Parking lot stabbing during Raiders-Chargers game

During the Oakland Raiders 24-17 win over the San Diego Chargers, a 25-year-old man was stabbed in the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium.

San Diego police do not believe this stabbing was between fans of the two teams, and the victim was reluctant to cooperate with authorities when questioned at the hospital.

Violence in stadium parking lots has become a disturbing trend and it’s time for teams to do something about it.

In August, after a preseason game between the 49ers and Raiders, two men were shot in the parking lot of Candlestick Park. And in March, Giants fan Bryan Stow made major headlines when he attended the Opening Night game at Dodger Stadium and was beaten within an inch of his life by a couple Dodger fans in a dimly lit parking lot.

Fans, by definition, are very protective of their teams, but to take it to the point of inflicting bodily harm on another human being is just unnecessary, and unacceptable. Professional and collegiate organizations need to intervene and attempt to prevent future incidents from happening. Multiple reports following the Stow incident stated there was little or no security in the Dodger Stadium parking lot.

Whether this latest incident was sports-related or not, teams need to beef up security in their parking lots following games. After a tense game, it can be a very volatile place. Continuing to ignore the problem is just asking for trouble.