Despite the article’s title, Matt Rybaltowski points his criticism in the wrong direction when he blames security at pro sports games and the excitement of the games on the field for recent disruptions (Athletes need adequate security, September 26). He claims “fans are too bored to behave like human beings if the activity on the field isn’t worth the ticket price,” and in the process he shoulders the blame on the athletes for spectator stupidity. Blame individuals who choose to act egregiously in a public forum, not poor competition or inadequate security. Since 9/11/01 we tend to magnify incidents into ones of national security. We need to be careful where we place blame for isolated incidents now more than ever, and we should not cry for quick fixes to larger problems. Increased security, whether in airports or on the field, will not guarantee that a few won’t act in ways harmful to us all.
Jonathan Skolnick, ’01
