The Daily Pennsylvanian :: Sharon Udasin | Eagles and violence: a pair for life

I am a Giants fan - perhaps one of the most blasphemous comments to make in the city of Philadelphia. I grew up playing catch with my dad in suburban New Jersey streets, and most Sundays, I knelt in front of the television screaming "defense" to unhearing white-and-blue defensive linesmen. If I were lucky, I would get to occasionally pile on layers of long underwear and make that turnpike trek up to the landfill-blanketed Meadowlands.

Philadelphia, of course, was always dangerous territory to any Giants fan, yet I never understood why. However, when I arrived at Penn and absorbed the local football atmosphere, I saw the reality of the violence that is notorious among Eagles fans. Such crimes and misconduct are childish and dangerous and certainly do not belong among responsible, working adults.

"Every week, the fans want to annihilate the other team," loyal fan and College senior Jim Goldblum said.

Both Goldblum and College senior Mike Zubrow attended the infamous Eagles vs. Cowboys game in 1999, in which Dallas wide receiver Michael Irvin suffered a career-ending injury. Although Irvin was clearly immobilized, Eagles fans continued to cheer rowdily - Zubrow's season tickets have been passed down for generations, yet he noted that he was "ashamed" of his fellow fans' reactions and decided not to partake in this blatant disrespect.

In the historic Veterans Stadium, police operated a municipal "Eagles Court" and jail cells, which accommodated the frequent arrests made by police during the games. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Judge Seamus McCaffrey made 18 arrests during the first court hearings on Nov. 23, 1997. While the newly built Lincoln Financial Field does not contain such extreme disciplinary features, a fan telephone hotline allows for immediate access to stadium police officers.

Why, I wonder, do Eagles fans experience so much more uproar and violent devotion than other fans across the nation? While the idea may be cliche, a city that prides itself on brotherly love should certainly not be presenting such antagonistic and vicious conduct toward opposing teams' fans.

My father - whose devotion to the Giants leads him to away games in places as distant as Dallas and San Francisco - will not attend a game in nearby Philadelphia due to the potential dangers that non-Eagles fans may face.

I posed my question to James McCann, administrative lieutenant in Philadelphia's fourth district, which includes Lincoln Financial Field. He explained that football has been "ingrained in the neighborhood" - a form of "community entertainment" shared by generations of fans. As opposed to younger teams, the Eagles are "almost like cult," rooted in their deep historical presence. Such fanatical attachment to the team often results in misdemeanor, and around "98 percent of the arrests are for intoxication," McCann said.

Both Goldblum and Zubrow witnessed several fights at last weekend's game against the Giants, and, in one instance, two Eagles fans were actually hitting each other. At stadiums across the country, I've seen fans that are just as passionate for their teams, but I rarely see them funnel that passion into violence.

According to Victor Cooper, the director of facilities and security at the Linc, about 40 of the more than 70,000 fans at last weekend's game were removed from the stadium for inappropriate behavior.

But that's to be expected.

"Don't come into the Lincoln expecting people to respect you," Zubrow said. "They're gonna give you an earful."

Interestingly, Goldblum and Zubrow each observed that the Giants' stunning comeback and overtime victory surprisingly led not to violence but instead to deafening silence and a feeling of utter doom.

"It looked like everyone got vomited on," Goldblum said. "I don't think people really had it in them to talk trash."

However, I'm bewildered by the idea that only such a crushing defeat can prevent Philadelphia fans from continuing to ravage the enemies who sit among them. Eagles football is truly the lifeblood of its supporters, and each fumble or interception becomes a personal issue for the individual spectator. Such distress and resultant crime is unreasonable - a football team should never have to have a judicial system or a prison within the confines of its stadium.

"We're like dogs pissing on a tree; it's a territorial thing," Goldblum said. Eagles fans are "the evangelicals of football."

Sharon Udasin is a College senior from East Brunswick, N.J. Her e-mail address is udasin@dailypennsylvanian.com. Shed a Little Light appears on Mondays.

