Post Classifieds
Explosive events underline growing problem
By Brian Alexander
On October 24, 2012
Sports are violent.
I love sports, and I'm an athlete, but many of them involve physical contact, and
others arose as an ancient way to prepare for war. There are inherent hostile
elements to them.
With millions of rowdy fans and popular, hard-hitting games like football and
hockey, most people think American sports set the standard for violence in athletics.
But minor scuffles between mascots and drunken arguments over replacement
referees don't compare to what goes on overseas.
On Sunday, a spectator threw a small explosive onto the pitch at a soccer match
between Anorthosis and Omonia Nicosiain, two teams in the Cyprus league. This
is the second time in five weeks that an explosive has been thrown onto a field in
international play.
The first incident involved a firecracker that went off on the sideline of a match in
Iran. Luckily, no one was seriously injured in either case.
Soccer, the original football, has carried with it a reputation of bad behavior for a
long time.
Hooliganism, when gang-like "firms" brawl in support of their favorite teams after
each match, has led to riots all over the world. In extreme cases, lives have been lost
and thousands of dollars in damage has been done.
These recent attacks, however, transcend the typical rough-and-tumble behavior
world-class sport attracts.
The fact of the matter is, these individuals brought weapons into a stadium with the
intention of throwing them at other people. This could easily be considered a form
of terrorism.
Just the fact that the assailants got the explosives past security is scary. I don't know
how much security checking is typical in other countries, but if this happened, it
can't be thorough enough.
We take this for granted in the United States because tight security measures and
regulations have been standard since 9/11. For many here in the States, there are
very specific limitations on what you can and cannot bring into a sporting event,
concert or airport.
I, for one, got my umbrella confiscated at a Bills game earlier this season. Luckily for
me and everyone else around, I brought it to keep dry.
Still, you could very easily slip something through at something like a high school or
small college event.
The recent incidents may not have seriously hurt anyone, and may not have been
intended to, but they very easily could have.
Any time throwing explosives onto an athletic field becomes a recurring event is a
time to stop and consider what the underlying cause is. These are things we need to
be conscious of when we think about the tide of events in Libya, Yemen and other
regions of the Middle East.
So remember, the next time you go to a sporting event, local or international, please
leave your fireworks at home. No one gets arrested, and no one gets hurt.
Brian Alexander can be reached by email at alexander.record@live.com.
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