Gameday. For some, a time-honored tradition filled with songs, cheers and some good ol’ fashioned football. For others, it’s prime time to “turn up.” But according to recent ejection numbers from the stadium, turning up will likely get you kicked out — for good.
We all know the sloppy few that make it into the stands, reeking of beer and teetering on their feet. They hoot and holler, leaning on strangers and picking fights.
Their drunken faux pas are disruptive to the students that are there to actually watch a game and support their team. Not to mention, this belligerent brigade is taking up tickets and seats that could be filled with students who wanted to experience the spirit of gameday in the student section.
Let’s also remember that if you are caught drunk, fighting or smoking in the stadium and you are ejected, you cannot get a football ticket for the rest of the season.
This unruly behavior not only ruins the game for those around you, it ruins the rest of your personal football season. Tack an arrest onto that ejection and that will follow you not just for the season, but for your entire life.
What is perhaps worse than those who come to the game a little too pickled are those who waltz up to the stadium and swipe their card to get a loyalty point and head straight back to the tailgate.
These people are the empty seats you see and then think of your friend’s disappointed face when they didn’t get a ticket. If you’re just going to the fairgrounds for a good party, by all means: don your garnet and black and BBQ your heart out; but don’t take a ticket away from a student that wants the stadium experience.
With the Georgia game approaching, an infamously rowdy game, it is more important than ever to remember proper stadium decorum. The only way to improve this culture of ejections and arrests is through student action.