re: Abusive 49er Fans at Candlestick getting national attention

Letters to the editor, Jan. 17
I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 25 years but have remained a staunch Saints fan with close ties to New Orleans. My family still lives in New Orleans and has held our season tickets since 1967. I “get” the emotion of the game, the moment and the enthusiasm of the 49er fans.
Despite the extraordinary setting at the ’Stick, we were shocked by the hostility, vulgarity and intimidation that rained down on me and my two teenage daughters from the moment we stepped into the parking lots. Yes, we were proudly wearing our Saints colors; that’s what loyal fans do. And yes, we expected some good-natured jeering.

We had vulgarities screamed at us repeatedly in the parking lots and literally nonstop by the hooligans around us in the stands. While walking through the lots we had footballs thrown at us, guys screaming curses in our faces — my daughters asked if I had heard the guy who yelled “your mother’s a whore,” which I had, but couldn’t show a reaction for fear for my daughters’ and my own safety. We finally took to shadowing two cops that were strolling through the lots until we dashed for what we thought would be the relative sanity of the stadium.

The stadium was no better. Every other word from dozens of fans around us was an f-bomb shouted at the top of their lungs. There were seven or eight large 30- to 35-year-old guys directly behind us who cursed and threatened us the entire game. After one string of profanities I turned around to look at them and the most obnoxious and combative of the bunch yelled, “Do not turn around again! Do not ever turn around again” and punctuated it with a profanity. They used gay slurs repeatedly at the husband of a middle-aged couple in front of us, the only other Saints fan in our area, and called his wife a bitch.

One of my daughters asked me, “Why don’t you do something, Daddy?” Do what? Fight 10 guys, call/text security when all those guys behind me would know who would have fingered them?
Leave early? We almost did.

The hostility and threats of violence were a constant throughout our experience. It appeared to be ingrained in the fans’ culture, similar to the hooliganism that destroyed the reputation of English soccer. The long wait for the playoffs, the excitement of a big game? No excuse. I’ve been to big games in venues around the world and believe me, I’ve been a Saints fan my whole life so I certainly know about long playoff waits. The Vikings fans in the tailgate parties before the NFC championship game were eating crayfish and dancing along with the Saints fans — they weren’t threatened, they were having a great time.

Every 49ers fan, the team and it’s owners should be ashamed and embarrassed to wear the red and gold today. They won the game but are losers in every other way.

Don Moses, Mill Valley?

Name withheld
ninerfanguy 8:51 PM on January 17, 2012
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Unfortunately the culture has deteriorated to the point where we accept the behavior that you see at the games today. I have been attending Niner games for 40 plus years including Super Bowls and Championship games. I now live in Dallas and attend any time the Niners are in town. While there is some 'ribbing', I have never been threatened, spat at or had stuff thrown on me. The only thing I can say that is bothersome is the language gets out of hand. It seems when I go back 'home' to see Niner games or Giants for that matter, the behavior has really gone down hill. So unfortunate because you really can't bring your kids without going through a great deal of behavior disclaimers trying to numb your kids of any of the trashy actions they may witness. I do think there is going to have to be some serious monitoring and cracking down to change the culture of attending games. I also think that like the airlines, when you misbehave on a flight they don't mess around, you're gone! And put on a 'watch list'. But that is going to take the courage of the team owners as well as the NFL. Do they have the fortitude to turn the games back to the greater majority of the fans or do they want to continue to turn a blind eye to the behavior of a small few for fear that calling them out will soil their profits and their "good names"?

It is very sad when you can't bring your family to a football game and not fear for your life. I'm from New Orleans and heard MANY phone calls to our local radio station about how poorly Sants fans were treated at Candlestick Park. I went there 2 years ago to see the Saints - 49's opening game. In the beginning, it was fun - lots of joking, ribbing about the better team. When we arrived to our seats I noticed all around the stadium there were signs *TO REPORT UNRULY FAN BEHAVIOR TEXT... * I thought there must be alot of bad behavior here if they have signs all around the interior of the stadium. That night the Saints won - and that's when the trouble began. Walking to our car we were cursed at, spit at, had drinks thrown at us. I was floored! We got to our car quickly and waited inside hoping to leave without any trouble. I vowed I'd never come back here again. So hearing all this doesn't surprise me one bit. And unfortunately things are worse. It is disgusting that the *bad element* has total control of this stadium. I've been to ALOT of games thru the years and NEVER have had the experience I had in SF. Very sad...

I went to a game last year for the first time since I had season tickets 1985-1998. The friend who took me gave me a warning. He said, "It's not the same as it used to be." He was right. When I got there, I thought of George Bailey returning to Bedford Falls after it became Potterville. Everything was still there as it was, but it had turned meaner and dirtier. The parking lot was no longer a place to make friends, but a place to keep your head down and avoid trouble. The stadium was full of foul-mouthed, drunks taunting the other team and it's fans like it was a midweek Dodger game in the old Candlestick bleachers. Maybe Randy Cross would be proud of this no-white-wine, motley crew -- but I'll take the old crowd over the new one. The team, that's a different story. Go Niners

Glad I didnt go, because I would have said something to those assholes and got my arse kicked.

Man, I was going to suggest we welcome them in the same way but not now. I feel sorry for their good fans. What a freaking cess pool. When someone gets killed it will be the mother of all lawsuits as clearly the inmates have taken over the Asylum here. NFL really needs to step in here and at least clear the gangsters out.

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Plus I am sure these gangsters will not travel anyway

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No, they can't afford to leave. But the rest will pay for what Who Dat Nation had to put up with there.

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the rest will pay for what Who Dat Nation had to put up with there.

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Amen Brother. They'll rue the day they crossed the Who Dats

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49'ers fans next year, be ready.

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shite is goin down next year.

NFL fans are weird.