Hi everyone. I just joined the Sons of Ben recently, so recent, I actually haven't sat in the River End yet. Having said that, I know there was a little worry a few pages back that this may make people stray away from sitting there who haven't before. I just want to say that this situation, which seems to very much be an isolated incident, won't deter my wife and I from sitting on the River End for the first time this Saturday against Houston. I'm even bringing my brother along who lives in NY (No, he isn't a Pink Cows fan). Like I said, it seems to really be an isolated incident and looks like the people who are responsible got what they deserved. Obviously, it's never fun to read about something like this, and if it was to happen again sooner then later, it may be more of an issue. In short, I'm glad I joined SOB, even after this has happened.
My thoughts... I think that having to show your Driver's License may cause even more problems.. Not sure what I mean? Well, let's just say for example; a Houston Dyanamo fan is going to find his seat in Section 133, he's going to be there struggling to find his Driver's License. Our River End fans will be taunting him half to death if he's standing there rummaging through his pocket. He could get mad and say something back which obviously, would cause problems. Me just throwing my two cents in.. I think the best thing we can do as of right now, is just try and spread the word not to sell RE tickets on StubHub!, Ebay, Craigslist, or any other ticket selling website. There are always people needing extra tickets. Post it on Facebook, or a thread on BigSoccer, but only sell it to SoB members!
in one and a half seasons of games at PPL I have never once been asked to produce my ticket or SOB membership card upon entering TRE. Asking the ushers to do any more then the duties they already aren't performing is ridiculous.
Last year I was in 135 and never had them ask. This year, the usher next to the 136/137 capo deck (where Matt and Lorenzo are) usually stops us to ask to see our season ticket cards (even though we are all usually in SOB gear). Not saying it is a bad thing, just annoying when you are carrying stuff.
Tex checks most people most of the time. He said they were really being laid into to do it by their management, I believe.
The lady at the 140 steps asked the first few matches, but it seems she knows the regulars and checks the newcomers. I like how personable our security is between her and Tex over on our side of TRE.
There are a few SoBs that do not have season tickets and rely on individuals to offer their tickets up for sale for nearly every match. Is there a way for the SoB leadership to put together a "waiting list" of sorts that can match season ticket holders with members that want to buy individual games? Could it be managed through Ticket Leap?
I'm surprised it took a year and a half for the first big brawl to happen at a Union game. Overall, that tells me that the SoBs are very well behaved. Can the Eagles or the Phillies or the Flyers say that they've had over a year and a half between fan brawls? Also, there's a couple dudes in the Corner Creeps that really know how to throw those haymakers. Remind me not to fight them.
@ScarfMachine I'm beginning to come to the same conclusion. For all the talk of extra measures, ID checks, sanctions against STHs who sell their tickets, is it all really necessary? We've had this one incident which security and stadium staff, with a little help from some fans, seems to have been dealt with correctly. I know there are some TRE fans who are annoyed that casual fans don't sing, or get as involved, as they would want them to. But they might get into it, and it sure beats having empty seats, doesn't it? When you think about the amount of booze that's getting consumed by TRE every home game, the surprise is that this doesn't happen two/three times a game. The TRE can take some credit for that.
I don't think we should be thankful that this is a first or excuse it in some way because it can be worse at the Bank or Linc. Yes, this was dealt with well by security and the police, but this shouldn't happen at all.
There is already a long waiting list to get tickets in the River End for the SoBs. The waiting list presides with the FO and the Union ticket agents.
I hear a lot of people bitching and complaining about what they don't want to do to correct the problem. If you aren't willing to make concessions for your seat in TRE then (a) expect this stuff to continue to happen, or (b) don't sit in TRE. The bottom line is that the issue needs to be addressed and addressed quickly, not just for SoB members or people sitting in TRE, but for the team in general. I don't know if the removal of TRE tickets from StubHub will ultimately be the answer (I think that's a good start) but some kind of identity check should be in order. If you don't want to fish out your membership card because you are carrying food, then for goodness sake take your membership card out before you pick up your food and walk to your seat. It's really not such a hard thing to do. I honestly can't believe this is a huge burden that people are not willing to compromise on to keep TRE safe and the SoB's reputation clean. Stop whining about what stuff you aren't willing to do to make the situation better that hasn't even been decided on yet and help come up with effective solutions.
There kind of is. I thought there was a TRE ticket exchange thread on the TRE board here. Plus if you join some of the sectional FB groups (such as We Are 138) you can usually find people selling their spare tickets there.
Yes but the reason this fight started was bottles of beer were whipped onto the pitch again, and all we need is some drunk to actually connect and hit a player or ref and its ********ing over for us. The national media will pounce on it as well, so yeah we do need to deal with the problems before it gets worse.
I'm in no way excusing the behavior, but I am saying that increased ID checks etc. are not the correct response. I'd like to think that new fans coming to games and going in TRE will get to enjoy the atmosphere of a soccer game and understand that a few beers and showing passionate support doesn't have to mean fisticuffs, and the SOB can do that by example, and hopefully grow the fanbase beyond the capacity of TRE in time.
Not sure if it is because of late games, less compressed schedules, tailgate format changes, or just changes in my own personality, but the level of drunkenness at Union games has seemed to have gone up exponentially from last year.
I think the Union ticket office can help be proactive in this too. If there are seats on stubhub they can come out and check on the people in that row. does it sound silly? maybe, but they have done it before. several times last season a ticket rep came over to the people next to me bc there were always different people and they looked out of place. the rep asked where they got the tickets, if they understood what TRE was all about, etc.
I think it has, but jesus can people have some restraint? I'll drink at a sixer tailgating and I don't stumble into the stadium looking to cause trouble, act like a bigot with what I yell and scream and throw stuff on the field. I go to be with my friends and people in the RE and have a blast, and a bunch of douches that NEED to be weeded out are screwing it up for everyone.
I know that I have yet to sit on the River End and I don't know if I have a place saying anything that has to do with this, but I don't think drunkeness is at the heart of the problem. Getting smashed at a Soccer game is fun and can actually make it more enjoyable at times. It's part of the atmosphere. I will say that alcohol probably added to the ducheness of whomever started the brawl, but you also have to figure that this guy was probably a duchenozzle before he put down a few.
there's a difference between drinking and drunk, and there's a difference between drunk and obnoxious/belligerently drunk
Unless SoB leadership is going to require SoB membership for all ticket holders in TRE, showing a membership card isn't going to work. And to that end, a $30 annual fee isn't going to turn a bottle-tossing mongoloid into someone that respects the section they sit in (this wasn't the first bottle, just the first major dust up). Makes more sense to better establish the right culture within TRE and deal with issues on a per mongoloid basis.
That I can totally agree with, I'm just saying that the guy probably was a brawler. I'm on my local bar's dart league and we went on one of our away matches once and there was a guy there who, sure had a couple of drinks, but wasn't DRUNK. Didn't matter, he was one of those people who was looking for a fight and ended up not only knocking a guys tooth out, but hitting a woman as well. There are just people in the world who aim to misbehave. Unfortunately, they showed up at a Union game and even more unfortunate that it was on the River End.
http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/SoB-fight.jpg If I had to guess, I'd say you come from a very nice family and drive a big truck.