Two days, two disturbing acts of violence. Each one occurring within the immediate vicinity of a sports arena. Coincidence?
Last night, following the Oklahoma City Thunder's win over the Los Angeles Lakers, eight people were shot at as they left the arena. Seven people were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. Another woman, who is pregnant, was assaulted during the melee and also was hospitalized. Six of the seven gunshot victims are in stable condition. The other is in critical condition.
According to police, the incident began when a scuffle erupted as people were walking away from the stadium. Apparently some girls got into an argument with a group of men and gunfire erupted shortly thereafter.
This comes one day after a man was attacked by four other men in a Dodger Stadium parking lot after their cars collided. Four men were arrested and the victim was fortunate enough to only suffer cuts and bruises.
This is not the first time Dodger Stadium has been the focal point of a similar incident. Just last year, on opening day, Brian Stow, a Giants fan, was beaten outside Dodger Stadium and left with brain damage.
Do these events have anything to do with the world of sports? The police in Oklahoma City say the shooting does not seem to be related to the game. Is it just a case of a large number of spectators, many of them drunk, gathering together, forming a combustible conglomerate of people, where one spark can blow the whole thing up?
Either way, whether it's about the sport, instigated by two heated rivals going at it, or it's just a bunch of people who feel like acting stupid, sports teams need to do something about it.
It may not be their fault but it certainly is their problem. If fans feel threatened or even uncomfortable at games, they're not likely to go. If something does happen to them, you could be on the line. Brian Stow's family is currently in the process of filing suit against the Dodgers, claiming security cutbacks contributed to his attack.
Security shouldn't come at the expense of profit. Hire more guards to be at the games, cut back on the beer sale even though it makes you a killing. When a drunk guy beats up a spectator and that spectator sues you, you won't really care about the eight dollars you lost from said drunk guy when you wouldn't serve him a beer after the seventh inning.
Going to a game should be fun, exciting, memorable and nothing more. The incidences of violence need to stop and the organizations are the ones who can do it.
