What happened to the days when we could go to a baseball game, root for our team, and go home with a sense of unity and maybe a little competitive fun? It seems those days are gone, or at least dwindling. Nowadays, before you head out to the stadium, you better invest in a bulletproof vest and some self-defense classes because it’s clear, violence has taken over the sports world. And it’s not even violence between the competing teams, its violence among the fans that support them.Not only is it sad, but it’s disappointing and discouraging that there is rarely a game reported that doesn’t involve, or at least have a side note, about some fan getting hurt, or even killed by an opposing team’s fan. I always thought that a game was just a game; somewhere a parent could spend a day with their child, or at a place where friends to kick back and have some fun. Apparently I was wrong.During game six of the recent National League Championship Series in Chicago between the Cubs and the Florida Marlins, a Cubs fan caught a foul ball other fans thought could have been caught by a Cubs player in the outfield, making it an out. Spectators used this fan as a scapegoat, blaming him for the Cubs’ eventual loss. This fan had to be escorted out of the stadium by security guards because other Cubs enthusiasts were throwing things at him and threatening bodily harm. At another baseball game on Sept. 20, a Dodger’s fan was shot and killed by a Giant’s fan after the teams played in Los Angeles. What could that person have possibly said to motivate the other person to pull a gun on them and take their life? Is that how bad we’ve let things get?And it’s not just baseball. Oakland Raiders football fans are infamous for their violence, looting, rioting, and setting things on fire. And for them it’s not even a matter of winning or losing; they riot regardless.Violence has even invaded the high school level. Multiple fights broke out between fans at a homecoming football game in Oakland between Oakland Tech and Skyline high schools. It’s no wonder; look what we’ve been showing our youth, nice example huh?With all the violence already in the world, not to mention living in a country at odds with other countries, why do we feel the need to make something that used to be a leisurely outing into a watch-your-back, don’t-say-the-wrong-thing event?It’s been said that the cause for a lot of fan violence is alcohol. Well, if this is true maybe we shouldn’t have alcoholic beverages for sale at sports stadiums. Who wants to pay six dollars for a cup of beer anyway?I’ve never been a big sports fan, but now I wouldn’t even go to a game. I mean what if I get caught in the cross fire or something? I think I’ll stay home and watch it on TV, thanks.What we need to do is realize a game is just a game, and in reality we’re all on the same team. Don’t gun down your fellow American because your team lost, or they caught the ball you were supposed to catch, or they put down your team. It’s only a sports team, meant for entertainment. Is it really worth dying for? I’d say it’s not.