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Columnist BlamesVictim, Says BryanStow Shouldn't HaveBeen Wearing GiantsJerseyBy Erin Sherbertpublished: Tue., Apr. 12 2011 @ 2:37PM

Even John Steigerwald'smustache is embarrassedfor him.Longtime Pennsylvania sports anchor and writer John Steigerwald pens an astonishingly offensivepiece this week in the Observer-Reporter, essentially blaming Giants fan Bryan Stow for his ownsavage beating.

Steigerwald's gross logic is that Stow, 42, shouldn't have donned San Francisco Giants gear while atthe rival Dodger stadium where he attended the opener game on March 31.

He writes that the two men who attacked Stow as he walked to his car after the game probablybelieved they were doing their job in protecting Dodger turf.

That's like saying a woman wearing a short skirt was asking for it.

Here are some mind-boggling statements from Steigerwald's piece, posted at 3:32 a.m. It's worthnoting that the veteran journalist referred to Stow as Snow throughout the article (though the paperhas since fixed the error).

"Maybe someone can ask Stow, if he ever comes out of his coma, why he thought it was agood idea to wear Giants' gear to a Dodgers' home opener when there was a history of out-

4/17/2011 SF Weekly - San Francisco News - The S…

…sfweekly.com/…/john_steigerwald_obs… 1/4

of-control drunkenness and arrests at that event going back several years."

Steigerwald then goes on to criticize Stow and all the sports fans who wear sports attire to games:

"Are there really 40-something men who think that wearing the jersey makes them part ofthe team? It was cute when a 10-year-old kid got that feeling by showing up at ThreeRivers Stadium in a Pirates jersey, but when did little boys stop growing out of that?"

While Steigerwald muses about what grown men should or should not wear to baseball games, Stow,a paramedic and father of two, remains in critical condition at a Los Angeles hospital.

He has been in a coma since March 31, when he was beaten outside Dodger stadium as he walked tohis car.

Even those who do not follow sports have rallied around Stow's family, hoping and praying policecatch the two Dodgers fans responsible for the attack. Both teams and cities have pooled money,offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.

The one thing we will agree with Steigerwald is that it's time for sports fans to grow up. Not becauseof what they are wearing (that's just silly), but because of how some of them are ruining the game forthe rest of us.

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Showing 16 comments

It's like saying a guy with a horrendous stache is asking for it. What backwoods, middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania hole did this douchecrawl out of?

Mt Lebanon.

We don't live in a fantasy world, nor a utopia. In a perfect world, we'd all get along and not fight over anything, ever. But, we all knowthat anyone who goes into the territory of another team, animal, religion, or other place that could be inflamatory, is indeed "asking forit". Anyone who does it is simply attracting attention to themselves on purpose. And we all know this, but we pretend it doesn't happen.He probably expected a few unkind words and not a savage beating. But it was still a very stupid thing to do. I'm not defending theactions of anyone involved, and my opinion is very unpopular, but if you don't believe it to be true, then you are naive.

I'm not following your logic here. How do you jump from "attracting attention" to "asking for a savage beating"?

Gvito2002 5 days ago

Kirch 5 days ago

Richard Haick 5 days ago

MrEricSir 5 days ago



That's ridiculous, and I'm not naive. Hundreds of thousands of fans wear opposing teams' gear to stadiums every year withoutanything more than some verbal jabs, but anyone who does it should expect to be beaten into a coma? If it happens one time out of100,000 or 500,000 possible occurrences, does that prove your point?

Here, check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...

As a journalist, editor and Giant fan, I WILL be calling the Observer-Reporter to register my complaint. Steigerwald owes all sports fansand journalists an apology for posting this hideous "article"

If you want to complain too, here are ALL of their contact numbers: http://www.observer-reporter.c...

Steigerwald also said in comments (That he since removed) that Stow "provoked" the attack by wearing the Giants gear.

He has now begun his back-tracking, I guess he's fearful of losing a 2nd job in two months.

The newspaper should fire him and the editor that approved the story.

Up yours.

to john: is that you H. Brown?

TK 5 days ago

A. McS. 5 days ago

Keithjfro 4 days ago

Engagent 4 days ago

john 4 days ago

Oaklandish 4 days ago

Tkallison12 4 days ago



This article is offensive. I sure hope that John Steigerwald is FIRED for this horrible written piece of misjustice. Wonder if he would besaying the same thing if it happened to him or someone that he cared about. I highly doubt that. This was a horrible attack and tocondone it is just wrong.

This idiot is essentially equating the rapist blaming the victim for wearing provocative clothing. This guy is an irresponsible and stultifiedhuman being.

As a human being, he's a moron, but as a sportswriter, he's a genius--who had ever heard of him prior to this?

This goofy sports writer needs to shut up. What a jerk. He should hide in the same hole as Punxsutawney Phil since he lives inPennsylvania. This jerk is lower than a groundhog. We live in the USA. not Lybia!!!!!!!!!!

Despicable! He needs to resign immediately, or be fired for his thinly-veiled sanctioning of this brutal violence.

is this writer stupid or what? Hopefully, they will get rid of this dunce.. what a representation of the newspaper.

Engent 4 days ago

Iago Parrot 3 days ago

Dad62459 2 days ago

Angelica 2 days ago

Francine 1 day ago



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