Food in Cameron

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Guys like this one, who has been dubbed "Popcorn Guy", are the problem. And the ushers can't do a damn thing about it. I have emailed both Nina King and Tom Coffman about the situation.
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[chrishoke]

Ozzie that guy was a complete and utter jerk! And you are a 100% correct.

[aimo]

Did he nurse the same box of popcorn the whole game? We had a guy do that before they stopped concessions. We called him on it, and his wife told my elderly mother that if she did not want to get sick, she should stay home. He even chewed gum so it really looked like he was eating even though the popcorn vat was empty. I cannot repeat what I called him, to his face.

It seemed to us that a lot fewer people were eating anything last night. At least in 16. There was one guy in Section 1, and that turbo usher came in and told him to pull his mask up and this was his one warning. He and his friends were flipping her off when she left. Pretty sure he was drunk, but he kept his mask up. It was one of those gaiter-styled ones, though, so it really didn't matter! She should have given him a Duke surgical one.

[Stray Gator]

Guys like this one, who has been dubbed "Popcorn Guy", are the problem. And the ushers can't do a damn thing about it. I have emailed both Nina King and Tom Coffman about the situation.
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At the very least, they should check to verify his claim of being fully vaccinated. If he's misrepresenting his status, that should suffice to warrant permanently barring him from Cameron and revoking his remaining tickets (including, I would urge, reissuing them through the Iron Duke Exchange so that he's limited to face value credit and cannot not profit from their resale in the marketplace). The rules for the protection of those attending Duke games -- including many season ticket holders like us who are over the age of 65 -- are fair and need to be uniformly enforced.

[uh_no]

To give some more context, I escalated this as far as I was able, including to game operations, and the official policy is that if they have food in their lap, there is nothing that can be done other than suggesting the individual be considerate and mask up while not actively eating.

That said, rudeness to other guests IS more likely to be actionable....if you can read between the lines there. So if an individual is rude, belligerent, profane, or explicitly indicates, even to other guests, that they do not intend to comply with policy, it is more likely that something can be done, especially if the reports come from multiple guests, especially if they come early in the games.

The head of ushing-duke relations is aware of the situation with this individual (I spoke with him at length after the game), and aware that there is a non-zero chance that it will become problematic at subsequent home games. I will further inform the supervisor ahead of the next game of the likelihood of their being needed in short order.


Please note that what I would like to do in certain situations may be out of my capacity to execute in my role.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I wasn't there, but I blame that guy for Duke losing, too.


Shout out to folks like uh_no who are able to relay real concerns from people on this site and at least try to make things happen on game day. Would give sporks if I could.

[chrishoke]

To give some more context, I escalated this as far as I was able, including to game operations, and the official policy is that if they have food in their lap, there is nothing that can be done other than suggesting the individual be considerate and mask up while not actively eating.

That said, rudeness to other guests IS more likely to be actionable...if you can read between the lines there. So if an individual is rude, belligerent, profane, or explicitly indicates, even to other guests, that they do not intend to comply with policy, it is more likely that something can be done, especially if the reports come from multiple guests, especially if they come early in the games.

The head of ushing-duke relations is aware of the situation with this individual (I spoke with him at length after the game), and aware that there is a non-zero chance that it will become problematic at subsequent home games. I will further inform the supervisor ahead of the next game of the likelihood of their being needed in short order.


Please note that what I would like to do in certain situations may be out of my capacity to execute in my role.

Thanks for your efforts. This guy knows the rules and the loopholes. He bought a 2nd box of popcorn so he could remain unmasked the entire game. Whenever another guest asked him to mask up he would loudly and joyfully exclaim "freedom" multiple times. Nice guy.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Thanks for your efforts. This guy knows the rules and the loopholes. He bought a 2nd box of popcorn so he could remain unmasked the entire game. Whenever another guest asked him to mask up he would loudly and joyfully exclaim "freedom" multiple times. Nice guy.

This guy sounds like a real nightmare and an embarrassment to Duke.

What did he do during the games where there were no food and drink available? Was he wearing a mask?

As I have said before, my response would be to wait until he puts the popcorn down, act like you have to walk to the bathroom and kick it over. Or have the person sitting behind him "accidentally" be clumsy with their drink. Two wrongs don't make a right but passive aggressive jerks deserve it right back at them.

[FerryFor50]

Guys like this one, who has been dubbed "Popcorn Guy", are the problem. And the ushers can't do a damn thing about it. I have emailed both Nina King and Tom Coffman about the situation.
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I had a similar guy next to me at the VT game. They think they're so clever. It's irritating.

[budwom]

they are a cult. They sit in airplanes and eat one peanut every half hour or so.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Here is a copy of the email I sent this morning to Nina King and Tom Coffman. And below, Tom's reply, which to me is nothing more than lip service where nothing will be done. Very disappointing.

