As a senior, I look back at my four years at UMass Amherst and I can truly say, in terms of my “fandom,” I’ve been blessed.  During my college years I’ve had the opportunity to see the Patriots play in two Super Bowls (2012, 2015), one being their most recent victory over the Seattle Seahawks.  I’ve seen the Bruins bring home their first Stanley Cup since 1972 (2011) and I even saw the Red Sox go from being the biggest disappointment in the MLB to World Champions once again (2011-12, 2012-13).  With each championship appearance or victory there has been a celebration that follows, the most notable being the two Super Bowls and the World Series championship.

The worst of the three was the Patriots loss to the New York Giants, which is understandable considering there is a large number of students from the New York and New Jersey area.  Alcohol and sports rivalries don’t usually mix too well especially when the fans of the losing team out number the fans of the winning team.  It also didn’t help that it was the second time in four years that Tom Brady had lost in the Super Bowl to… Eli freaking Manning.

During the Red Sox “riot” UMass and the student government basically invited students to Southwest by offering a large outdoor TV screen, inflatable slides, bouncy houses, and other attractions.  In terms of arrests, the Red Sox “riot” led to one more arrest (15), than the 14 arrested at the Patriots riot, however from experience I can say that the Patriots riot was much crazier, mainly because it was an angry riot (for most) not a joyous or celebratory gathering like the one that followed the World Series victory.

This year, UMass went with a completely new and dare I say, Communistic approach. UMass barred students in Southwest from having visitors from home on Saturday and Sunday, shut down Berkshire and Hampshire dining commons at 8:30, moved Late Night all the way to Franklin dining commons to divert crowds of students away from Southwest, didn’t allow STUDENTS to enter buildings in Southwest they were not currently residing in, and conducted room searches during the Super Bowl.  Some, like myself, thought this would only make matters worse during the post-game celebrations or riot (dependent on the outcome of the game).  However, this was the most peaceful “riot” I’ve seen during my college years.  There have been conflicting reports, but sources say between 2,000 and 3,000 gathered, chanted, and a few climbed small trees, however only two injuries and one arrest were reported by Campus spokesman, Edward F. Blaguszewski.

So maybe this “Communistic approach” worked after all.  Through my experiences at UMass “riots” a majority of the arrests are visitors that come to UMass to “go crazy” because we carry the reputation of being “ZOOmass.”  Students that go here know how to act at gatherings so that they don’t get broken up early and we’re pretty good at it; just ignore the police presence until they tell you to disperse and don’t do anything stupid like start a fight, throw cans and bottles, and don’t try to light the small trees in the Southwest quad on fire.  It’s pretty simple and we proved it last night.  Students and police officers were seen fist-bumping, taking “selfies”, and embracing after the Patriots victory, and no there were no reports of flying pigs or Hell freezing over… yet.  So is the answer to the post-game riots to not allow students to have visitors when a Boston team plays in a championship? Maybe.  Was it a better idea to keep the police in riot gear and the police mounted on horses away from the crowds until they were needed? Probably.  Did it help that the Patriots won? Absolutely.  However, overall UMass and the police did a much better job handling this “riot” than they have in the past.