As an athletic director at a Colorado high school, I’ve had to deal with fan misbehavior.
But I’ve never seen anything like what happened at a recent Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field.
First, let me say I understand that baseball is not golf. I’ve played for years, since the age of 8, with the Pueblo Old-Timers. An agreed-upon part of the game is razzing players from other teams and vocally objecting to umps’ calls. I know that some fans and players will be passionate and vocal at baseball games, questioning players’ abilities and umpires’ calls — even while sitting in the third deck in left field.
But at some point, there has to be a line that cannot be crossed in the public domain, and that line was repeatedly crossed with impunity at last week’s Rockies game against the Dodgers.
It was the third game of the series, a week ago today. My wife and I considered the game important enough to travel 140 miles one way to see it. We likewise thought it worthy of paying $60 a seat, in the RocHenge suite area.
What we could not know is that those fans sitting in the adjacent suite would get as drunk as they possibly could, use as many profanities as they wanted, be threatening and belligerent, and despite repeated complaints to Coors Field staff, continue to ruin the game for everyone around them.
Soccer hooligans looked dignified in comparison.
In our section were kids, adults and military honorees (it was Military Appreciation Day). It was a bad experience for us all.
So I have a couple of questions:
• If these morons behaved the same way at a mall, a restaurant, or some other public venue where children were present, would it be OK, or would law enforcement be called?
• Is a baseball game (the great American pastime) really a good place to take kids?
• Do the rights of drunken idiots override those of responsible citizens?
• Who drove the louts home?
I’m going to make a simple suggestion: If a patron at a ballgame is totally drunk and obnoxious, let’s remove him, test his drunkenness and, if necessary, remove him from the stadium so others can enjoy the game that we have spent good money on.
Or perhaps we could have alcohol-free seating sections, since the booze often seems to be the instigator.
I know that I am not the only one to complain, and am frustrated that Coors Field did nothing to stop the behavior. It’s a shame. I don’t expect there will be any serious attempt to solve this issue, so will likely take the slurred advice of the drunks in the next suite, and watch future ballgames at home.
And to parents who are worried about profanity at ballgames, allow me to pass on the advice from the loud drunks in the suite next to us: “The f—— kids gotta grow up some f—— time!”
Incidentally, I did not take up the challenge by six or seven of the drunks to fight them in front of the stadium. I would say maybe next time, but from this last experience at Coors Field, there probably won’t be a next time.
Ray Davis has worked at Rye High School for 19 years, the last three as athletic director and assistant principal. He is retiring at the end of the month.