From: OZZIE4DUKE
To: dukead@duke.edu
Sent: 2/8/2022 9:11:32 AM Eastern Standard Time
Subject: Re: Duke Game Operations shared "Food & Beverage Service to Resume Sunda...
Dear Nina,



I haven't had the chance to introduce myself to you in person, but you would recognize me from the Blue Devil Walk in Blue Devil Alley when you walk by after the team - we have "spoken" there, however briefly. I have been a season ticket holder in Cameron since 1983 and Wallace Wade since 1978.



Resuming food sales is a mistake. A HUGE mistake, inviting multitudes of mask violations in the stands. A few fans (and one in particular) buy/buys a box of popcorn and sit there the entire game with it in their lap, mask down, and periodically eating one kernel at a time over two hours. They repeatedly ignore other fans' request to put on their mask, and defy the ushers when asked by them. It's a blatant disregard of Duke's rule to wear a mask, and it is endangering all the fans around them.



Attached are two pictures I took at last night's game. He did this earlier in the season too. This man sits in Section 13, Row I, seat 12. After the game he was aggressively non-compliant. He turned to the fans around him and proclaimed "It's freedom. Freedom baby! I'm never going to wear a mask here again". He's going to cause a confrontation. I want no part of him and I don't want him sitting near us.



The usher in our section, usually Kevin Kauffman, is great, and tried to do everything he could to get him to wear a mask, including getting his supervisor. He was told "if they have food in their lap there's nothing you can do." Quite honestly, I find this position/attitude by management 100% unacceptable.



I suggest that food and beverage sales be suspended for the remaining 3 games. Failing that, allow food and beverages to be consumed in the concourse, but not be allowed to be brought into the seating area. You don't allow alcoholic beverages to be taken out of the Hall of Fame area (Blue Devil Club), so this is easily enforced by you and would solve the problem.



There's a week before the next home men's game. Please address this problem and fix it.



Thank you.



Larry Osborne

And Tom's reply

Thanks Larry. I will forward this information to the appropriate people here at Duke.TomDuke Athletics….it’s more than a game!Tom CoffmanDeputy Director of Athletics/PhilanthropyDuke UniversitySchwartz-Butters Athletic Center306 Towerview RdDurham, NC 27708(919) 613-7553tcoffman@duaa.duke.edu

Perhaps if more of us sent both of them similar emails they'll get their heads out of their .... well, you know where.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Thanks for your efforts. This guy knows the rules and the loopholes. He bought a 2nd box of popcorn so he could remain unmasked the entire game. Whenever another guest asked him to mask up he would loudly and joyfully exclaim "freedom" multiple times. Nice guy.

He is infringing on my freedom to enjoy a game without getting sick.

[hsheffield]

He is infringing on my freedom to enjoy a game without getting sick.

Unfortunately, I can only comfort myself by thinking that the virus will remove some of the non-mask wearers from the population.

[uh_no]

He is infringing on my freedom to enjoy a game without getting sick.

It's a privilege to be on duke's campus, and I wish that gentleman would treat it as such.

[-jk]

If you happen to be clumsy with your drink I don't think many people would complain.

-jk

[TruBlu]

The student section should redirect their “greeting” from opposing players at their introduction to this jerk (and his jerkess) whenever there’s a lull in action on the court.

[Stray Gator]

Although I'm sure that kicking over his popcorn or his drink would provide some temporary satisfaction, it seems clear that provoking a heated response and drawing negative attention to himself is exactly what this cretin wants. I submit that a more effective solution is to have someone take video of his reaction when he's reminded by an usher to put on his mask. If he has another rude outburst, that video evidence should be sufficient to warrant his expulsion from Cameron and the revocation of his future ticket privileges. And if he resists and has to be forcibly removed, all the better for sending a message to the other Refuseniks in attendance.

Failing to enforce the masking requirement is not only unsafe, but unfair to the overwhelming majority of fans who faithfully comply with the rules. These obstinate dimwits need to be shown that their "freedom" in not unconditional or unlimited, and does not exempt them from the rules and regulations that have been duly adopted to protect the well-being of all.

[weezie]

I wasn't there, but I blame that guy for Duke losing, too.

Works for me!

[hallcity]

There was only so much that an usher could do in this situation but, in general, the ushers have done a fabulous job of enforcing the mask requirement. Once this is over, they deserve to be officially recognized for the life saving work they’ve done.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The student section should redirect their “greeting” from opposing players at their introduction to this jerk (and his jerkess) whenever there’s a lull in action on the court.

If they can cheer on Crazie Towel Guy, they can jeer down the maskhole.

I'd love to see that. (Side note, last two games I was there, there were no CTG cheers, and Herb looked like he had a sad.)