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More mistreatment for Red Bulls fans at Giants Stadium (updated)

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It was supposed to be a day to celebrate soccer, as well as watch an entertaining soccer game. For some unfortunate Red Bulls fans, it was just another day of avoiding harrassment from Giants Stadium security.

Several members of the Red Bulls’ largest supporter’s group, the Empire Supporter’s Club, were ejected and banned from Giants Stadium after altercations with stadium security. It would be foolish to assume that the fans were completely blameless in the incidents, but the clashes with security are the latest in a history of conflict between stadium security and the Red Bulls’ most ardent supporters.

I have spent most of my life in New Jersey and have been to Giants Stadium both as a journalist and, on some occasions, as a sports fan, and it has been clear to me for some time now that there is a different attitude and approach by Giants Stadium security toward soccer fans than there is toward almost any other fan group that visits the venue. This can’t obviously be blamed on every single member of Giants Stadium security, but it can be blamed on a good number of security guards who appear more eager to get involved in confrontations with fans at soccer games than other events like football games.

The events of this weekend did little to dispel that belief. Along with having more than a dozen members of the ESC ejected from Saturday’s match, another Red Bulls fan who was ejected and banned was 2006 Red Bulls fan of the year Thomas Binkley, who was given the boot because of a verbal confrontation with a couple (it should also be noted that Binkley was seated in section 109, not 101, where most of the day’s other hostilities took place). Binkley, a fan who travels from Virginia to attend home games (he is a season-ticket holder) and is one of ESC’s leaders and road trip organizers (and who was interviewed for an ESPN.com story that same day) has now been banned from Giants Stadium by security guards who probably just saw another ‘rowdy’ soccer fan who needed to be put in line.

The mistreatment isn’t limited to Red Bulls matches. International friendlies almost always have their share of incidents and while there are clearly occasions where fans are to blame for problems because of their bad behavior, the combative and hostile attitude of some stadium security sure doesn’t help create a peaceful environment.

While the incidents at international friendlies are one thing, having constant battles between security and the team’s leading supporter’s group is unacceptable. Security at the stadium has helped turn Giants Stadium into a hostile environment for soccer fans who have supported the Red Bulls/MetroStars for the past dozen years and this can be blamed, at least in part, by the fact that the team those fans support do not own the stadium.

Think about it. If you ran the stadium, would you care much about a tenant who doesn’t make you much money, and more importantly, is leaving in a year?

So why are the Red Bulls to blame? Obviously they aren’t the main ones to blame (the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority is), but Red Bull New York is the organization that should care about its fans and should be working on the behalf of their fans to seek better treatment. Whether it be by having team liaisons sit in section 101 to help (The club says these exist, though it is unclear what they do), or by working with the NJSEA to establish a better system for fans to appeal when they are ejected and banned, the club could be doing far more than it is currently doing to help its fans deal with an environment that can only be described as hostile (as evidenced by this salutation from one security guard on the far left toward ESC members following Saturday’s match).

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"I know there is a long, complicate history between the security guards at Giants stadium and the ESC," Red Bulls managing director Erik Stover said. "I think it’s unfortunate and its something that we’re going to fix when we move into the new building.

"I think the Sports Authority has a lot of rules and tends to lean towards things being black and white," Stover said. "It’s clear to me that the set of rules doesn’t fit in with everyday soccer life."

Stover acknowledged that there are issues that need to be addressed, but admitted that the Red Bulls are limited in their ability to make real chances in how the NSEA polices the crowd at Red Bulls games.

"I’m just kind of frustrated that I don’t have a simple solution," Stover said. "We’re committed to doing everything we can to make the experience as manageable as possible between now and when we move into Red Bull Park."

(Stover also stated that Red Bulls fans who were ejected and banned who feel they were unjustly ejected should contact the Red Bulls’ fan services department. The club will then look into their incidents to see if they were properly handled.)

