Are fans getting dumber?

[OrangeXtreme]

Madison Square Garden takes the bottle caps off your bottle of soda because, and I quote, “fans could throw them on the court.”

The Bills used to do that too years ago.

Until fans got smart and starting bringing their own bottle caps.

 

[Lukeyloo]

Society as a whole is getting dumber

 

[Day2]

Madison Square Garden takes the bottle caps off your bottle of soda because, and I quote, “fans could throw them on the court.”

They do that almost everywhere.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

They do that almost everywhere.

People buy soda at games? You know you can buy beer there, right?

 

[Brooky03]

They do that almost everywhere.

That’s lame. It was new to me.

I don’t go to many arenas, admittedly. I know the Dome doesn’t do that. Blue Cross arena doesn’t, the War Memorial doesn’t, whatever the Chiefs Mets stadium is called now doesn’t, Frontier Field doesn’t, and MetLife doesn’t. That’s the extent of my knowledge.

 

[SmilinBob]

I remember seeing the orange fly over my head and SPLAT. That was the last straw for Jim.

Saw the students section fighting the Irish mascot which was a sight to behold.

But sorry...none of that beats father son night at Cominsky when you go onto the field and attack an ump.
I suppose somebody said "Hold my Beer" when they said disco night couldn't be topped.

 

[elimunelson]

I was at the old Boston garden for a bruins game and a drunk behind me threw a normal sized Jack Daniel’s bottle on the ice after the bruins loss. It was met w something between indifference and humor. I was 14 so I was in awe of this animal in the wild.

Fans do stupid things. Cameras are the great equalizer

 

[swish7]

I guess the sentiment is mostly directed towards fan player interactions & altercations AFTER the game ends.

People who storm a court and barrel full speed towards a player, if not intentionally trying to hit or chirp with that player. Throw a sofa on the court, I don't care. Just don't hit a player. Chirp at a player during a game to get in their head, but afterwards, ignore them.

 

[Orangezoo]

Can we apply message board posters to this label?? Because well…

 

[Scooch]

I guess the sentiment is mostly directed towards fan player interactions & altercations AFTER the game ends.

People who storm a court and barrel full speed towards a player, if not intentionally trying to hit or chirp with that player. Throw a sofa on the court, I don't care. Just don't hit a player. Chirp at a player during a game to get in their head, but afterwards, ignore them.

Again, it used to be worse. Remember when Philly fans threw batteries at opposing outfielders? And they weren’t the only fan base to do that.

Hell, in the 80s Larry Bird delivered a forearm shiver to *multiple* fans as he ran off the court after a storming at the old Garden. People have been laughing at that clip for nearly 40 years. But when a dude bumps a guy today…

 

[jordoo]

Society as a whole is getting dumber

By design. Weak, dumb and sick = easy to control.

 

[Eric15]

I think the thread should be titled "are fans getting more poorly behaved?"

And I would say almost certainly no. The existence of smartphones means kids at every juncture or stoppage of play are checking their phones instead of planning mischief.

And this transcends to society, as well. All the things that we usually associate with "bad behavior" like underage drinking, drugs, sex, etc. are lower than they have ever been.

 

[Millhouse]

The Bills used to do that too years ago.

Until fans got smart and starting bringing their own bottle caps.

Who needs bottle caps when you have Brady's dildo

 

[Scooch]

I think the thread should be titled "are fans getting more poorly behaved?"

And I would say almost certainly no. The existence of smartphones means kids at every juncture or stoppage of play are checking their phones instead of planning mischief.

And this transcends to society, as well. All the things that we usually associate with "bad behavior" like underage drinking, drugs, sex, etc. are lower than they have ever been.

Yep. Basically, by every metric of human achievement we live in an unprecedented golden age. Globally, people live longer, are more educated, more prosperous, in a safer world, than at any point in human history.

And yet we act like a bunch of fearful weenies.

It's a shame.

 

[syrBossHogg]

Social Media plays a part in this

 

[andyw715]

Social media is reverting us back to Neanderthals...and that is an insult to Neanderthals.

 

[Scooch]

Social Media plays a part in this

Social media *and* phones. Things weren’t nearly as bad on that front when social media was tethered to someone’s desktop computer at home.

Now we have that computer in our pocket and it has literally rewired our brain.

Throw AI into that mix and… well despite what I said about this being objectively a golden age of human existence… we’re gonna ruin it.

 

[bnoro]

People (and fans) have always been dumb. Really dumb.

We just have a 24 hour, national news cycle, and social media now. So everything and anything gets amplified.

 

[swish7]

Again, it used to be worse. Remember when Philly fans threw batteries at opposing outfielders? And they weren’t the only fan base to do that.

Hell, in the 80s Larry Bird delivered a forearm shiver to *multiple* fans as he ran off the court after a storming at the old Garden. People have been laughing at that clip for nearly 40 years. But when a dude bumps a guy today…

Good points

 

[M2MPrinciples]

Social media *and* phones. Things weren’t nearly as bad on that front when social media was tethered to someone’s desktop computer at home.

Now we have that computer in our pocket and it has literally rewired our brain.

Throw AI into that mix and… well despite what I said about this being objectively a golden age of human existence… we’re gonna ruin it.

"It's the phones, stupid" sums up many trends of antisocial behavior over the last 20 years, but it shouldn't excuse personal responsibility and the role of mob mentality.

Related to the above, people (of all ages excluding senior citizens) are spending less time with other people and more time alone than they have in eons. Throw in the lit match of Covid on top of that and you end up with lots of young people who have completely forgotten how to behave when among other people.