Security and Fans to Get More Intimate at NFL Games
Nothing like going to a football game, grilling up some brats, drinking a couple brews, and having your loins thoroughly inspected for weapons and contraband. Reuters reports that starting tomorrow, all 32 NFL teams have been asked to perform enhanced pat-downs on fans at home games. For years, security officers at stadiums have issued pat-downs from the waist up, leaving everything below the belt to the imagination. The new measures will enforce the search to be performed from the ankles up.
Officials have not said the new policy is in response to any particular event, but last week a fan managed to sneak a stun-gun into the Jets season opener against the Cowboys at the new Meadowlands Stadium and used it against three men during a fight. A video of the incident was uploaded to YouTube:
Issuing more comprehensive searches for tens of thousands of people is sure to add to the time it takes to get into the stadium, so fans should plan to get to games even earlier. They should also plan to do more squats, as their quadriceps and hamstrings will be under more scrutiny than ever before.
Football fans face another new NFL rule: the enhanced pat-down [Reuters]
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