Most Red Bulls fans can’t wait for Red Bull Park to be built next year because it promises to be a better game-day experience, and more beautiful home for their soccer team, but many are counting the days until the team moves out of Giants Stadium so that they don’t have to deal with mistreatment by stadium security, and indirectly, the very team they support.

What do you think about the game-day experience at Giants Stadium? Do you feel security is fair in its handling of soccer games and soccer fans? Have you had a bad experience with security at Giants Stadium? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Jesus H Christ, as a guy who has spent his adult life underwriting commercial liability insurance, including that for stadiums, authorities and security guard firms, I am very happy I have nothing to do with these clowns. What a bunch of thugs, “yellow nazis” is correct.

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  2. While I was not at the game, nor do I admittedly have all the information, here are some thoughts…

    1. I have been to many DC United games, and not only do the DC Police handle the supporters groups sections, but they know many of the leaders by name and openly talk as equals to these people during halftime, before and after the games.

    2. Everyone needs to be more tolerant of each others behavior. Not suggesting singing campfire songs or anything, but really, Moms and Dads should go to school and hear what some of the kids say. A bit more than Beckham sucks to be honest.

    3. Lastly, it’s unfortunate that soccer gets such a bad rap. Does anyone at Duke University, the self proclaimed mecca of college basketball and smart kids, complain to security when the entire stadium chants “bullshit, bullshit” when one of their beloved scholar athletes gets called for something they disagree with? This happens at nearly every single sporting event! Use it as an opportunity to educate your OWN kids, not someone else’s!

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  3. Monterrey Security at Toyota Park is just as bad. More often than not, they are instigators and simply get their kicks from tickin’ people off and starting fights, etc.

    As much as a dislike Columbus, the security at their stadium has been polite and professional both times I have traveled as a Fire fan.

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  4. We were doing wipeout when i heard and saw the rocus staring on the passage way. I got closer to see what was happening, thats when i realized that they were taking one of our guys. I started to ask the security “why are they taking him?”. His responce was “don’t worry about it”. Soon after that is when the pulling and pushing started. The next thing i remember is that a lady takes an elbow to the side of the head. We are trying to let security know that there is an injured lady but, there main concern was that our guy be removed. Due to the “i dont care attitude” of the security everyone including myself became irrate. The video footage begins when the crowd is pointing at the guy who elbowed the lady:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eGoWbdz3e8

    00:15 – you catch a glimspe of me indicating with my left elbow that there is a lady hurt by the elbow she recieved (im the guy u see between flaco and the guy with what looks like an argentina jersey)

    01.00 – a confrontation occurs between a security guard and one our guys (do not know the reason)

    01:15 – i recover from a fall and try to explain to the security guy that there is no reason for them to still stay

    there

    01:39 – bottle is thrown at the State Trooper from another area, and the area that had the heat of the chaos

    (which i was in) tries to tell people to calm down.

    01:53 – the security behind the trooper signals with his left hand that he wants me out..(no reason as to why)

    02:09 – I start a conversation with the state trooper in reference to the fact that there is still a lady injured and

    that they are pulling people out who are trying to calm things down.

    02:13 – i start asking why the hell am i getting thrown out

    02:25 – i get pushed back from the crowd

    02:28 – security pushes me down and tries to get me (what did i do in 3 seconds..lol)

    02:29 – Marcos pushes the guard off of me

    02:36 – people that had nothing to do “in” the rocus start pointing at the security who pushed me and

    tried to yank me out.

    03:47 – security talks to State Trooper about having me removed (still dont know the reason)

    03:57 – he yells out that it was “improper behavior”

    04:29 – I turn around an cross my arms to argue with him and he puts his finger inches from my face

    04:37 – a fan in a white hat puts the security hand down, because he realizes that there is no reason why he

    is acting so confrontational towards me.

