Last Saturday, Alabama suffered a rare home loss, beaten by Texas. After the game, some Longhorns players were subjected to racial slurs by drunk Crimson Tide fans upset over the loss.
I get it. Nick Saban's Tide is not as invincible as they normally would be. After all, if the reports are true, Texas will be joining the SEC soon, and last week's game signaled the start of a fresh rivalry between the two schools.
Five nights later, Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison was subject to those same slurs after a costly fumble against Philadelphia. The difference? These were Eagles fans, rubbing it in the face of Mattison, in his 5th season out of Boise State. Once again, Philadelphia sports fans showed their collective tuchis to the world.
The Vikings and the NFL Players Association condemned the incident, and, rightfully, so should the Eagles, who won the game.
I know what you're thinking. It's Philadelphia. This is normal for them. Especially when the racism & hate are fueled by beer.
And, therein lies the problem. College & pro football fans will have tailgate parties that start hours before kickoff. They'll restrain themselves as far as alcohol is concerned, but by the 3rd quarter, sometimes sooner, they'll have gone over the limit, if you will, and we get incidents like we've seen the last few days.
The Vikings issued a statement.
The Eagles, if they haven't already done so, should follow suit. The message is clear. There needs to be a set limit on alcohol sales. The beer concessions should close by halftime. Ushers should be checking on some of the more inebriated fans, and head off any future incidents like the ones in Philadelphia & Tuscaloosa before they start. The league and its member teams need to be more diligent with fan interactions with players, especially the negatives. And it should start over the next 72 hours. It has to.
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