Anti-Semitic Fans
On Sunday, I was sitting in section 329 at the Jets game, not my usual seat. To my right were two 49ers fans, one male and one female. They drank about 4 or 5 beers each.
Early in the second quarter, a frum man and his son, about 9 years old, arrived in the row in front me, right in front of the two 49ers fans. Father and son both wore large black velvet yarmulkas.
There are not a lot of observant Jews at Jets games. Indeed, there are not a lot of blacks, Asians or Hispanics either. This is much different than a baseball, basketball or even hockey game in the New York area.
When the frum father and son arrived, the female 49er fan to my right derisively gestured about them to her boyfriend. They both laughed. "Do you see them," she whispered to him, "let's spill beer on them." He responded, "maybe later."
I was wearing a Jets cap and jersey and had a three day stubble, so I did not look like an Orthodox Jew who grew up in Boro Park.
At halftime I briefly thought about warning the frum man about these two, but decided against it. Why get them stressed and take away their enjoyment of the game.
I moved to a lower section in the fourth quarter. No beer was spilled up to that point. The Jets came back to win, so the 49ers fans left unhappy.
posted on 10/19/2004
