Heinz Field: Negative Atmosphere

Chivalry is not dead.  As a true gentleman, you are responsible for protecting your lady and shielding her from any inappropriate acts that may occur around you.  You should watch your mouth at all times, and act as if her father were watching over you for the duration of the date.  A gentleman should never put his loved one in a dangerous environment with violence and foul language.  Unfortunately,  if you attend a Steelers' game at Heinz Field, you are guaranteed to see three things - a football game, a fight, and cursing fans.  A football game is a given, but young men must be aware of the vulgar language and fights that occur at every game.  What leads to these fights and use of inappropriate language?  Alcohol.  Fans consume absurd amounts of alcohol which causes them to act out in ways that should not be witnessed by a young lady.

Tailgates

Most people know that sporting events and alcohol consumption go hand in hand, and Steelers' games exemplify this concept.  Fans start lining the parking lots around the stadium several hours before kickoff; setting up their grills and placing their beverages of choice on ice.  By the time kickoff rolls around, the parking lots are trashed and some fans are incapable of entering the stadium due to their excessive drinking.  The stadium and its surroundings are crawling with intoxicated fans that could cause some problems with you and your girlfriend.  Fans look as if they are stumbling out of a bar rather than attending a football game.  The scenes of the parking lots are nothing that your girlfriend should be exposed to, and you should not even give her the opportunity to view such sights.  The easiest way to avoid these horrid scenes is to avoid the stadium altogether.  

Stadium parking lot after tailgate
Photo courtesy of  wtae.com

Below is a link to a news article regarding an intoxicated fan abusing a woman at a tailgate:

http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/police-drunk-man-knocks-woman-out-steel-divider-st/nhy3z/

Excessive amounts of alcohol consumption never leads to a happy ending, and the alcohol abundance usually results in the use of inappropriate language and violence. 

Language

At a Steelers' game expect to hear lingo other than "Touchdown, Tackle, and Timeout".  Do not be surprised if you hear "F**k, S**t, and B***h" more than you hear fans cheering for their team.  Fans inside the stadium have no filter on their mouths and have no regard for people around them.  Personally, I have not been to a game when I have not heard a curse word less than 50 times.  A movie receives an R-rating if it uses the f-word more than three times.  So, the language at a Steelers' game is worse than that of an R-rated movie.  No woman, regardless of age, should be exposed to this type of language.  If you want to go on a date at Heinz Field, come equipped with earplugs for both you and your girl.  

Below is a video exemplifying the inappropriate language at games:

Warning: Explicit Language 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHhPooU68Ek

Violence 

Along with alcohol consumption and inappropriate language, you are bound to see a fight or two break out while attending a game.  In the several games I have attended, I have seen more punches thrown at the stadium than one sees in an average boxing round (roughly 100).  Several arrests are made every game with charges of assault on fans that cannot hold back their anger.  I personally have seen a handful of fights at the games, but one of them I will never forget.  I was at a nighttime game with my high school football team as a reward for winning the district championship.  The game was dragging on, so we decided to leave the game a quarter early.  As the team and I were making our way back to the buses, a fight broke out in our vicinity, and our coach advised us to stay away just like any logical person would advise.  Minding our own business was not enough that night because a fan involved in the fight sucker punched one of my teammates for no reason, resulting in a broken nose. 

Attached is a link to the news article explaining what happened that night:

http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/police-drunken-man-24-punched-15-year-old-assaulte/ncMJ2/

Taking your girlfriend to a game at Heinz Field is a gamble.  You are taking the chance of her witnessing things that she should never have to see.  Who knows, maybe her or even you will accidentally get involved in a fight just as one of my teammates did.  Do not take the risk.  Stay away from the stadium and protect your lover.