    04:40 – We start an arguing fest on the fact that there is no reason why i should be getting kicked out

    From then on you see that he is the only security guard in the middle of the whole rocus while the rest of his co-workers are in the aisle. At no point whats so ever am i being confrontational nor was i sturring up the crowd nor was i desplaying improper behavior. Did i get pissed off at the fact that i was told that i was getting ejected?..YES. And to argue my fact that is why i turned around, crossed my arms and argued the fact (time line 04:29)

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  5. Giants stadium is the worst run stadium in the country. The food sucks and is far too expensive for the quality. The parking and staff help in exit is very poor!!!! For the LA game there was no direction to exit by the staff but they continue to charge $10 to park. Can’t wait until we get our own place.

    JN

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  6. I knoow if I was Jeff Agoos, or whoever runs the Red Bulls, I’d be laying in a supply of mr. Binks’s favorite beverage and inviting him to watch the rest of our home games with me from a VIP booth. Why not show a little class?

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  7. Mike V.: Thanks for responding again. I second your call for respect and common sense, both of which you have exhibited here. If such respect and common sense ruled in the stands (and on this list), I think we’d all be happy.

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  8. Paul,

    I would agree. I think all of those who have been commenting in a reasonable fashion have pretty much come to the conclusion that respect and common sense should be the guide. While parents shouldn’t expect to go to a game and not hear a curse there is also no need for excessive cursing just for the hell(or heck) of it. Soccer around the world is characterized by a different kind of fan culture and support and I think it is only natural that as the sport expands there are some growing pains in combining traditional soccer style support and traditional American style support.

    As for security it is a whole different issue that after that long tangent we all went off on I’ll leave it at a thanks to Ives for shedding light on the issue.

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  9. Mike V.: Thanks for responding to my post. Sorry if I seemed to mischaracterize your point with my hyperbole. (Maybe I need to take a lesson in civility from yankiboy.) Of course there’s a difference between cursing at the players and lobbing personal insults at fans. And I’ll also concede that in a public place we can’t hold everyone else to our own personal standards of behavior. But (and I acknowledge that you were not making this argument) I think some folks on this list would say that insulting and abusing others who happen to be rooting for the visiting team is perfectly acceptable. On the other hand, some have argued here that even cursing is unacceptable if there are children in the vicinity. It’s a difficult line-drawing exercise about which reasonable people can differ. But just as every utterance of a curse word should not be grounds for ejection or even complaints, not every request that someone desist from using really nasty language is necessarily absurdly selfish and unrealistic. Would you agree?

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  10. martha in miami – sorry if i got short on the “lets drop the Del Piero to MLS” comment… ive heard this rumor so many times and have pointed out so many times that DP has stated that he’s retiring with juventus… im with you on this tho… Juventus is the only euro team i follow closely… i wont consider myself a die hard fan, but a fan none-the-less… i would love to see DP come to the MLS and obviously to the Fire… id be pained to see him don a redbull’s jersey 🙁

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  11. I truly hope ESC addresses the security issue as best they can with Red Bull and the NJSEA. I would hate to have a game marred with true violence between those in 101 and the yellow shirts. I’m a huge fan, and while I would never consider singing and jumping around all game(it’s not my bag), I’m glad the section is available to those who want to show their passion for the game/team in that way. With the past history between 101 and security, this is likely going to remain an issue so I hope Ives and others continue to shine a light on the poor conduct in hopes that someone with some authority will take notice.

    I also hope Binkley gets his ban overturned. He deserved to get tossed after things got ugly with the parent, but a lifetime ban is excessive.

    As for the cursing, I think Onionsack put it best by calling for mutual respect and plain common sense. When my sons get older, I plan to take them to games with me. And if someone curses in the heat of the moment, I’m not going to make a huge deal out of it. If there is “persistent infringement”, then I’ll need to sort that out with the individual. No one expects fans to be choir boys/girls at these events, and as a parent I realize my kids will probably talk like sailors amongst their peers at a younger age than I’d like(I know I did), but at the same time that shouldn’t be used as an excuse for bad behavior at games, IE, they’re gonna curse anyway, so why ask me to stop cursing. A little respect for each other goes a long way towards making the games a more enjoyable experience.

