OSU Column: Late games, alcohol a toxic mix anywhere

MADISON, Wis. - To hear some Ohio State fans and most Columbus television sportscasters tell it, a trip to Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium to play a football game is only slightly less dangerous than a trip to Dodge City in the Wild West days or Uganda when Idi Amin was dictator for life.

Admittedly, a few people have occasionally made Camp Randall and the area around it one of the most fan-unfriendly sites for visitors in the Big Ten.

The hometown newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal, does not run an editorial on game day with a headline saying, "Don't be an idiot at tonight's game; stop drunken louts from embarrassing Madison on football Saturdays" if there are no problems.

And that same paper does not run a previous editorial calling for more responsible fan behavior in August before the season begins if there are no problems.

The university does not admit it gets complaint e-mails from almost every visiting school's fans if there is not a problem.

But since a trip to Madison has always been my favorite Big Ten football road trip, I decided to see if the nastiness had permeated the entire game-day experience since the last time Ohio State played at Wisconsin in 2003. Or does the boorish behavior arise only after a few jerks have been marinated in beer for six or seven hours?

Here's my travelogue from a three-hour walk around Madison and Wisconsin's campus:

Six hours before kickoff on State Street between campus and the Wisconsin state capital, there seems to be peaceful coexistence between the fans wearing Badgers gear and the fans in Buckeyes gear.

Of course, this is mostly the lunch, pizza and ice cream crowd, grabbing a chance to enjoy maybe one of the last tremendous fall days of the season at a table at an outdoor cafe.

Over at a local pub with an outdoor beer garden, the crowd is louder but just as unthreatening and just as friendly.

Four and a half hours before game time, an OSU fan in a No. 2 jersey and a buddy in a No. 47 jersey sit at an outdoor table at a pizza place on State Street passing the time unbothered. When they start the "OH-IO" cheer no one says a derogatory word.

Three and a half hours before kickoff, a black SUV with a big Ohio State logo on the driver's side door sits across the street from the state capitol. No windows are broken and it is not tipped over.

Three hours before game time, a fan wearing an Ohio State sweatshirt walks down State Street, talking on his cell phone. It is not batted from his hand and his conversation continues uninterrupted.

Two and a half hours before kickoff, as I approach the stadium in front of a row of fraternity houses, I see a police officer walking toward me from the other direction, talking on his cell phone.

Now we're getting someplace, I think. Obviously, he is on the phone discussing some high-level security arrangements.

As he gets close enough to overhear his conversation, I hear him say, "Yeah, I've been having a lot of success with wax worms," referring to his most recent fishing trip.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal's August editorial, the link between alcohol, night games and bad behavior is strong.

Wisconsin officials estimate an average of 15 to 20 arrests and around 50 ejections from the stadium for day games. At last year's night game against Iowa, there were 43 arrests and 99 ejections.

That combination occurs in almost every major college football program. Wisconsin might have a little more work to do than some schools, but it is a college football problem, not just a Wisconsin problem.