sports arena security and safety question.

[ouwino]

why is it safe to take a small "6-packer" ice chest full of snacks and beverages into a 250,000 seat speedway, and it is not safe to take the same thing into an 84000 football stadium? is it really for safety and security reasons? or, is it simply to collect more revenue off the fans?

to explain further my question...

fans are allowed to take coolers and back packs into texas motor speedway (seating 250,000) and indianapolis motor speedway (400,000). but, fans are not allowed to take coolers and back packs into Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

why???

are the terrorists more scared of Jeff Gordon, than they are Bob Stoops???

[yermom]

Well, they also don't want drunk people all over the place

But mostly they want to gouge us for drinks

[Boomer.....]

Same reason you aren't supposed to take in outside food/drinks into the movies.

[LVSOONER15]

Maybe because there is a huge fence the fans can't climb to get on the track. Hell I don't know.

[Curly Bill]

why is it safe to take a small "6-packer" ice chest full of snacks and beverages into a 250,000 seat speedway, and it is not safe to take the same thing into an 84000 football stadium? is it really for safety and security reasons? or, is it simply to collect more revenue off the fans?

to explain further my question...

fans are allowed to take coolers and back packs into texas motor speedway (seating 250,000) and indianapolis motor speedway (400,000). but, fans are not allowed to take coolers and back packs into Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

why???

are the terrorists more scared of Jeff Gordon, than they are Bob Stoops???

This.

[rekamrettuB]

This.
How is it "this"? Do NASCAR tracks not want to collect more from the fans? Or is it the fact that the avg NASCAR ticket is 80+ bucks so since there are 3 times as many fans in attendance that there isn't a need to gouge elsewhere?

[badger]

How is it "this"? Do NASCAR tracks not want to collect more from the fans? Or is it the fact that the avg NASCAR ticket is 80+ bucks so since there are 3 times as many fans in attendance that there isn't a need to gouge elsewhere?

Three times as many fans for a single event perhaps, but something tells me that there are more fans attending a top college football stadium per year than a top NASCAR venue. I mean, you can get a quarter-million for Daytona once a year, but what about the rest of the year?

As for why we have such a cranky stadium policy, the tickets are in demand regardless and the university administration freaked out a little bit after the kid bombed himself on the South Oval bench. The OU admin overreacts a lot to stuff (why it's now a dry campus), but it's usually something significant that causes the overreaction (like a death) so the argument could go either way.

[yukonsooner]

Why can you go in and out of other stadiums in the Big XII but not at OU

[rekamrettuB]

Three times as many fans for a single event perhaps, but something tells me that there are more fans attending a top college football stadium per year than a top NASCAR venue. I mean, you can get a quarter-million for Daytona once a year, but what about the rest of the year?


Someone that knows correct me if I'm wrong, but those NASCAR events are a few days long. Maybe they don't get the full attendance but they are still attended on other days. I think they charge for other days as well. Daytona Speedway has more than the Daytona 500 as well. They have a pretty big 400 race in July...think it used to be called the Firecracker 400 but no telling what it is now. They have truck races, motorcycle races, etc. It doesn't sit idle for 355 days of the year.

[yermom]

There is no room for icechests in the stadium either though

[OUstud]

Why can you go in and out of other stadiums in the Big XII but not at OU

This.

[badger]

Why can you go in and out of other stadiums in the Big XII but not at OU

It was previously allowed until the kid blew himself up on the South Oval bench.

So, to answer your question, because a kid blew himself up on a South Oval bench. It was the 2005 Kansas State game.

[yukonsooner]

It was previously allowed until the kid blew himself up on the South Oval bench.

So, to answer your question, because a kid blew himself up on a South Oval bench. It was the 2005 Kansas State game.

I was there. So I'm more likely to leave, and come back in and blow the place up??? Really?? If someone wants to do something like that they can come in with the masses, which I would think would be less secure.

[badger]

I was there. So I'm more likely to leave, and come back in and blow the place up??? Really?? If someone wants to do something like that they can come in with the masses, which I would think would be less secure.

Hey, I'm not saying I agree with the decision! The question was asked as to why we don't allow stadium re-entry and THAT is your answer!