    If only Red Bull can do their part with a winning team…

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  12. Comical stuff from some of these people.

    Cursing is ok. Cursing is wrong. If you do curse, its then ok to take free reign and violate people rights and break their cameras and falsify charges. I’m a good parent because I keep my kids sheltered. I’m a good parent cuz I don’t.

    The best one had to be that Security at GS only throws out guilty parties. I had a good laugh at that one. Where is this bizarro Giant’s Stadium and how can I find it?

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  13. Man, it got kinda ugly on this thread, lol! To I think it was Brett, As a diehard Juventus fan, I am well aware that Del Piero is one of the lucky few whom will retire having played for only one club, and he is quite honorable that way! I was trying to disfuse/lighten things up, as it was getting intense regarding future fan reaction. My point was as the Becks comment started this saga, we need other super stars to stir it up some more, lol! p.s. Angel goal was #1 in Mia. Span. News top 10! WTG

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  14. It’s not just security. But it’s the little things. The authority has horrendous food service for soccer games, which pales in comparison to even minor league baseball stadiums in Pennsylvania. I went to a Metro-DC game once and DC’s name was larger than NY’s on the hallway scoreboards. What’s with that?

    I can’t wait til Metro moves out of that ghastly skeleton of a long-gone stadium era.

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  15. Zoffinger and the NJSEA have always been complete buffoons, and not just with Metro/Red Bulls. The Giants, Jets, Nets and previously the Devils have always had some of the worst leases in all of sports The NJSEA attitude was always if you don’t like it, then leave. The Devils are gone, the Nets and Red Bulls will be soon and the Giants & Jets are building there are stadium. The NJSEA fittingly will be stuck with a big, ugly, empty albatross of an area and a whole bunch of fat rent-a-cops will be on the unemployment line.

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  16. Haha you puritans so concerned about people chanting ‘bullshit’ or whatever can stay home. Go to a game anywhere else in the world and listen to the hilarious chants often containing some colorful language. The world didn’t implode..there are worse things in the world to worry about. That said, if you’re around a family that’s made uncomfortable by something, a decent person will make an effort to tone it down. Who yells at a woman and her kid for having a Beckham jersey? It kinda annoys me too but give it a break. But asking a fan group to keep soccer chants totally clean??? Seriously.. We can have a passionate adult experience and a fun family one at a soccer game simultaneously

    ..by the way, I’m pretty sure deadmetro isn’t to be taken seriously. Either messing around for a laugh or something else, because no one seriously says they want a stadium filled with Wall Street bankers

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  17. deadmetro:

    That stuff about how RBP will be for the “true fans” is first of all wrong. There have been meetings between the front office and ESC so our section is exactly how we want it. So they must figure we are good for something. But in my opinion a true fan is someone who goes to work so they can earn the money to get into the stadium and follow their team. We have many guys who went to tech schools and now do manual labor. Now they work their asses off to get in the stadium and support the team, that is a real fan in my eyes.

    Also the idea that “true fans” are rich upper class people and that ESC is poor, which you are undoubtedly saying is just pompus and snobbish. Why do you have to turn this into ESC cannot afford this or that. Some people at the game told me I would never know what the crowd is like at a football game because I couldnt afford to go. I like to try and remain calm, but to comments like that all I have to say is f*ck off!

    Also about selective memory, I am sorry guys this is ridiculous. I was a big metro/bulls fan from when I was 12 years old up and went to almost every game. As soon as I turned 17 and could drive myself to the stadium I went to my first game with ESC and then on a bus trip the next week. ESC is a cool bunch of guys who love the game and jump and cheer and yes curse, in their own section! In 6+ years of going to games at Giants Stadium I have never seen anyone in ESC attack a member or anything of the sort.

    Also someone said that the ESC is racist?!?! Please give an example, and as pointed by someone else we are so diverse there is no one to be racist against. We have asians, blacks, whites, a ton of latinos, and white collar workers. We all love each other and there is no one to be racist against. Please express your opinions, but don’t lie!

