HBO's Mary Carillo reported on certain fan behavior at
NFL game on "Real Sports." "Real Sports" took hidden
cameras to several NFL stadiums over the last three weeks of
the regular season to observe the behavior of fans.
Carillo: "What we found was that problem fans not only
stagger out of the stadiums - many stagger in." Eric
Walker, Exec Dir of the Pontiac Silverdome, who denied a
Lions request for a ban on alcohol at the stadium during
games: "You just can't let a few fans destroy a whole
evening for 80,000 fans." Carillo: "How much would it cost
the Silverdome to ban the sale of alcohol?" Walker: "One
hundred thousand dollars a ... game, or more. ... When it
comes to keeping a facility operating and capable of meeting
its obligations, that's significant." Bill Cody, NJ State
Senate Minority Leader - Elect, is "considering legislation
that would ban the sale of alcohol at sporting events" in
NJ. Cody: "If it weren't for the money issue, there
wouldn't be alcohol sold at sporting events." NFL VP/
Stadium Management Joe Ellis was interviewed by Carillo and
said that 99.9% of fans "drink responsibly." Carillo showed
Ellis footage from the hidden cameras featuring some drunk
fans. Ellis: "You could have filmed 59-60,000 other people
coming out of that park, that wouldn't have behaved like
that. ... [but] it's inappropriate behavior ... we by no
means condone that" ("Real Sports," HBO, 1/12).
