re: Fan Behavior

I’d argue that behavior at sporting events is a predictor of how things would go with anonymity if the internet. The first time you ever heard people saying insane stuff was at sporting events when you had anonymity because nobody knew who you were. It’s actually harder now to get away with it because so many people are recording everything and people are much easier to identify by way of all the internet sleuths.

Also, people that don’t regularly compete at anything are the worst fans. They don’t know what it’s like to lose, to respect the other guy in the competition, and frankly just don’t seem to get it. I’m always impressed by how the NFL guys who are literally beating each other up all game can shake hands at the end. Those guys get it and they’ve been competing for along time. The guy who works in a cubicle all day and never gets out and puts himself at risk to lose doesn’t appreciate it, and they get the most frustrated. They are the ones yelling all this stupid stuff.

Lastly, the Ryder cup was the most expensive sporting event ticket I’ve ever purchased because the demand is so high. They could enforce a super strict behavior policy and tons of people would still sign up and pay to attend. The masters is this way and that’s held every year. Ryder cup is once every four years, so demand is even higher. The tournament organizers could nip this in the bud very easily if they wanted to.