A tip of the hat to Security at BC Place

We've all seen fans being escorted out of the stadium by security for a variety of reasons. Last night I witnessed an incident which I thought I'd share. It all started off in the usual way. A couple of yellow jacketed security officials approached a fan sitting very near the Calgary bench. He was being asked to leave. He refused. He did not appear drunk. From what I understand he was a seasons ticket holder. He was getting a lot of support by the fans around him who were probably some of his buddies and if you were to ask those around this dude they would have said he was being picked on. I'd find out later how wrong they were.

Almost 20 minutes later there was a gathering of 3 cops and 4 yellow jacketed security officials and even a well dressed Lions executive type with clip board in hand trying to "reason" with this guy who was determined that what he was doing fell within the revelry of football etiquette and he should not have to leave. What was really ticking me were some of the buffoons sitting around me who were chanting, "Let him stay, let him stay." In essence they were taunting the officials and the police. Near the incident all sorts of wannabe "reporters" were holding up their cell phones videoing the incident. I guess they were hoping to see "excessive" force being used so they could have their 5 minutes of fame on Youtube. The police were great and very patient. I do not know what they told the guy but he eventually cooperated but still had to be hand - cuffed and escorted out.

One fan sitting behind me thought the guy should have been allowed to stay. I turned around and told him that all of us were sitting too many rows up and away to know what all happened or had been said. He retorted and said that the fans can say whatever they want to say including to the opposing players' bench because they were, after all, paying customers and fans. Interestingly this same fan's son came to one game when his father couldn't come. He was an obnoxious ill behaved type and was making life miserable during that particular game. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

It turns out last night the guy down below near the visitor's bench was verbally giving it to one of the Calgary players who was well within earshot. I don't know which player. The fan was threatening the player to come into the stands so he could be "sorted out". The player was cool. He didn't pull off a Cornish. He asked a security official standing near by if he knew who the "A hole" was or anything about this fan. The player was getting quite ticked off at the threatening remarks this guy continued to make and told the official, " If the guy wants to sort anyone out, let him come down here on the field and we'll see who will be sorting out whom." The player told the official that fair is fair and he realized that visiting teams will get razzed occasionally and taunted but when a fan starts to actually threaten players, for whatever reason, its time for them to go. That's exactlly what happened. The bench complained and the official radioed it in.

I saw nothing unreasonable about the way the official handled this. I was embarrassed at the idiots around me who couldn't keep their nose out of others' business and who did not know the specifics of the incident but were more than willing to try and humiliate the officials and the police by booing and chanting at them. Quite honestly, having gotten to know some of these fans by chatting with them over the years I was disappointed and shocked by their display of immaturity.

In my opinion the guy being ejected had it coming and what I was seeing was that typical bully mob mentality. The clowns around me were expressing their displeasure about what they were perceiving and yet were not even close enough to the situation to know what was happening.

I tip my hat off to the official who stood up to the raspberry comments being voiced during the incident and in fact by a few hold outs long after the game was over who were still trying to give it to him. He was told by his higher ups to call in the incident. He did what he had to do. Hopefully if this season ticket holder is even allowed back into the stadium he will have learned his lesson and is going to come and enjoy the game and not make it a personal thing between the fan and player. The Calgary Stampeders or any visiting team doesn't need that crappola. BC fans don't need those types either.

i agree, except I think they should have escorted him to the calgary bench.

Sometimes I love your sense of humor FYB!! :rockin:

I sit on the opposite side of the stadium and was wondering what was going on out there. I'm glad it all went smoothly, thanks for sharing.

I'm glad the situation was dealt with well and the fans were eventually escorted to leave. Back in week one during the Bombers-Lions game there were uniformed members of our military in the section next to mine a few rows down that got very intoxicated during the game and we're yelling obscenities toward the Lions. Some BC fans were sick of hearing it so they told the soldiers and sailors to pipe down. I guess the military guys think they run this country and turned to the fans and threatened to kick the tar out of them if they didn't close their mouths. Security came out to try to eject the military guys and the fans in the area were doing a similar thing chirping security to leave them alone. Once or twice more BC Place security had to come out to give warnings to the military guys to keep it friendly but they continued to be obnoxious til the end of the game. Even during their disgusting and disgraceful display people continued to buy them drinks treating them like they're heroes. NOW, don't take this post as me being an anti-military person.. i have family and friends in the military. I just think their conduct was completely disgraceful in the public eye representing the Canadian Forces in their uniforms. They poorly misrepresented our proud military and I really hope their superiors found out and did something about that. Their conduct that night was unacceptable by a civilian let alone our military.

