Enough is enough. Fighting during and after football games, though it seems to be rare normally, has become a recurrent issue with games against Bethesda-Chevy Chase high school, and something has to change. The most recent event that was brutal and made local news was after the first football game of the season. After the game, several Walter Johnson kids were attacked by BCC students on the way to the Metro station, leaving some hospitalized. While football games are fun and exciting when there are a lot of people, a popular proposed solution is limiting the number of students allowed during games, but is this truly the best answer to stopping student violence?
A parallel can be drawn between what happened this year and the infamous Gaithersburg-Northwest football fight of last year when the coaches and players got into a brawl on the field, leading to these coaches being fired and the game ending in a double forfeit. However, there is a large difference between the two. Richard Montgomery senior Sebastian Pop, said, “I feel like they’re similar events, except that Northwest, that’s between the players, that’s on [the] field… they’re both playing, they’re fighting… it matters more to them, it’s more competitive, but as fans, especially high school fans, it’s not that serious.” What happened last year was also a very rare occurrence, while BCC has been notorious for years for being too violent after games.
After such an intense altercation, there is no doubt that something has to be done to stop school violence related to games. But what should it be, and should the punishment be to all of MCPS or just BCC students?
Spanish teacher Ms. Laura Hodge believes that a responsibility is also on the teachers. She said, “We need to teach our students to be respectful when they go to sporting events and that it’s not okay to beat up someone just because they’re from another school.” An effort from teachers to explain the issues with starting fights could definitely help students understand the true consequences of fighting, especially if they look up to these teachers.
Walter Johnson junior Brady Chan, a victim of the fights this year, has another idea for how to handle BCC. Chan said “I think [we should] just increase police presence [to] stop this from happening as much…the parents need to hold their children responsible.” As someone who suffered serious injuries from BCC students on the way to the Metro, Chan knows firsthand just how intense the situation actually was. Police surveillance after the games may sound extreme, but it might be necessary after so many dangerous events. Parents, though it sounds obvious, have to make sure their children understand why it is not okay to attack people after football games.
There are many different ways to possibly improve the situation, but they need to be acted on now. Delaying educating students and police surveillance will ultimately lead to more problems. If the proposed solutions do not work, then the county can adapt and try something new, but the worst thing that could happen is if nothing is done at all.
