2008 Woodie Awards
Sports fans ned to learn some restraint
Issue date: 10/14/04 Section: Editorial
If you're a New England sports fan, you know that the Red Sox have a better chance of beating the Yankees in this year's ALCS than they had last year.
If you are a functional human being, you know that this could result in a biblical cataclysm in the city of Boston, and throughout the rest of New England as well.
Most people know last year's Super Bowl story by now: cars were flipped, windows were smashed, and 21-year old James Grabowski was tragically killed. In the meantime, trash barrels were left ablaze and unruly mobs refused to give way to police forces, who sometimes needed fire hoses to disperse the crowd.
The aftermath resembled a small terrorist attack, but unfortunately, no terrorist network can be blamed for the mess.
This, after all, was a celebration. This is what hundreds of people considered to be a fun time, and an appropriate way to congratulate Adam Vinatieri for kicking a 41-yard field goal.
Even here at Emerson College, possibly the most athletically apathetic college in Boston, three students were arrested after the Super Bowl win, and dozens more took part in questionable activities at Faneuil Hall.
All indications are that a Red Sox win over New York would incite similar riots. Local chat rooms and message boards display fans' hopes for more of these destructive celebrations. People are looking forward to victory against the Yankees and yet the way that many people would celebrate that victory is with violence.
They would celebrate by destroying private property. They would celebrate by flipping over cars. They would celebrate in the same way that people celebrated the Super Bowl victory...but this victory would be more intense and the celebrations thereafter would follow suit.
One might even think that the city could see the biggest public uprising since the Boston Tea Party.
And the world would be watching. They would be watching to see triumph and they would see destruction. They would be watching to see victory and they would only see violence. They would be watching...and we would be rioting, not celebrating. This scenario would only bring embarrassment to the rioters themselves, the people of Boston, the people of Massachusetts and especially, the Boston Red Sox.
Do we really want the world to view Red Sox Nation in that negative light? Do we really want to bring disgrace to the Red Sox themselves for having the fans who could not control themselves?
We do not believe that the Red Sox themselves would appreciate violent riots or the damage that would result.
If the Red Sox were to win, they would deserve a proper celebration for beating the Yankees, but that celebration should not include the destruction and the despair that was left the morning after the Super Bowl.
If you are a functional human being, you know that this could result in a biblical cataclysm in the city of Boston, and throughout the rest of New England as well.
Most people know last year's Super Bowl story by now: cars were flipped, windows were smashed, and 21-year old James Grabowski was tragically killed. In the meantime, trash barrels were left ablaze and unruly mobs refused to give way to police forces, who sometimes needed fire hoses to disperse the crowd.
The aftermath resembled a small terrorist attack, but unfortunately, no terrorist network can be blamed for the mess.
This, after all, was a celebration. This is what hundreds of people considered to be a fun time, and an appropriate way to congratulate Adam Vinatieri for kicking a 41-yard field goal.
Even here at Emerson College, possibly the most athletically apathetic college in Boston, three students were arrested after the Super Bowl win, and dozens more took part in questionable activities at Faneuil Hall.
All indications are that a Red Sox win over New York would incite similar riots. Local chat rooms and message boards display fans' hopes for more of these destructive celebrations. People are looking forward to victory against the Yankees and yet the way that many people would celebrate that victory is with violence.
They would celebrate by destroying private property. They would celebrate by flipping over cars. They would celebrate in the same way that people celebrated the Super Bowl victory...but this victory would be more intense and the celebrations thereafter would follow suit.
One might even think that the city could see the biggest public uprising since the Boston Tea Party.
And the world would be watching. They would be watching to see triumph and they would see destruction. They would be watching to see victory and they would only see violence. They would be watching...and we would be rioting, not celebrating. This scenario would only bring embarrassment to the rioters themselves, the people of Boston, the people of Massachusetts and especially, the Boston Red Sox.
Do we really want the world to view Red Sox Nation in that negative light? Do we really want to bring disgrace to the Red Sox themselves for having the fans who could not control themselves?
We do not believe that the Red Sox themselves would appreciate violent riots or the damage that would result.
If the Red Sox were to win, they would deserve a proper celebration for beating the Yankees, but that celebration should not include the destruction and the despair that was left the morning after the Super Bowl.