Comments (31)

You (Sharon) are the precise reason women are not respected in the field of professional sports journalism. The observations presented in this article are shallow, biased, and far from insightful. Despite what the article suggests, fans of Philadelphia sports are far from neanderthals and, in fact, are consistently considered some of the most knowledgeable in the country. Get a clue and do your homework if you decide to write about sports in this town again. Your opportunistic rant unfairly indicts ALL Eagles fans and is clearly not fit to print. Thumbs down to the DP�?s editor. Get a life. Go Eagles.

You have no idea what you are talking about... unbelieveable. In South America, people are killed when THEIR TEAM WINS. In New York, citizens are known for their ignorance and blatent disrespect for one another. And if you ever question our brotherly love, then look no further than the fact that you haven't been tarred and feathered and dragged down Broad Street... because that is surely what you deserve. If you don't like it here or are "afraid" (big pussy) then leave and go back to north jersey... they are full of italian guidos and promiscuous women... real great crowd to be around. Maybe you should move to San Diego, you would fit in well there because apparently it means "a whales vagina."

I can't resist a counterpoint. It's about passion, not violence. Take a look at any other team (usually those who've been around a while) whose fans are renouned for being insane: Browns, Raiders, Packers, Bears... the mainstay of these groups is lower-middle class guys who work shitty jobs and cheer their teams like mad on Sunday, living vicariously through their chosen champions for three hours every week. There's going to be some spillover. You don't see the same type of passion out of Dallas fans (who are almost as detestable bunch of bandwagoners as Yankees fans), Giants fans, or teams like the Panthers, Titans, who haven't had time to build a history in their city. Further, I think Eagles fans are unfairly singled out for our bad behavior. If you did a comparative study for violence related arrests across the league I'd be suprised to find us as an outlier. In fact, I'd expect a trend of more violence for teams corresponding to their length of time in the league (and as importantly, in one city). Just because you're afraid of us, doesn't make us any worse than the norm. And yeah, Giants fans should fear the Linc. Go Birds.

Fans from most of the Northeast and Midwest cities are pretty hardcore. I wouldn't recommend wearing another team's colors in any of them. I remember a time in the old dog pound (Cleveland for you neophytes) where a television cameraman was pelted into unconsciousness by fans throwing batteries. In an incident that would make an Eagles fan blush, the pelting continued as the man lay motionless on the ground.

For you to act as though this is only a problem in Philadelphia is amazingly myopic. I have made the trip to Giants Stadium proudly wearing my Silver and Green and have received the same treatment from die hard Giants fans as you report ONLY happens in Philadelphia. There are bad apples in every city and unfortunately you assume that the majority of Eagles fans follow this pattern of behavior. You should open your eyes and ears a little wider at Giants stadium if you truly do not see the same behavior on display. Your writing is just a simple regurgitation of many articles from years past written by non-Eagles supporters. Lets get an original thought out there, or perhaps do an expose on the pristine behavior record of your own fans before you cast stones. I am so sick of being lumped into this "violent" group when my upper level section is a harmonious and respectful group of fans from all walks of life.

While I don't think its enirely unfair to single-out Eagles fans (who have done their share of stupid things), I do think you need more reliable evidence than a few personal opinions and one statistic that can speak only to Philadelphia. I imagine there are incidents at other stadiums and in other cities similar to the things that go on in Philadelphia. If I recall correctly, it was Giants fans at Giant Stadium who pelted then-San Diego coach Bobby Ross with snowballs. Furthermore, moron fans in Kansas City actually assulted a firstbase coach. (Not to mention the Penn students who attempted to light a Princeton student on fire). Bad behavior occurs everywhere, by fans of many teams.

Haha. They have LexusNexus at Penn, don't they? Do your research! The Giants have had a sordid history of violence and ejected fans too. Try these search terms: "1995," "New York Giants," "San Diego Chargers," "Snowballs," "Equipment Manager," "Knocked Unconscious." That should provide at least one notorious example.

Right on! Eagles fans are unruly.

