9/11 Affected Everything, Even the NFL

            After September 11, 2001, the people in America went into a state of shock and almost paranoia. No one trusted anyone, and security procedures went to a whole new level. Whenever people think of 9/11’s effect on security, they talk about airports, trains, and government buildings. But what people sometimes forget is that security was forever changed in places like Six Flags, public and private schools, and even malls. For the most part, people have just become accustomed to walking through metal detectors and having bags searched, but what we really pay attention to is the fact that it’s a waste of our time. When you’re attending a Blackhawk’s game, you don’t want to have to be crowded outside the doors in the cold to wait to have women’s purses searched. But at the same time, you don’t want to end up with a man’s Taser waving in your face when you’re just trying to enjoy a Sunday football game.

             At the Jets-Cowboys game this past weekend, everything seemed normal. But as I read in the article “NFL security should be more than a show” in Sporting News, nothing was normal. Leroy McKelvey, a Dallas fan, was escorted out of the game by security officials, after pulling out a Taser when he got into a fight with a Jets fan. The head of security claimed that his men search for weapons that can cause “serious injury,” but I think people would consider a Taser to be threatening. The article refers to NFL security as a “show” that goes on every weekend, just to meet the security requirements. A question people asked before this event, is if this security is necessary? Or if it is just something to keep people in the mindset of being safe?

            The article’s opinion is that the security at football games is “designed to give the impression that something is being done to enhance safety without providing any real security benefit at all.” I strongly agree with this statement. The security at things even like sporting events needs to be improved greatly. We can not just go through the motions, because someone will get hurt. No longer can we be reactionary to these things: we have to take action to ensure that our people and our country are safe.