Fans Can Report Problems via Text Messaging

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/60351

This article dicusses the new implentation of text messaging as a method of communication in allowing fans to alert stadium officials to an issue in the stands without having to leave their seats to find an usher, guest services, or security employee. This season, the Baltimore Ravens started using Qtags, a technology company whose name is short for quick-tags, to connect Ravens fans to an operator at a laptop computer who receives the messages and contacts the appropriate personnel to resolve the issue. For the bargain price of only $5,000, Baltimore invested into this software and employed the operator. Now Baltimore fans are encouraged to and have the benefit of anonymously texting to file a complaint without the worry or fear of reprisal from the offender. One month into the regular season, texting was minimal, and the Ravens had been making adjustments inside M&T Bank Stadium to better inform fans of the technology.


After reading about the disruptive behavior of fans in sports and watching the ridiculous alcohol consumption and antics in the class video, I thought this article would be interesting so fans can find out what teams are implementing in hopes of controlling the issue. Some common tactics among teams to deal with problem fans are to have in-venue announcements of fan behavior policies, early cutoffs of alcohol consumption, season-ticket revocation, and increased use of security cameras, just to name a few. However, these are still not enough to ensure a pleasant game experience for the vast majority of game-goers. Luckily, the Baltimore Ravens are one of the 26 out of 32 teams in the NFL taking action with the incorporation of a text messaging system.

It's exhausting to read about all the new initiatives leagues are taking to effectively improve fan behavior at sporting events. What happened to the days of "boo-ing" and yelling and cheering? It disgusts me to know that the real bad apples are Middle-class, white-collar suburbanite males. GROW UP! Tailgate, get loose, mingle, cheer, and keep it classy. How old are you? Specifically, I remember a NFL game I attended where I was showered with beer, taunted relentlessly, then made to feel super awkward in front of my dad when a drunk fan wouldn't stop making sexual gestures. I wish that guy had been tossed out and had his ticket privelages revoked.