That being said, my personal opinion is that you should be able to say and flash whatever you want at a game as long as its not direct threats at those around you.

But, along with that, its not like the players on the field can the words of one fan in 50,000. So you might as well not be a douche to those around you and their kids and go with a generic AGGGGHHHHGHGHGHH. Thats all the players are gonna hear anyway…

Lot of very, very uninformed people toss around the First Amendment as if it’s license to say whatever one wants.

For the uninformed, this is the exact text of the First Amendment….
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Thank you so much for pointing this out. People seem to think the 1st amendment gives them the right to say what they want, when they want, where they want to whomever they want and if you do ANYTHING to impede it, then you’re violating their 1st amendment rights. People need to realize that the 1st amendment only protects you from GOVERNMENT PERSECUTION. IE, you can’t be fined or tossed in jail for saying things that other people don’t like unless it puts other people in danger.

What’s a profanity and who gets to decide what is profane and what is not? What is considered profane when presenting a legal argument to the Supreme Court or attending a wedding is not necessarily considered profane at a football game.

What’s next, are they going to patrol the sidelines and throw out a coach or a player for dropping an F bomb? If not, why is their speech not profane, but a fan’s speech is profane when it is exactly the same words in the same place at the same time?

A Real Man? Really?

Yuppy? You mean the folks in the IZOD shirts? I think they stopped making those in 1988.

The First Amendment isn’t even an issue here. The issue is does an individual or corporation have the right to choose who is allowed to visit or remain on their private property. The answer is obviously yes (with certain caveats to prevent racism etc).

Of course, if a fan thinks they have paid for a ticket and then been unreasonably denied access to what they paid for then they can sue on those grounds. But that’s an entirely different legal argument and could indeed be argued along the lines of whether the rules are reasonable and whether the fan could realistically be expected to know about them before purchasing the ticket. But it is not remotely related to the first amendment or the right of the team to decide if the fan can be forcibly removed.

Honestly, this judge should be fired.

This opens another can of worms as well, for several sports including hockey and baseball. I’ve never attended a minor or major league game that did not have a disclaimer of some kind regarding injury. If a foul ball hits you, that’s YOUR problem, is the basic gist. But…if the above is not binding, than a blanket release printed on the ticket would also be spurious and non-binding.

Good news for lots and lots of lawyers, I guess….

I am all for Freedom of Speech. Practice it myself but when you get 80,000 people together certain rules need to be put in place in order for everyone to have a good time. To protect this moron is just setting a bad precedent.

I was the Green Bay vs Lions game this year and saw a Lions fan doing something similar to a group of Packer fans. The security told the guy to either sit down or be tossed out. He choose to sit down. Had he been resistant they where going toss him and rightfully so. He was bothering even the Lions fans, no one wants to game and watch some idiot who can’t handle is liquor. FYI this isn’t about Lions fans but just an example, there is always one in every crowd. I have been in 13 stadiums in the NFL and you run into it every where.

Ford Field is a nice facility and I got to meet Tommy Hearns, sitting a few rows in front of me. Nice guy, nice pin stripe suit as well.

In a game with men violently crashing their heads into each other, we’re concerned over a guy flipping the bird.

If you don’t like it, tell your kids not to do it. It’s called parenting.

Stop this PC crusade where everyone needs to act in accordance with your morals.

It’s about one thing and one thing only: You will not be arrested for speaking out against your own goverment and country.

That’s all it’s about.

It does not allow for an anything goes mentality or actions. You can and will be sanctioned in ways that hold you accountable if you are unreasonable in what you say and do. Your first amendment rights are not violated because you get in trouble, ejected from somewhere or fired from your job or whatever because of how you behave, including words if your words are damaging or reasonably deemed a nuissance.

This judge apparently went to Harvard Law.

For the uninformed, this is the exact text of the First Amendment….

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

One little issue….the First Amendment bars the GOVERNMENT (i.e. Congress) from infringing on your right to speak…or otherwise punishing you, etc. I’m no expert, but I believe the only NFL team that is not privately owned is the Packers (and I think they’re just public – not government-owned). I know teams get taxpayer money all the time, but that does not make it government.

Same thing with your employer. You do NOT have the inherent right to say whatever you want to your boss. Unless they fire you for an illegal reason (gender/race , etc.), they can fire you for ANY reason they want and no (ethical) judge will say otherwise.

In short, if you act like an a$$hat at the football game, you can (and should) be kicked out. Just because it’s not illegal under the law does not mean it’s right and teams are well-served to expel the vermin that make it a point to be an affliction on society.