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  18. This is why the internet is terrible. Cursing in stadiums and in front of children… not ideal, but ridiculous to get kicked out over. Having worked in a lily white school district I can assure you… 9yo’s are dropping the F bomb daily. Not to mention they use the dreaded C word more than anyone I know. Parents have no idea who their kids truly are. It’s just a fact. Think about when you were a kid.

    Secondly security at Giants Stadium has always been a problem. You would hear less racial abuse at a KKK meeting.

    This coming from a season ticket holder since 1996. Granted I’ve missed 12 games since then, but who ever thinks there is a problem with how Metro/Bull fans treat fans in visitor jerseys… they should go to a local hockey or football game. Their head would explode.

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  19. People just need to use common sense. If your sitting next to kids at a game you should at least try to not be beligerant. At the same time people have to remeber football is an emotional sport and it makes people crazy at times. They are emotionaly tied to the team and often dont mean any harm to you at all.

    As for cursing in songs. I think we sing maybe 2 songs that are profanity laiden. Thats it. Except for DC songs those are ripe with obsenties.

    It all goes back to co-existance. Respect each others right to conduct themselves at matches even if it isnt how you like to do it. That means supporters need to lay off the family orientated crowd for being to soft and let them enjoy their match and stop questioning their dedication.

    It also means the family oriented crowd has to realize that there are some wildly passioate fans in football and they shouldn’t lecture them on proper manners or try and dictate what they can or cant sing a few sections over.

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  20. Civil Fan: See the ESC supporters have what is called “selective and collective memory.” It happens when you smoke too much ganja and drink too much beer prior, during and after games. Moving out of Giants Stadium will actually be beneficial for us true fans(soccer moms and families) with the planned skyboxes, luxury seats, etc. ESC won’t be welcomed and if they are it will be in a caged area outside the stadium. Red Bull is looking to create an atmosphere in RB Park that will be similar to Stamford Bridge. Hooligans can watch from the local bar while celebrities, families and wall street types watch from inside in the $500 per game seats.

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  21. big props to “brett”….this is rediculous! as my deceased father said to a fan at meadowlands arena after blowing an air horn during an event when i was about 7 yo, “this isn’t your living room”. these people should go live in the bubble in “stoopit” land and watch the action muted so they don’t hear anything from the telecast, either.

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  22. in other words, the guy sitting near you cussing at a soccer game is not going to cause your child to cuss… they will or already have learned such words… its up to the parent to show them that its not appropriate and bad…. censoring people is not the answer…

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  23. i wonder how this topic would be taken in other countries…..

    i wonder if parents bother to tell fans of teams to watch their mouth in Argentina, Mexico, England, Spain, Italy Etc… if you were to be on vacation and to take your kid to a Manchester United game, would you parents tell them to watch what they say when they drop f-Bombs and See You Next Tuesday’s??

    this discussion is the same reason why games like Freeze tag, Dodgeball and others like that are banned from Gym classes around the nation…. kids cant play Freeze tag in gym b/c it picks on the fat kids…. they cant play dodgeball b/c it creates bullies… why are we caudling our young so much, b/c the world is quite a different place… people get picked on… there are bullies (both in the streets and professional world)… kids arent created fat by tag… bullies arent created by throwing cushioned balls at other kids… these are characterists that derive from parenting…

    perhaps we should set snipers up on the rafters so when some speaks an inappropriate word that even a 3 yr has heard before from some form of media (whether its tv/movie/in person), then he should be “taken out”…

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  24. “There is no need to be cursing at fellow fans or throwing beer at fans who have come to the stadium to enjoy the game just because they happen to support the other team. I have witnessed firsthand, harassment of families with children (catcalls, insults etc.) by drunken jerks who consider themselves to be “real fans.” The only reason for this abuse is that a family dared to show up to the stadium. On other ocassions i have seen people violently and energetically jump up and down on plastic stadium seats which threaten to break under the constant motion. Other times i have seen people casually light up and start smoking marijuana. All this and some people still wonder why they are asked to leave by security? It’s mindboggling…. The Giants Stadium Security is doing its job as far as Im concerned…..”

