Raiders 49ers Brawl: Firsthand Account of Violence That Swept Candlestick Park

I was at Saturday's Raiders vs. 49ers game.

I guess I should start by saying that I was never in any physical danger.  Actually, I didn't really witness any of the many fights that happened throughout the second half.

But being at the game, seeing what happened in the stadium and then hearing about what happened in the parking lot makes me very grateful.  Grateful that myself and all of the close friends that I have who were at Candlestick Park on Saturday came out of the game unscathed.

I am a 49ers fan.  I am also a Giants fan.  I am still horrified at what happened to Brian Stow on Opening Day of the baseball season at Dodger Stadium.

What causes this stuff?  Seriously, I want to know what people think.

Race

No, that argument just doesn't have a lot of validity to it.  Sure, it can be the case in any given instant, but I have been to way too many sporting events in my life to believe that.

At those games, the overwhelming majority of fans are completely fine, and that goes across all races.

Stupidity also goes across all races. 

In my experiences of seeing bad fans at games, I can't say that I have noticed any more prevalence in one race, or that another race is more innocent than any other is.

Alcohol

We're getting warmer here.  This was not a game that should have a 5:00 p.m. kickoff on a Saturday night.

Walking through the concourse on Saturday, it seemed like 99 percent of the fans were drunk, and this was before the game.

Don't get me wrong, not every drunken person was confrontational.  Actually, that's not even close to being accurate.

Image

I am a 49ers fan.  I am not trying to say that all Raiders fans are bad. Actually, the overwhelming majority of Raiders fans are fine.

Here's the problem: The Raiders and their fans, even most of the good ones, take their tough guy image very seriously.  It's something that they relish.

Many Raiders fans like the notion that opposing teams fans can't go into their home stadium without taking a lot of abuse.

So, too many of those same fans, or at least the worst of the Raiders fans, took that attitude across the Bay to Candlestick Park.

The Raiders fans are only a part of the equation.

49ers fans do get a little tired of the constant Raider image and the insinuation that Raiders fans are tougher than any other fans in the league just because they're Raiders fans.

So what happens when the worst Raiders fans meet the worst 49ers fans?  Brawls.  And if the fans are bad enough, it just takes one group of bad fans and another group of fans (good or bad) in the opposing team's colors.

Cheap Tickets

Preseason games aren't popular with fans.  Even though it was a game with two fan bases that could easily drive to the stadium, Candlestick was nowhere near full on Saturday.

It's not uncommon for season ticket holders to just give their tickets away, or sell them on Craigslist or Stubhub for insanely low prices.

In a regular season game, fans pay upwards of $100 for their tickets.  They are a little more responsible because the loss of a ticket is a waste of money.

What happens when a lot of the fans aren't season ticket holders?  What happens when those fans spent next to nothing on their ticket?

All of a sudden, the incentive to behave well is gone.  Throw that in with alcohol, image, and occasionally race, and bad things will happen.

I know that I was never in danger, and I am grateful for that, but I also know that that’s just luck.

Fans consider themselves too much a part of the team.  I’ve thought this for a long time.  Fortunately, it doesn’t always result in violence, but it can.

This is how brawls between players and fans start.  It’s also how brawls between fans start.

More fans need to realize that they are there to watch a game.  Nothing they do or say to other fans has any impact over what happens on the field.

They also need to realize that when other fans buy their tickets, they have the right to go to the stadium and cheer for their team.  They can wear whatever colors they want.

No fans are holier than others are.

It’s unreasonable to expect a city to designate its entire police force to one stadium for a five-six hour period.

Uniform cops at stadiums are necessary, but they do have other jobs.

The fact is that this is that fans need to fix themselves.  It starts with better behavior and includes calling other bad fans out when they are acting up.

If you see a fight or argument, don’t assume that the person that’s right is the one that’s cheering for the same team as you.

The Final Verdict

Ultimately, it comes down to image and fans feeling too much a part of the team. These problems are too often fueled by alcohol, but blaming alcohol is just too simple.

Plenty of people drink at games and behave fine. Plenty of people have far too much to drink at these games and behave fine.

Fans need to drop the notion that what they do really impacts the game.

Fights happen on the field, but that's because the players play an intense game. The fans are just watching it. The players even find a way to make nice after the game, the fans need to find a way to eliminate the violence in the stands.