A PE teacher from the Bronx was severely beaten outside of last Sunday's Jets-Chiefs game by a group of drunk Chiefs fans who also took time out to throw a few 9/11 insults at the victim before setting upon him. The Post has a few details:
A diehard Jets fan was savagely beaten on his own turf by a drunken gang of Kansas City Chiefs fans after their team was trounced on Sunday — with one of the assailants barking “F--k New York” and “You all deserved what happened on 9/11!” the victim’s distraught family told The Post.
This is hardly the first time a fan has been beaten outside a major sporting event this year. In fact, it's starting to become alarmingly routine, with Giants fan Bryan Stow beaten into a coma by angry Dodgers fans this summer, a Raiders fan getting stabbed by a Chargers fan outside an Oakland/San Diego game, and two men getting shot in the parking lot at Candlestick Park during a Niners/Raiders preseason game.
Obviously, both the Eagles and Jets are known for having drunken, rowdy fanbases. Eagles fans cheer for injuries. Jets fans treat halftime like Mardi Gras. When they meet up this Sunday at the Linc, there's always the danger of something like this happening again.
There's a certain charm in having a boorish fanbase, but there's always the imminent threat that playful sports hate will morph into real and gruesome hatred, as it did with this group of Chiefs fans this past week. I suppose the NFL could help curb this kind of violence by restricting alcohol sales and limiting pregame tailgating hours, but then that would hurt revenue. And I doubt you'll see NFL owners voluntarily give up free money anytime soon.