    Civil Fan,

    I’ve been going to every home game for 4 years and a few games every year since 200 and if people are behaving like that we must have been at two different games. I have not once seen innocent fans attacked or have beer thrown at them. To insinuate that families are attacked for being families is utterly ridiculous. You must have gotten hold of ESC’s secret plans to attack all families. Smoking Weed? People are thrown out for cursing or standing on chairs but security misses them lighting up right in the middle of the game…..pretty doubtful. As for jumping up and down on seats the ESC discourages this and leaders tell people to get down when they do it. Also ESC leadership does not defend those who stand on or break chairs. Also ESC only stands or pogos (jumping up and down NOT ON SEATS) in their designated section so how this affects you I have no idea.

    Please make your argument with volid points. I have no problem with people haveing varying opinions but to use blatant lies to make your point and paint an innacurate picture of a group of people is just plain wrong.

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  25. Ives,

    I have been to many a metrostar/red bull game over the years and have not once run into problems with security there. It seems that so many people just dont know what it means to behave civilly.

    There is no need to be cursing at fellow fans or throwing beer at fans who have come to the stadium to enjoy the game just because they happen to support the other team. I have witnessed firsthand, harassment of families with children (catcalls, insults etc.) by drunken jerks who consider themselves to be “real fans.” The only reason for this abuse is that a family dared to show up to the stadium. On other ocassions i have seen people violently and energetically jump up and down on plastic stadium seats which threaten to break under the constant motion. Other times i have seen people casually light up and start smoking marijuana. All this and some people still wonder why they are asked to leave by security? It’s mindboggling…. The Giants Stadium Security is doing its job as far as Im concerned…..

    In all my years at the stadium the only time i thought that security went too far was when they banned the hanging of banners in the stadium. I used to like the homemade bedsheet banner that read “Petke Rocks” at home games.

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  26. I don’t agree with the lifetime ban, but I have been to a lot of Metrostar/Red Bull games and I must say that I love the ESC passion but chanting of curses like this video aren’t really good either:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDUj6_KgCqM&feature=related

    I mean we should welcome all fans even if they are coming to cheer for Beckham, etc. Who knows if these people have a pleasent experience (and I am not saying they didn’t) they may come back again and cheer for the Red Bulls. I know if I have a kid with me I won’t sit near 101, etc. But even if I move, it is not like I can’t hear what 101 is chanting and sometimes the curses, etc. Also in the new Red Bull Park, moving might be more difficult, and again I shouldn’t have to because like people in 101 who have the right to chant whatever, I have the right to take a kid to the game and sit where I paid my ticket. Again, I love the passion, but a cleaner version would be great too! It is great to see kids in the stadium because they are the future of the sport wether as future players or fans!

    There has to be some ethics for Fan! and again welcoming everybody is good for the sport, etc.

    Oh and just because you hear it in other games, or sports doesn’t make it right either!

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  27. All right, I’m not going to get into a pissing match on a the comments section of a blog. But I’ll just make on point: There are racists and bigots in every section of that stadium — in every section of every stadium in the world. I’m sorry you had to hear an individual — one, individual — call a woman a demeaning name. But to pass it off that the ESC is a bunch of racists and bigots is absolutely laughable. The ESC, as I said before, is more diverse than the stadium at large, that’s for certain. We have middle-class white boys; lawyers; working class construction workers; African Americans; Mexicans; Brits; Colombians; Argentines; Uruguayans; Bolivians; Ukrainians; Pollacks; Asians; Italians; and yes, women, among many other ethnicities I’m sure I’m missing. Many of us are friends and any language we use during the match isn’t intended to disparage any particular group. Sure, there are despicable people in 101 — but there are despicable people everywhere! In the end, it comes down to a difference of opinion on how one wants to support/spend a day at the stadium. But as the crowds continue to dwindle after the RB takeover, there is one section that continues to grow: 101. So I think we’re doing something to attract new people to the games, unlike the players on the field. By the way, I never called EPL fans elitist — I called them boring.

