Clicking on banner ads enables JWR to constantly improve
Jewish World Review August 15, 2002 / 8 Elul, 5762

Matt Towery

JWR's Pundits
World Editorial
Cartoon Showcase

Mallard Fillmore

Michael Barone
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Larry Elder
Don Feder
Suzanne Fields
James Glassman
Paul Greenberg
Bob Greene
Betsy Hart
Nat Hentoff
David Horowitz
Marianne Jennings
Michael Kelly
Mort Kondracke
Ch. Krauthammer
Lawrence Kudlow
Dr. Laura
John Leo
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Chris Matthews
Michael Medved
MUGGER
Kathleen Parker
Wes Pruden
Sam Schulman
Amity Shlaes
Roger Simon
Tony Snow
Thomas Sowell
Cal Thomas
Jonathan S. Tobin
Ben Wattenberg
George Will
Bruce Williams
Walter Williams
Mort Zuckerman

Consumer Reports


A white, Southerner faces discrimination at sports dome


http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Two subjects I rarely write about are my own personal experiences and race. This time I'm writing about both. And for those outside of the South, stick around, because this story ultimately touches on issues that affect all regions of the United States.

Last Friday I drove from Jacksonville, Fla. -- where my parents spend much of their time -- to Atlanta. The National Football League Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars, my two favorite teams, were set to do battle in their first NFL preseason game.

My family and I arrived at the Georgia Dome, excited to see what effect the progressive new Falcons' owner, Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, would have on a team with a spotty record of success during its 36 years of existence.

Because I have long been a devoted fan, in 1997 I signed a "lease" with the Georgia Dome for four club-level seats. This was offered to me as the best way to watch the game and eat a hot dog without leaving my seat. I decided that for a football fanatic like me, these premium services would be worth the small fortune I had to pay for them.

Whether you're in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Kansas City, or any other NFL venue, it's no secret that so-called "luxury seats" and skyboxes are critical for the financial success of big-league franchises in the high-priced world of sports. But over the past five seasons, I had come to accept that the Georgia Dome "club level" was a joke. It offers little service, bland food, and lots of excuses for both.

Of course those of us who pay this king's ransom had come to expect poor service. But the three African-American couples seated in front of me on Friday, whom I had not seen before, obviously weren't ready for treatment that could easily be viewed as racial discrimination. Their attempts to get a Dome attendant to take their orders for so much as a bag of potato chips went totally ignored throughout the first half of the game.

Finally, a "food service" assistant did appear, only to announce that she couldn't help them. So the new fans kept waving their menus searching for another attendant. In essence, they spent the time they should have been watching the game in a futile lookout for the kind of service that would have made their night worth the high price of admission.

Then two more fans, both of whom happened to be African-Americans, apologized for having to pass through our aisle. "We just can't get anyone to wait on us," said one of them.

Finally I reached the boiling point. I found a polite supervisor who followed me to witness first-hand the second-class treatment these supposedly valued fans were getting. I told him in no uncertain terms how disgusted I was at the indifferent treatment afforded these well-paying patrons.

And then I blurted it out: "And I think it's discrimination too!" I couldn't believe I had said it. After all, most of the food-service personnel were also black. And the white season-ticket holder behind us had already explained previous miserable service had prompted him to often give his tickets away. Had I just played the race card?

I quickly searched for an objective view and found it from my 14-year-old son. His best friend is African-American, even though the prep school they attend is overwhelmingly white. "Did I say the wrong thing?" I asked him, knowing that he never hesitates to criticize. "No, Dad, you were right," he said. "We're used to it, but these new fans could pretty easily get the wrong idea."

Then it hit me. This wasn't a racial incident. Instead, the NFL, through its representatives at the Georgia Dome, had elected to treat all of us in the section as second-class citizens. They were equal opportunity discriminators.

Still, it bothered me. I knew that the Falcons' new owner, Mr. Blank, would never stand for this sort of shoddy treatment. And Jaguars' owner Wayne Weaver has an equally impressive reputation. Anyone who pays the price of a ticket is entitled to the total game experience that ticket promises. But it seemed that on this particular night, for a group of close friends out for a special entertainment experience, the NFL dropped the ball.

It wasn't until the game ended that I became convinced my outburst had been on target. One of the African-American gentlemen seated in front of me reached out his hand and said, "Thank you for what you did."

No thanks needed; we're all just loyal fans.

Enjoy this writer's work? Why not sign-up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.




Comment on JWR columnist Matt Towery's column by clicking here.

08/08/02: The hidden story in the Reno v. Bush race
08/05/02: McKinney, 9-11 conspiracy theorist, in fight for political life
07/31/02: GOP quietly shoring-up domestic policies
07/25/02: Media snobs need to look beyond New York, D.C.
07/18/02: A letter to President Bush from Outside the Beltway
07/11/02: Dear President Bush: An effort in futility
07/03/02: Updates and freedom
06/27/02: The coming election: Seeking change for the sake of change?
06/20/02: The inside story re the political future of controversial GOPer Bob Barr
06/11/02: On dirty bombs and scare-mongering: Sometimes a columnist wishes he was wrong
06/06/02: The emerging confused GOPer?
05/30/02: In search of an aggressive GOP leader
05/21/02: Anticipating new terrorism: "Dirty bomb" is no fantasy!
05/16/02: The oddity of Carter's legacy
05/09/02: Replay of 1992 coming?
05/02/02: The hottest family on television might have to abandon the United States
04/25/02: One step ahead of devious minds capable of unthinkable crimes?
04/18/02: Alaskan battleground?
04/11/02: How the peaceful fairways of the world's most revered golf course, may serve as a brilliant strategic battleground the most recent round of "cola wars"
04/05/02: The most likely immediate threat to our national security is being ignored
03/14/02: Clinton's influence looms
03/07/02: Poll turns up surprising views on Bush and more
02/21/02: The recession is over --- so why are the sophisticates still using scare tactics?
02/14/02: This Enron story directly affects our own pocketbooks
02/07/02: The epicenter of quiet but powerful shifts in the American political landscape
01/31/02: A little bipartisan hope
01/24/02: Secrets of the past can often provide guidance for dealing with the future
01/18/02: And I thought explaining Jane Fonda was tough
01/09/02: Dubya falling into Dems' trap?
01/02/02: A few adjustments and 2002 might turn out all right
12/27/01 Rudy, the 'perfect excuse'?
12/19/01 Haig the madman?
12/12/01 That senator with the funny name

© 2001, Creators Syndicate