Whatever happened to sportsmanship? Anyone wearing an opposing team jersey at the Vet is tormented, doused with beer, even assaulted.
What happened to football as a family sport? The Vet has been taken over by drunken beerhounds who call themselves Eagles fans (really beer fans). They ruin the game for everyone else.
I have spoken to several fans, including police officers, who have sold their season tickets or refuse to attend games because of safety and security problems. At Phillies or Flyers games, you don't encounter this rudeness and disorderly conduct.
I am a firm believer in tailgating - controlled tailgaiting. Nothing is as enjoyable as a hot sandwich and cold beer with friends on a cool fall day before an Eagles game. Perhaps a tailgating permit, costing less than $20, could be issued to someone responsible for trash, grill safety, etc. But the most important purpose would be to eliminate underage drinking and public drunkenness. The fee should be allocated to the Police Department to help pay for enforcement.
Stadium security should begin to profile and eliminate repeat drunken offenders. If a disorderly fan is evicted for the season, it would warn other troublemakers that the security staff means business. I am sure stadium officials can identify the problem sections or rows from past history. Revocation of season tickets should be a great deterrent.
Next time you watch an out-of-town National Football League game on TV, take notice of all the families with small children in the stands, and compare this to the number of families at the Vet. Family patronage at the Vet is nearly nonexistent. Many have returned to their living rooms to enjoy the game safely.
I challenge Veterans Stadium officials to re-conquer the stands and parking lots and return Sunday afternoon football games to America's most important institution - the family.
