What do you think the odds are that there will be some accident at the Super Bowl?

In My Humble Opinion
1

The following two links are to news reports whose headlines are

  1. Super Security Takes Over the Super Bowl
  2. Hidden snipers deployed in stadium

What do you think the odds are that there could be some kind of accident where some security sniper could inadvertently shoot some innocent person who was doing something innocent (like reaching for a phone in their breast pocket) because they think they are doing something menacing?

I’m usually wrong about such things, but I have a feeling that this year just might be the year that something like that happens. Perhaps it’s because they are playing in an open-air stadium and it will be freezing cold. That is something they have not done in recent memory. Well … my recent memory, anyway. I hope my recent memory is wrong. It usually is wrong about such things.

But, what do you think?

  1. http://www.my9nj.com/story/24574587/super-bowl-snipers

  2. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/29/us-nfl-superbowl-security-idUSBREA0S1TZ20140129

2

The headline of your second article is “Attack on mass transit seen as top Super Bowl security risk” and the article doesn’t have much to do with security in the stadium.

3

Yes. I should have made the thread title more explicit to include accidents in the stadium or other locations that are related to the game.

Thank you.

4

I would predict that the odds of that happening are exceedingly small. There is a lot that could go wrong at an event this big, but security shooting someone by mistake is pretty low on the list.

5

(Seems like this thread is IMHO material.)

You’d like to think the training and instructions to undercover snipers do not include “Shoot first, confirm the threat later.”

6

Here’s one theory for you … those terrorist have devised an ingenious plan to plant the norvirsus sickness on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship that left a New Jersey port last Friday and returned this Wednesday with over 600 sick passengers.

The cruise ship company has done a major cleaning effort and the ship is now back in commission ready for another cruise, but the pier was within sight of the Metalife stadium that the Super Bowl will be played in in just two more days and as we all know virus’s can become airborne.

What are the odds that this diabolical plan will succeed in making some 60,000 fans sick during the game with half time being a run (no pun) for the exits?

7

Since the OP is asking for opinions, let’s move this over to IMHO.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

8

I’ll let Schroeder field this one.

9

So you’re saying there’s a chance.

10

At the Super Bowl? I’m not worried.

The Winter Olympics, on the other hand…

11

I thought that I did post it in IMHO.

Did it get moved somehow? Or did it start off in some other forum?

I tried to post it in the correct forum. But it seems like it could belong in the “Debate” forum or “IMHO” because it is my opinion and I’m asking for your opinions too.

I must say that I have problems selecting the correct forum for posting a new thread.

12

Snipers aren’t a new thing at the Super Bowl. That picture in the article is from two years ago.

13

While I’m almost certain you’re joking, I still feel like I should point out that norovirus is not in any way an airborne virus. And the gastrointestinal distress doesn’t start until 12-24h after you’ve become infected.

14

You mean a catastrophic accident like Janet Jackson had in 2004:

15

Or even, like, ever. Except, it will most certainly not be “freezing cold”, it will probably be 45°F+ at kick-off and maybe just over 35 at the end, that is merely chilly. And if they have snipers, they will not be snipers from Mobile, Tucson and Orlando, the will be local boys who are used to the weather. Beyond that, they will have radios and comm control, so it will not be some guys with sitting with their rifles making individual, unilateral assessments about whom to shoot. The NFL really, really does not want a dead fan on national TV.