by Cleveland Frowns on September 28, 2011
Well, sayonara everybody. It was a good run. I suppose I won’t be the only one on my way to the desert by way of Put-in-Bay to see what I can get done before the whole thing goes completely to dust, so maybe we’ll see ya.
As it turns out, Best Reporter of All Time will go to Adam Wright of The Lorain/Elyria Chronicle Telegram, for breaking the news on the last brick having fallen:
Rob Stipe is your typical, bleed orange-and-brown, season tickets in the Dawg Pound-holding Browns fan.
He wears a wig, paints his face like a helmet, dons shoulder pads and screams until his throat feels like sandpaper when his favorite team is on the field.
So you can imagine his feeling after being kicked out during Sunday’s game, missing a come-from-behind win, but not for being drunk, violent or disorderly. No, he says security was called to remove him because — get this — he was standing too much.
. . .
“We do not stand all the time,” the 35-year-old explained, referring to the as many as 12 friends and family who share season tickets. “We stand on first down, we stand at the beginning of this game, we stand at kickoff. We stand. We are standers, but we’re also courteous to other people. If somebody says, ‘Hey man, will you sit down?’ Sure, I will love to sit down for you. No problem.”
He said the head of security told him last year that fans can only stand during third and fourth downs and whenever there is a stoppage in the game, like a time out.
. . .
His brother, Matt Stipe, who was also kicked out Sunday (he said security didn’t like when he complained about his brother’s treatment), said the clampdown on standing that day came early when the Browns got a first down. He said an usher ran down to their section, yelling at everyone to sit, even though the scoreboard told everyone to “Get Loud, Make Noise.”
Rob Stipe got his first warning to park his keister during a third down in that same first quarter, but said everyone behind him was also standing.
In the middle of the third quarter, Stipe said he was scolded again for standing, but this time it was during a TV timeout. He was asked to leave for what he learned from one of the stadium employees was a new policy enacted for this season that after the first warning, offenders are removed from the stadium.
Neal Gulkis, vice president of media relations for the team, said the policy on “excessive standing” can be somewhat subjective.
. . .
According to the “Fan Code of Conduct” on the Browns’ official website, a fan can be removed from a game for excessive standing. The policy explained: “Please be aware that when you stand, you block the view of the fans behind you. We do not wish to diminish your ability to cheer and enjoy the game; however, your continued standing can interfere with others’ ability to enjoy the game from their seats.”
Happy end days, everyone. At least it’s good that we’re getting some lag time before we turn to grease spots. Um, thanks for reading. Enjoy one last look at what things were like before the sun burned out.
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