There is violence all over the NFL involving the fans. From Oakland to D.C. getting drunk fans together watching a violent sport can end up in violence. Apparently the DP loves to get people who know little or nothing about a topic to write about and bash a massive group of people that inhabit the city the school is in. How about instead of getting someone unknowledgable about the subject to write about the Eagles get someone who actually understands the mentality of football. Or just reprint one of the dozens of articles about the same topic written over the last five years, god forbid you have an original opinion article.

This happens everywhere. Maybe you didn't see it because you were knelt in front of the TV and not at the actual game itself. You obviously weren't lucky enough to make it to enough games or you could have witnessed this violence you speak of. You give no information of your own except for what you apparently see around the atmosphere at Penn. Maybe you were just taught to believe what you speak of... because you have never witnessed any of it at a game in Philadelphia, or New Jersey.

I went to see my 49ers play in Philly in week 2 of last year wearing my Alex Smith jersey and my bright red 9ers cap. There was plenty of trash talk, but I never felt threatened or in any kind of danger. I sat up in the nose bleeds with the rest of the lower middle class fans and cheered on my team without incident. Of course this anectdote provides no more evidence against Eagles violence than the Author's anecdotes suggesting violence. If you're going to write an opinion article for an Ivy League newspaper, please include some facts before making unfounded conclusions.

Cry me a river Sharon...all games are the same. You have respectful fans, quiet ones, and hardcore-in-your-face fans that don't give a shit about the opposing team. Apparently sitting watching the tv rather than being at the games, hasn't taught you that simple lesson. Don't single out the Eagles for violence; the Giants are just as screwed up. Eagles fans are just more vocal at cheering our team on and booing an opposing team and that is what makes are games so dam great. So please take your whining bullshit about violence at Eagles games and stick it up your ass.

One fact remains, the vet was the ONLY stadium that ever had a court room in it. It is fair to assume that this is because it was the only stadium that needed to have a court room Other than the snowball fight (and I was at that game), New York Giants fans are very repsectful. While that game was inexcusable, it was more a result of the snow not being cleaned from the stands. The only reason you don't see that normally is because they now to a better job cleaning the snow. By far the loudest outdoor stadiums in the NFL are Seattle (because of the coffee I guess) and Fedex Field in DC. I was at FedEx field last year for a huge division game wearing and Eli Manning jersey and did not feel at any risk. Granted people were being rude and trash talking but nothing that required use of a court room. And don't be a moron and bring up, "it's because the Eagles are an old organization." The New York Giants are 8 years older than the Eagles and have not had this problem. Other teams older than the Eagles without any problems are the Packers, Bears, and the Redskins and Cardinals (who both moved to different cities after the founding of the Eagles). Since these organizations are older, and most sell more tickets than the Eagles, you can't use loyalty as an excuse for violence. That brings me to the real excuse for violence. That excuse is frustration. The Philadelphia Eagles have not won a championship since 1961, and therefore their fans become frustrated and take it out on other teams' fans. As for our resident 49er fan, there is really no reason for the Eagles fans to get worked up when they're playing against a high school team. The city of Philadelphia in fact has not won a championship in any sport since the 76ers and Phillies both won 1983. The person that used Cleveland to argue most note that the city of Cleveland has an even longer championship draught.

It's idiotic to say that violent fans and embarrassing behavior is strictly an Eagles-fan thing. Here's a link to a list (not complete by far) of sporting events where the fans got violent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_violent_spectator_incidents_in_sports. It covers many more cities than Philly and many more sports than football, and spans 3 decades. Fans are idiots all over, in every sport. Not just Eagles fans in Philly. What a moronic, un-researched, poorly reported opinion piece this is.

