Fan” issue. My first thought upon hearing the news was “not again!”. My second thought was that of anger towards the media for again, in their subtle way, pointing the finger at the Raider fans. I decided I should take a breath and investigate a little further.

What I found out came as a huge surprise to me. I called a few of my friends and spoke with some fans that were actually at the game to find out what their experience was like. Everyone I spoke with said basically the same thing. They had a great time and had no problems, all of the Charger fans they encountered were welcoming and friendly, aside from the friendly bantering that always goes on between fan bases. Patty Mejia, who is an Oakland Raider fan, attended the game with her friend who happens to be a Charger fan had this to say:

I actually went with a Charger fan, and we were at the Black Sunday tailgate party with my cousin. He had a Raider Hater shirt on, they threw a “Black Sunday” sticker on his back and then fed him bbq and gave him a beer. He was in sea of black and not one person said anything to him, at least not on a serious note. We all had a great time. I was proud of everyone.

So what exactly came as such a surprise to me? I’d like to think, when it comes to acts of violence, I remain pretty unbiased. What I realized was, after hearing about Susan’s attack, I was putting that on the entire Chargers fan base. How different was this than what the media has consistently done with Raider Fans? Answer: It is no different.

Coming to this realization made me wonder should the media take responsibility when vilifying an entire fan base? Does this type of reporting contribute to the possibility of volatile situations between fan bases? If you go into a situation being told you should be in fear for your safety, does it make you more careful, put you more on edge? I can only answer for myself when I say yes to all the above. This type of stereotyping and finger pointing by the media seems to do no more than fuel the fire. What ever happened to responsible, non-biased reporting?

The truth of it is, Susan’s attack, the shootings at the 49er-Raider game, the Bryan Stow attack, the stabbing at the Chargers game and most incidents of Fan Violence at sporting events are isolated incidents, not the “norm”. Most sports fans are not there “looking for trouble”. Most are there to enjoy the game, support their team and have fun with friends and family.

As far as the stabbing goes, was this stabbing “seemingly unrelated to the sports rivalry” as the interviewing officer reported? I really cannot say. Who was at fault? Not something any of us can really answer. We can all speculate but the only thing I can say for sure is that it is unacceptable and inexcusable. No sport, No rivalry, No argument is worth taking to the level where someones life is in danger..EVER!

To read more about Susan and here incredible story please view her recent post here One Year Later: A Raider Fan Recounts the Events of Her Brutal Attack.