It’s amazing what a little booze will do. It is too bad security did not eject them long before the game was over. I could care less if they were military- if in fact they were. They were an embarrassment to themselves and their uniform. The rules in the stadium are for all. No one should be exempt. Sadly, they were allowed to ruin the game experience for the rest of the fans and no one should be permitted to do that.

Wow. Those guys were taking quite the risks with their careers. If their Warrant or Chief Petty officers had caught that act it would have been real bad news for them. It’s basically illegal for military members to bring dishonour to their uniform. I’m completely shocked they’d get that dumb in public.

Seen it before, it’s fairly rare these days but it does happen. I assume this was a military appreciation night because they were uniformed. If it was you can be sure the base was informed and at least a few sober bodies noticed enough to make life miserable for the trouble makers the next day. There are many military appreciation nights; NHL, CFL, MLB, NBA, CHL and NLL all do them and the tickets are distributed by base/unit command so if those individuals are identified they will not be getting tickets to another any time soon, as well as suffering the disciplinary consequences. I do know what I’m talking about, 31 years in the military and I’ve been to some of these. I was in when the military wasn’t all that popular in some areas and it’s great to see the response we get from the public these days. I can guarantee you, not much gets past the chain of command and those individuals were identified and dealt with.

As for the OPs situation, if what you heard was true then glad to see the idiot was tossed. Your ticket gives you the right to give a little to the visiting team, but physical threats cross the line. Send those BC Place guys to Toronto, they could teach a lot to the morons at the Ontario Place amphitheatre.

Those BC fans, I dont know what is wrong with them.

Same thing wrong with lots of Rider fans… and Bomber fans… and Stamps fans… and Argo fans… and Als fans… and Eskie fans… and, oh yeah, Tiger-Cat fans. It’s the reason I sit in the family section at Ivor Wynne (buy your seat before the stadium is torn down for only $74.99 even if it’s just a 2" x 12" plank thats 16" long). In the midst of all the decent fans are the boozed up bums who think their profanities and threats are witticisms.

There’s nothing wrong with BC fans. I attend every game and I have not witnessed a single fight in the stands this year or last. That’s not to say there isn’t a certain “idiot quotient” that attends games, but they’re at every sporting event. In fact, I am not sure why beaglehound is making such a big deal about this one incident both here and on Lionbackers.

So a fan taunted a player. So what? Drunken bravado. Nothing to see here folks, move along. I am quite sure if you polled CFL players, this isn’t the first time it’s happened at a CFL stadium. Not quite sure why Chevrier didn’t just ignore him instead of inciting the fool.

Randy Chevrier ?@CHEVYsPINKtime 2 the fan that chirped me all night, then challenged me 2 a fight, and then got urself arrested...hope u enjoy ur night in the cell, loser.
I am quite sure the fan wasn't "arrested" even though he was escorted from his seat by Vancouver's finest. It comes down to he said, she said and by the length of time it took to sort it all out, it seems like the fans around him didn't want him removed.

I have no problem with taunting. Fans will give it and players can give it back if they choose. What would happen to a player who threatens a fan? Asks him out to the parking lot to fight? If the league had proof they would fine him so why should a fan be able to do the same thing. It was far less than drunken bravado it was just plain cowardly. No different than a player threatening another player when the officals are between them. As stupid as they were at least the fan who ran onto BC place field a few years ago had the balls (few brain cells but lots of balls) to act upon his idiotic words. This fan got what he deserved.

Rhymeswithorange~

First off, Greenandwhite was winding you up with his remark. You should have seen that coming. No one is going to make such a generalization unless he's trying to stir the pot. Secondly, I did not realize I was making such a big deal out of it. Read my headline post title. It was not about fan conduct. It was about giving accolades to the security at BC Place for a job well done. It was important that I provide the background to provide a balanced picture. The post went into detail not only about the inappropriate behaviour of one particular fan but how the mob mentality was beginning to surface and how they were having a go at a single security official. This involved dozens of fans in the section I was sitting in. They were booing the officials and cops and doing whatever they could to taunt and humiliate the very people who were trying to do what they needed to do to make our football experience enjoyable. The fans around should have been supporting the officials not dissing them and acting like a bunch of jerks.
The intent of my post was not to highlight a particular baffoon's behaviour but rather the unfair treatment of the security people. I don't think I could have done that satisfactorily without going int specifics and giving both sides.

You nailed it dcmoses! Couldn’t agree with you more.