Sports are an American pastime, but the riots that sometimes follow are not. Fires in streets, smashed windows, flipped cars, and alcohol fueling the fire (no pun intended)...where does it all end? And why do fans care SO intensely about their teams that their first thought is to destroy property when they win or lose?
The Science Behind Sports Riots
The number one reason that riots occur is simply having large numbers of impassioned people in a centralized location. Having a large crowd does not necessarily mean that a riot is going to break out, but it is the number one ingredient.
Americans typically limit their rioting to vandalism or violence directed at objects instead of people. Sports riots usually occur after championships or high stakes games where a team has a lot on the line. Oddly enough, these riots are often started out of excitement over victory rather than anger over defeat.
A sports team seems to have become an extension of the fan. is the obvious reason as to why these riots occur. When people are in crowds and see bad decisions being made, they tend to have thedesire to make the same decisions. All of the alcohol that these fans have consumed never helps the situation either.
How Do We Prevent These Riots?
Implementing pre-planning on behalf of law enforcement is an obvious way to prevent any violent outbreaks, but fans themselves can also play a major part in keeping riots from starting. They can do so by refusing to give in to peer pressure and not mimicking irresponsible actions of others.
Media also plays a major role in revving up a crowd of drunken fans. Major news networks play videos of the riots on loop while they fail to update the populous on the consequences of this behavior, such as being arrested or risking injury.
If you have not already, sign up for text messages from Civil Dispatch. These messages will send you up-to-date information on threats and news in your area.