The below article appeared on KYW radio and I hope all fans will read it. There are steps each of us can take to enhance fan safety.
1. Stop all the trash talking about the players on the other team or the team itself. I felt that trashing Terrell Owens was in poor taste in 2006 and the his two years with Dallas thereafter. Fans can cheer on the Philadelphia Eagles based on our hopes and not degrade the other guys.
2. Fans at the game politely applaud the other guys when they take the field. Cheerleaders should do likewise. The players and their fans want victory as much as we do. If the Eagles expect a large contingent from the visiting team, plan a social event with other fans.
The best of players actions in recent years was with Tennessee at home in 2006. The Titans players rallied around and encouraged Donovan McNabb after his ACL injury. Real class!
The NFL is pushing the Eagles (and every other team in the league) to add a "fan conduct class," designed to improve stadium safety. If a fan gets kicked out of a game for bad behavior, some venues won't let him back in until he takes the online course by anger management expert Ari Novick. "The focus of the class really addresses issues related to alcohol abuse, disruptive behavior, and teaches coping skills to fans who are ejected for violating the stadium's code of conduct policy," Novick tells KYW News Radio.
Novick, the president of AJ Novick Group, is behind fanconductclass.com. He says the four-hour program teaches dos and don'ts for fans in the stands, and how boozy belligerence affects the enjoyment of others -- many of whom are there to support the same team you are." We've had great success with it. We've not had a single repeat fan go through the class," Novick says. Those who take the class have to pay anywhere from $55 to $100, with some of the cost going to charity. Eight of the NFL's 32 teams are already using the fan conduct program. The Philadelphia Union is testing the program at PPL Park for Major League Soccer.