Last night in Vancouver, following a heart breaking Game 7 lost to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals, the citizens of Vancouver started rioting. Angry, drunk fans ran rampant through the streets causing chaos, burning cars, looting stores and above all disgracing the city of Vancouver.
Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said, shaking his head. “This city and province has a lot to be proud of, the team we have and the guys we have in here. It’s too bad.”
This has led me to investigate on some of the worst riots that have been caused by spirited fans after a Championship game. I remembered the 2004 Boston Red Sox riot which upon the conclusion of their 1st World Series Championship since 1918, fans stormed the streets… the result was the death of a young fan who was hit by a pepper-spray pellet being used to control the rioting fans.
I have lived through the riots that occurred in Cincinnati a little over a decade ago… they were not a pretty sight.
We see the destruction and evil of riots and yet Championships occur on every level and it seems as if we are groomed to believe that a riot should follow. Pure drunken ignorance is more like it.
With football season only a few short months ahead, Coach Jones is going to put the Bearcats back on the path to winning Big East Championships… after doing so please take a look at the picture of Vancouver and decide whether or not you want to destroy Vine Street or give our Championship Bearcats the appropriate celebration that they deserve.