Violent Spectators:: Enhanced Security as a Deterrent Against Extreme Stadium Violence
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Harte, Brian [1] ; Romano, Robert [1]
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[1] 1 St. John´s University, New York, US
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- Localización: IJSSTH, ISSN-e 2250-5105, Nº. 22, 2021
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
In the post-911 era, the threat of extreme violence has resulted in more security at stadiums both within the U.S. and abroad. Intuitively, the use of enhanced surveillance and searches should decrease incidents of sports stadium violence. However, within a historical context, it is unclear as to whether or not enhanced technological security measures have made stadiums safer over time. Thus, this article provides a historical analysis of extreme violence at stadiums by location, type, cause and impacts through three distinct time periods 1960-1980, 1981-2000 and 2001- 2019, respectively. The reportings through these periods represent deaths and injuries resulting from human (but not self-inflicted) causes at sports stadiums globally. Results indicate that of the three time periods examined, the period of 1960-1980 was the most violent timeframe for reported deaths. The time period of 2001-2019 was found to be the most dangerous period for possible spectator injury. Additionally, spectators were found to be three times more likely to be injured in the period of 2001-2019, as compared with the period of 1981-2000.
