Ice Hockey Players
05-09-2006, 20:11
A lead story on the popular program "The World in Sports" highlights a growing problem of rioting at sporting events. A recent title match was stopped four times by fans rushing the field and engaging in fisticuffs. Now that people are dying at these events, the government is being asked to step in and take charge.
The Debate
1. "I can't have this happening anymore," insists star athlete @@RANDOMNAME@@, who is in a body cast. "The first goal of any security program should be to protect the athletes. After all, we're just doing our jobs out there. We risk injury playing sports; we can't have that risk heightened by brawling fans. Fans must be separated from the field of play by steel fences, security guards, and if we have to, we can electrify the fences! That ought to keep those fans back!"
[effect]electric fences and snipers are features of the nation's prison-like stadiums
2. "It's just all too expensive for us," replies @@RANDOMNAME@@, CEO of Sporting Events R Us. "We need a full police presence at every game, and we need mobile jailhouses for fans that act up. This can't just be done on our dime, you know; we have to pay salaries to our top performers. Why, how can we afford the ten million @@CURRENCY@@s to our biggest stars when we have to put up...oh, never mind. Just bring the police and paddy wagons to every game and we won't have a problem."
[effect]sporting crowds seem to get smaller as games go on
3. "Mobile jailhouses? Electric fences? This completely misses the point," demands @@RANDOMNAME@@, a luxury box owner and stakeholder in the nation's largest soft drink company. "If we stop serving alcohol at the games and make sure fans come in sober, they won't be dumb enough to riot! I know people are zealous about their teams and all, but they restrain themselves if they don't drink! We can just refuse admission to anyone with a blood-alcohol count that we wouldn't let them drive with, and we can keep alcohol out of the stadiums! Plus, we sell more soft drinks, and we all enjoy those!"
[effect]soft-drink advertisements are splattered all over stadiums with unusually subdued crowds
4. "It's all not enough!" shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Law and Order, who's been at work for eighteen hours straight. "Who really has time for these sports anyway? We ought to ban them all! Bulldoze the stadiums and put up...I don't know...something else in their places and give the funding to law enforcement! When we're done with those no-good bums that spend all their time watching sports, we'll have them all following the letter of the law! And if they don't, we can build jails where those old stadiums were!"
[effect]the government throws anyone playing or watching sports in jail
5. "You can't be serious about banning sports, can you?" chimes in @@RANDOMNAME@@, CEO of Gladiator Sports Inc. "Frankly, these riots are the greatest thing ever to happen to sports! Rather than crack down on these riots, we should encourage them and film the ensuing carnage. We'll make sure the athletes are at least somewhat protected, but for the fans, they get to go bare-knuckle with the hated rival's supporters! It's a lot better than watching some of the blowouts we've seen so far!"
[effect]sports fans go to a fight to see fights break out
The Debate
1. "I can't have this happening anymore," insists star athlete @@RANDOMNAME@@, who is in a body cast. "The first goal of any security program should be to protect the athletes. After all, we're just doing our jobs out there. We risk injury playing sports; we can't have that risk heightened by brawling fans. Fans must be separated from the field of play by steel fences, security guards, and if we have to, we can electrify the fences! That ought to keep those fans back!"
[effect]electric fences and snipers are features of the nation's prison-like stadiums
2. "It's just all too expensive for us," replies @@RANDOMNAME@@, CEO of Sporting Events R Us. "We need a full police presence at every game, and we need mobile jailhouses for fans that act up. This can't just be done on our dime, you know; we have to pay salaries to our top performers. Why, how can we afford the ten million @@CURRENCY@@s to our biggest stars when we have to put up...oh, never mind. Just bring the police and paddy wagons to every game and we won't have a problem."
[effect]sporting crowds seem to get smaller as games go on
3. "Mobile jailhouses? Electric fences? This completely misses the point," demands @@RANDOMNAME@@, a luxury box owner and stakeholder in the nation's largest soft drink company. "If we stop serving alcohol at the games and make sure fans come in sober, they won't be dumb enough to riot! I know people are zealous about their teams and all, but they restrain themselves if they don't drink! We can just refuse admission to anyone with a blood-alcohol count that we wouldn't let them drive with, and we can keep alcohol out of the stadiums! Plus, we sell more soft drinks, and we all enjoy those!"
[effect]soft-drink advertisements are splattered all over stadiums with unusually subdued crowds
4. "It's all not enough!" shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Law and Order, who's been at work for eighteen hours straight. "Who really has time for these sports anyway? We ought to ban them all! Bulldoze the stadiums and put up...I don't know...something else in their places and give the funding to law enforcement! When we're done with those no-good bums that spend all their time watching sports, we'll have them all following the letter of the law! And if they don't, we can build jails where those old stadiums were!"
[effect]the government throws anyone playing or watching sports in jail
5. "You can't be serious about banning sports, can you?" chimes in @@RANDOMNAME@@, CEO of Gladiator Sports Inc. "Frankly, these riots are the greatest thing ever to happen to sports! Rather than crack down on these riots, we should encourage them and film the ensuing carnage. We'll make sure the athletes are at least somewhat protected, but for the fans, they get to go bare-knuckle with the hated rival's supporters! It's a lot better than watching some of the blowouts we've seen so far!"
[effect]sports fans go to a fight to see fights break out