Time might heal wounds, but this one has stood longer than even the 9/11 one did.

Basically, after 9/11, the re-entry privilege was yanked, but then re-instated for the 2005 season, only to be yanked again mid-season because of the South Oval bench blowing up incident.

So, 9/11 made the re-entry thing go away for four years (ish), while this has kept it away for... seven years about now?

This one might stick, unless fans raise a big stink about it... and it still might stick.

[MamaMia]

They don't really care what the fans like or dislike as long as they come.

[StoopTroup]

Let's start a campaign to get Castiglione either to repeal the re-entry rule or have him replace Brian Britt.

[nativesooner]

Because NASCAR fans will fight security if you tell them no beer while Sooner fans will just whine about it on facebook, twitter and message boards.

[sooneredaco]

They let you leave at half time if it's a medical emergency. I tell them I have a disease, it's called alcoholism and I need a beer now!

[Collier11]

the re-entry rule was around before the kid blew himself up

[kbsooner21]

Becasue NASCAR caters and listens to its fanbase.

[StoopTroup]

the re-entry rule was around before the kid blew himself up

But it wasn't around until Castiglione came to Norman.

Boren and Castiglione know that they are supposed to host not only a Football Game but also 85,000 people and that they want it to go smoothly. They don't want fights in the stands, people passing out or throwing up in the bathrooms....etc. I think it has some to do with his rule about drinking on the Campus for the Fraternities and Sororities and all Students who go to OU. Have they gone overboard? IMO they have....There are plenty of folks who go down to OU Games and sit outside the Stadium, some even down by Campus Corner and watch the game on TV in a parking lot or in O'Connells or their Motorhomes. They want to be a part of the Gameday experience but don't enjoy paying $85.00 for a seat. It's a lot of money for a pair of tickets. IMO....it's out of control. Why do I pay it? I love it. I have had to sit outside the Stadium a few times when I couldn't afford seats during the 80's. I didn't like it. Now....I always have a ticket....all I need to do is get to Norman.

It's not the same for everyone. I'm sure plenty of folks have their own feelings about it all. This one is mine. I did have to leave at halftime once because I got overheated. I knew that I just needed to go get into some cold air and rehydrate a bit and that I could catch the 4th quarter. The harassment I got about leaving at Gate 6 but wanting to make sure I could get back in when I came back was insulting. You don't treat people who pay $1000 a year to go to these games like this. I understand you may not like people drinking. Maybe they should move to make Norman Dry then. I didn't like the way I was treated. When I say I'm leaving and I am coming back....give me a passout check and stop with the interrogations. You don't believe me....I don't care. I can take care of myself. They used to have a place under the Eastside Stands that folks who got overheated could go and sit for a few minutes. They haven't had it available that I know of for the last few years. Why? Just let us leave and come back in. It's a stupid rule.

[badger]

the re-entry rule was around before the kid blew himself up

It was imposed after 9/11 and was discontinued at the beginning of the 2005 season, if memory serves correctly.

Then, a few games into that 2005 season, the KSU game... boom! Was that a ruf/nek gun? No, it was the "no re-entry" policy returning and never going away again.

[StoopTroup]

It was imposed after 9/11 and was discontinued at the beginning of the 2005 season, if memory serves correctly.

Then, a few games into that 2005 season, the KSU game... boom! Was that a ruf/nek gun? No, it was the "no re-entry" policy returning and never going away again.

I walked out of the Stadium with my Son and almost into the splatter Zone. I don't joke much about that night. I can't imagine if that idiot had gotten into the Stadium and pulled his plug in front of everybody. Even worse...if he'd hurt or killed some people in doing it. They are doing the right thing by beefing up security but this leaving and coming back in wouldn't have stopped that kid from blowing himself up. What stopped him was that they wanted to check his backpack before entering. He then tried to get in at a couple more gates but was denied. Security worked. He left the Area and blew himself up on a park bench across the street in front of the Stadium.

A very sad and somber night for me as a Sooner. Beating K-State made it better but it still bothers me to this day....same as the Murrah Building and the WTC.

[RacerX]

I can't believe this was all Badger's idea.

[badger]

I can't believe this was all Badger's idea.

I decided that I had to make all of your lives even more miserable than they already are :P