    I’m sorry what was almost 200 comments of interesting and constructive dialogue about the nature of support and the double standards security has when dealing with supporters has devolved into this.

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  28. Yankiboy, thanks for clearing that up it’s hard not to get riled up in a conversation that I have such strong feelings about but I now understand your point.

    Paul, I think you and I both know there is a huge difference between playing deafeningly loud music or insulting a fellow fans appearance and cursing in the heat of the moment while pulling for your team. Are there limits to what is acceptable behaviour at a game? Of course. However at the same time to expect everyone to behave withing the exact parameters that you yourself deem to be correct is ,as I said earlier, absurldy selfish and unrealistic.

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  29. Pete, keep singin’ your “Metros” chants. The last time I checked, soccer moms only make up a small percentage of the fans at Giants Stadium so you don’t have many to run out of there. You don’t really have many people in general to run out! Only 7,000 people to piss off and you and your group can watch the game alone and chant whatever you want! Are soccer moms any less of a fan because they’re a mom with kids who play that come to one game a year? I’m a true fan and I personally find your chants to be racist, misogynistic, homophobic bigotry that still unfortunately exists in many leagues around the world. I’ve sat in 101 and watched women being called cunts who were members of ESC. You claim that you don’t like the game being taken over by the beautiful people yet your crew makes it ugly with your actions and exclusivity. Soccer is a sport for all people regardless of race, economic status or if they’re a member of ESC or not. You’re cutting off the oxygen supply that could break MLS into the stratosphere by being childish and protective of a sport in the nation’s largest market because you can’t swear at the top of your lungs and get mad at fans who show up to see a game once per year. This makes you more of an elitist than the so called “rich beautiful people who follow the ‘big four'” that you despise.

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  30. So regarding the subpar security: That is a safety issue. Something that needs immediate attention and has less to do with opinion. So many people recounting similar incidents–the authorities have to see that there is a pattern here.

    I guess my question is what can be done before the next home match? There has to be something. The correspondence is good but can a meeting be arranged? What is Red Bull doing. This looks like it is reaching a real boiling point.

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  31. WTF??!? Unbelievable no one threw a punch. F*ck the racist wannabe cops! If the rent-a-pigs tried that sh!t in the Coliseum, not one of them would be standing. There would be a full-scale riot.

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  32. @Pete, the game is growing everywhere in the country except Giants stadium. I think I now understand why that is. The game day experience sounds miserable; overzealous security and obnoxious, self important supporters…Great day out!

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  33. There are a few things that annoy me in these comments.

    One is the insinuation that you have to choose whether your legacy is going to be as a good parent or a good fan. I wasn’t aware it was mutually exclusive. My Dad brought me to sporting events and didn’t shelter me from cursing, I always thought he was a great father but I guess he actually shirked his responisibility by not trying to control everyone elses actions. I’ll have to tell him he failed me by not overprotecting me from sports.

    ——————————————–

    @ Mike V:

    Sorry that you misunderstood Mike. I wasn’t trying to insinuate that the two were mutually exclusive. I’m not sure where you got that from. I was stating how I prioritize my legacy.I even made the joke about the sports fan thing being #2.

    It wasn’t even a comment about the cursing or behavior. It was focused on letting people know that I understand when they say that parents need to parent, that they need to walk the walk and not simply differ to other people. That parenting starts at home.

    It seems like you personalized something wasn’t being projected for other people. It is my statement about what I want my legacy to be, not your dad or anyone elses.

    I sincerely apoligize for offending you and any confusion. It was “Yanki on Yanki”.

    I got enough work doing my own parenting rather than critiquing other people’s parenting.

    I’m sure I could learn a lot from your Dad and a lot of the Dads out there.

    Maximum Respect.

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