I'm sorry, but the logical nightmare that is the sentence "It is fair to assume that this is because it was the only stadium that needed to have a court room" is forcing me to make my first post in six plus years of reading this website. The Eagles were the only team to recognize and address the problem of overly rowdy fans in a fairly effective way. They were not the only team to have them. The litany of violence in other city's stadia is so extensive that it wouldn't seem like it needs to be listed but apparently they do. Bottles were thrown midgame on the field in Cleveland and New Orleans halting play, the Giants needed to announce to the fans they'd forfeit the game against San Diego if they didn't stop pelting the field with snowballs, on three separate occasions in the last 10 years Chicago baseball fans have attacked players (or elderly coaches) on the field, Detroit fans throwing drinks prompted the Ron Artest brawl, Denver fans sent a camera man to the hospital by hitting him in the head with batteries and this is just off the top of my head (mind you this column also reads like it was written off the top of one's head, but to its credit it was not about dating at Penn). This doesn't even address events like stadium fights that happen regularly in Denver and Oakland and other NFC East cities. Philadelphia fans are the not the only rowdies, just the only ones who get their wrongs treated in list format rather than treated as aberrations (dating back to the humerous incident of booing a guy in a Santa Claus costume back in the 1960s, the booed Santa frequently calls in to WIP and finds it to be funny and ironic rather than callous). I don't think this treatment of the stories is an anti-Philadelphia bias so much as an easy story bias. Why bother researching a new angle about bad fans when the Philadelphia fans are bad story format is already written and a new incident is just tacked onto the end of the list? By the way, very very timely column.

This article is complete trash. Yeah, alot of eagles fans are tough- big deal. It's the NFL. Stop whining.

Mike, clearly asking this girl to do her own research is expecting too much. So let me help. Here you go innocent Giants fan: In one of the NFL's darkest memories, a 1995 game at the Meadowlands had to be forfeited by the New York Giants when intoxicated fans rained icy snowballs down on the San Diego Chargers. Some 15 people were injured and a member of the Chargers equipment crew landed in the hospital after he was hit in the head.

I agree with the article, Sharon, Eagles fans are dirtbags. I go to Penn State and it was great last Sunday to watch the birds choke against the Giants, as usual, and the anger and frustration of the eagles fans afterwards. The Steelers fans here aren't as bad, even after they were shut out on Monday night football. let's go State! Defending Big 10 Champions

Anthony, can you explain why the fact that you go to Penn State is relevant to your comment?

[QUOTE id="493ebb4a-45c3-425c-9cdb-440ef78d570f"]Anthony, can you explain why the fact that you go to Penn State is relevant to your comment?[/QUOTE] Two reasons: First, since it is in the middle of PA, there is about an even distribution of Eagles and Steelers fans here, with some Giants/Jets/Skins/Cowboys fans thrown in, and from what I've encountered so far, Eagles fans are clearly the most vocal and hostile, although I haven't witnessed any violence here, more just taunting and trash-talking. Second: I am damn proud to be a Nittany Lion and I will announce the fact that I go to Penn State whenever I can. We may not repeat as Big 10 champs this year, but we'll get our revenge on Michigan by giving them their first loss of the year on October 14th. Let's go State!

Rememmber when Brian Dawkins took that cheap shot on me and ended my season in 2002? And I was never the same the rest of my career. I believe that Dawkins was applauded for that cheap shot. Cheering opposing players' injuries is something you do not see in any other city. It was a good thing Jeremy caught that touchdown pass the last game of the season by outleaping Dawkins to send that game to overtime and send us to the playoffs in 2002. If it wasn't for Jason Sehorn, that year could've been special even after I was out for the year.

shannon, you might the dumbest bitch I've ever heard. Stop acting like you know football. Plus, you're from E. Brunswick, the epitomy of where one can find self-righteous, insular rich kids like yourself.

illiterate people shouldn't post

[QUOTE id="6c3c70f4-0778-4f78-ba30-3368c2b6b53a"]shannon, you might the dumbest bitch I've ever heard. Stop acting like you know football. Plus, you're from E. Brunswick, the epitomy of where one can find self-righteous, insular rich kids like yourself.[/QUOTE] so i've lived in philly my whole life and i love the eagles, and sure i'm not thrilled about being associated with violence...but when you address the columnist and attemp to insult her, maybe you should get her name right.

Most of the comments about Giants fans being just as bad refer to one specific game - the snowball game. I were there and it was violent. But that was the last game of the year for a losing team, right around Christmas. So none of the regular ticket holders were there - they had all given away their tickets. The crowd was almost all teenagers and young adults who spent most of the game on the spirals smoking marijuana. That game was the one exceptions at Giants Stadium. At the Vet it happened all the time.