Received My Tickets This Morning

Relax, 04. I've never advocated it, never will. Just stating the reality of it.

But before you totally go off, realize that the pot smoking and coke snorting I mention represent the fringe of bad behavior and is rare indeed. You'd have the readers of this board thinking one is surrounded by this at a game.

The coke-snorting I witnessed was in the late eighties... haven't seen that since. The pot smoking? Well, if you've been to ANY concert anywhere and haven't smelled it, you're just not inhaling. Again, not saying it's right, but in the post-9/11 world, I'm not about call out the National Guard over it either.

Parental guidance is just that. There's nothing wrong with talking to your kids about it and perhaps the best opportunity would be in the parking lot at a game. If you think your children will never be exposed to this kind of stuff, then you'd better not even send them off to college. My point is, if you go to the Meadowlands and your child smells pot and asks, "What's that smell, Dad?," it's a perfect opportunity to tell him or her what's not acceptable to you and your family and why drugs and alcohol are bad. To not attend a game over it because you don't want your children exposed to it is silly and implies your children will never be exposed to it with or without your presence. You won't be able to keep them in your coccoon all their lives, you know? Better not walk them past the front door of a local tavern, I guess, for fear they may become drunks at some point.

Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to parent, but nor do I need any lectures on what I'm willing to witness at games or what I should and shouldn't consider good and bad behavior. People are going to be people, wherever you go, and unacceptable behavior is everywhere, not just at Jets games. To go off over occasional behavior like this at Jets games and therefore denegrate anyone's decision to attend is living in major denial of the real world.

As far as throwing footballs around cars, no big deal. And the guys over at 16H are not exactly "MAKING MONEY IN THE MEADOWLANDS PARKING LOT WITHOUT A PERMIT," most or all of what they collect in donations goes to some very worthwhile charities.

If all of that bothers you, by all means, don't attend games. It's much safer to sit in your living room and not have to worry about outside influences, balls landing on your SUV or people making noise and having a good time. This way you keep the world at a distance and you'll never have to worry about outside influences. What an ideal world that will be! At least for now.

 

Hahahahaha.... this is becoming quite humorous. Now you're worrying about income tax evasion and liquor licenses? Tell me, 04, is there anything you DON'T worry about? "Among other things, I won't attend Jets games because people there avoid taxes and dispense liquor without a license." Do you realize how absurd this sounds? They pass a hat for donations to charities, dude.

Good grief, man. Look, I respect you as a poster and you make some very good football points, but perhaps you need to lighten up. If you don't have children old enough to attend games yet, then I can now understand your idealism. You want the best for your kids, always, and all of us always do. But to not include a Jets game as a fun event to attend because there might be a "bad influence" there is just plain silly.

I'm 61 years old and my "kids" are now fully grown. They're responsible, sober, intelligent members of society and I'm very, very proud of them. And I've taken them to many, many Jets games over the years. My son works for Merrill Lynch and my daughter teaches 1st grade, and they still attend Jets games with me occasionally. So my point is, I think you're over-reacting to what your kids will be exposed to at Jets games. In fact, it's great family fun, and if you take them to games, your kids will always have fond memories of doing that with you! Some of life's best experiences and teaching vehicles is to witness what NOT to do in life!

 

The number of responsible drinkers and tailgaters far outweigh the losers who choose to get blown away to watch a game. In fact, there are many more people our age who go to the games now and who hardly party at all, as opposed to years ago. In the 80's it was a bit on the wild side, I have to admit. Fights were much more prevalent... more drugs and alcohol, more people out of control. But the crowd on average is more "mature" today because season ticketholders are holding onto the tix longer.

But getting back to my point about the parking lot... it seems that there's always been less trouble in the parking lot than there is in the actual stadium itself. I never see security having to deal with bad behavior in the parking lot, but they're all over some drunken loser in the stadium in a heartbeat, which is good. There should be zero tolerance for out-of-control fans at the game.