Oakland Raiders-San Francisco 49ers Incident: Part of Growing Epidemic in Sports

In the eyes of sports fans, the matchups between rivals are more than just games.

They're battles of territory and ultimate supremacy. But when will the line be drawn?

Over the weekend, two men were shot and another was beaten unconscious during an exhibition game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park.

That's right, an exhibition game. Preseason. The game had no significant value in the win or loss columns because it was preseason. Yet two men could have lost their lives.

Needless to say this is not the first time an incident like this has happened, nor will it be the last. Remember Bryan Stow? The Giants fan is still hospitalized after being beaten to the point of near-death by two Dodger fans after Opening Day in Los Angeles.

Here's the kicker: The Dodgers won the game that day! I'm not saying the beating of Stow would have been justified had the Dodgers lost, but be real. The Dodgers won the game and instead of going out to celebrate, two men still felt the need to cause such devastation to a man and his entire family over something so trivial.

Although California seems to be getting the worst of this treatment, unfortunately incidents like this happen worldwide. Club soccer in Argentina has seen gates torn down by rowdy fans with the intent of sending a message to the opposing fans. Games have been canceled, people have been arrested and even worse, people have died. And for what? To prove that one team is better than the other? Is it worth risking another life for the sake of one's team?

Parents fight with other parents during their kids games as well. Living their dream through their children has taken yet another turn for the worst as it happens all around. It's sick.

The beginning of August saw another rivalry take a nasty turn when an Oklahoma Sooner fan attacked a Texas Longhorn fan in an Applebee's restaurant in San Antonio. The two men started arguing when the Sooner fan came at his counterpart with a blade. Both men were taken into custody and suffered stab wounds during the melee.

I understand the Red River Rivalry is one of the biggest rivalries in sports, but knifing another to prove supremacy is uncalled for. Incidents like these don't belong in sports.

As an Oakland Raider fan, I have a boiling hatred for the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Having said that, despite how upset they make me, or how bad the Raiders may lose to their divisional rivals, I could never take somebody else's life simply because they were wearing the opposing team's colors.

It's a game for crying out loud.

Rivalries are crucial elements of the sporting world. They give fans that extra bit of excitement when their team plays their arch nemesis.

Such rivalries have catapulted arguments over territory, such as between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. This rivalry's animosity dates back to the European settlement of North America in the 17th century as to whether the territories would speak English or French.

Others have started over the course of frequently important games like the Cowboys and Packers. (Although the Packers and Bears are arguably the biggest rivalry in the NFL.)

There will always be those fans who take their team too seriously to the point where causing physical harm to somebody in the heat of the moment is an option.

Once again, it's a game for crying out loud.

To those erratic fans out there I ask you: Do you play for that team? Is that team you cheer so desperately for paying your bills? If your team loses to its rival, does is seriously affect your life at all? If it does, then you need a hobby. Because the sick thought of causing serious harm towards another individual over a game shouldn't even be concocted in one's mind.

Although the violence will not stop, it's only a matter of time before there is ultimate Armageddon in the world of sports, and it's everybody for themselves.