UMass Students Riot After the Superbowl | Video and Photos

February 6, 2012

A New York Giants Super Bowl victory celebration turned ugly at UMass Amherst late Sunday night. After the Patriots lost, police say about 1,500 students rioted in the southwest residential quad area, leading to 14 arrests. Police used flash bombs, horses, and some sort of non-lethal ammunition to subdue the rowdy students.

After the scene was contained, students tried to riot again; but were quickly stopped.

I would like to say “kids will be kids,” but when I was in college, the students never acted in this manner.

Here is a video of the news report as well as some raw footage of the police using flash grenades to break up the scene. Photos below the videos.

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Photos courtesy of UMASS Amherst – Staff photo by Michael Beswick

TAGS:

flash grenades, photos, police, Superbowl, UMass student riot, video

25 responses to “UMass Students Riot After the Superbowl | Video and Photos”

Jueseppi B.

February 6, 2012 at 9:42 am

Sports are beginning to breed violence. Sad turn of events.

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1. She speaks….
  
  February 6, 2012 at 10:09 am
  
  Yes, they are. Very sad.
  
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2. She speaks….
  
  February 6, 2012 at 6:03 pm
  
  I think society is breeding violence and this was just a reason for many to let it out. That and probably too much booze.
  
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  1. Jueseppi B.
    
    February 6, 2012 at 6:18 pm
    
    You could be right, that soccer game last week overseas was horrible.
    
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    1. She speaks….
      
      February 6, 2012 at 7:08 pm
      
      Oh wasn’t it? Not that was politically motivated there, or encouraged anyway when it started. There was some hate involved.
      
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El Guapo

February 6, 2012 at 9:45 am

That always surprises and appalls me.
None of them were in the game. I’m guessing not more than a few (if any) of them had family in the game, doubt most of them bet excessively on the game, and it was JUST A GAME.

I’m going to go with “morons” and leave it at that.

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1. She speaks….
  
  February 6, 2012 at 10:11 am
  
  I agree. It is just a game. Sure, I’ve been horribly disappointed when Purdue would lose in the NCAA’s (I am a March Madness addict), but I most certainly never reacted in such a manner. It’s more like, “Well, shit. Okay, move on.”
  
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V. Lyn

February 6, 2012 at 11:53 am

I don’t get it I never could understand how people can destroy the things around themselves… Their own community… over a GAME… How can they get so empassioned about a game but care little about anything else…I don’t think sports are breeding violent it is just an EXCEUSE for those who want to be destructive and commit violence to do violence…

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1. She speaks….
  
  February 6, 2012 at 6:02 pm
  
  I don’t understand it either. But our society is getting so wound up that I’m guessing a small group started to get very roudy, then it spread through the crowd and turned into a riot.
  
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PiedType

February 6, 2012 at 12:48 pm

I’ve never understood the mentality of people who riot over sports events. I’m convinced it’s not sports per se. These same people would use any excuse to indulge themselves. This time it just happened to be a football game.

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1. She speaks….
  
  February 6, 2012 at 5:58 pm
  
  Nor do I. I remember once we roadtripped from Purdue to Detroit to watch the Boilers play in the NCAA’s. They were ranked like a 3rd seed… and lost. Should have never lost. And we had 5th row tix. We were so disappointed, we drove all the way back that night rather than the plans of going over to Windsor CAN. But did we want to get violent? Hell NO! Drunk, yes. Violent? No.
  
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Peter Kevin Connell

February 6, 2012 at 1:22 pm

If only they had as much enthusiasm to be in the library, life would be good.
PKC

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1. She speaks….
  
  February 6, 2012 at 5:56 pm
  
  Isn’t that the truth.
  
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Chris Sheridan

February 6, 2012 at 7:03 pm

Well, that’s Zoo Mass at Jamherst for ya all right! And it’s all because of mass student drunkenness. Not to excuse the behavior, but honestly, that was tame compared to some of the pro sports championship rioting in Boston in recent years, in which there’s been a lot of property destruction and a few people have died, with thousands of drunken college students being the worst offenders. At least last Spring when the Boston Bruins won the NHL hockey championship, the schools, the city, and the Boston PD were well prepared and kept the situation under control. Looks like they did a pretty good job at U Mass this time as well, cause we’ve seen far worse rioting break out in the past.

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1. She speaks….
  
  February 6, 2012 at 7:08 pm
  
  I just don’t understand getting violent over a game loss.
  
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  1. Chris Sheridan
    
    February 6, 2012 at 7:20 pm
    
    Neither do I, and it seems to be getting worse in recent years. We had some NE/Boston championship teams back in the 80s, and nothing as bad as this went on. I think it’s due to excessive binge drinking by thousands of college students, and starting around 2001, a kind of mass sociopathic mob state that people get into, in which they want to riot, become violent and cause destruction. I can’t explain it – I just know that within my own memory, there was a time when it wasn’t like this.
    
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  2. Chris Sheridan
    
    February 6, 2012 at 7:23 pm
    
    The really telling thing here is that in the last ten years or so, the rioting has been just as bad when the home team WINS!
    
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    1. She speaks….
      
      February 6, 2012 at 7:24 pm
      
      That’s true. And I’m finding that having to enter in my email, name and stuff a tad bit annoying.
      
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Chris Sheridan

February 6, 2012 at 10:22 pm

Did WP change something today to make us all have to enter our e-mail and name in order to make comments? Even when commenting on our own posts? Or is this happening only on my posts?

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1. She speaks….
  
  February 6, 2012 at 10:28 pm
  
  It’s happening to nearly all of them. It did this about a week ago and I found a setting in the Discussions under Settings and toggled it off. Then today it came back – on nearly everyone’s site. And I still have that option toggled off. I’m guessing they’re doing so upgrades because when I click on a link in an email notification, I don’t go to the top of the new post, but rather to the comments. I have been to only one WP blog today where I didn’t have to enter in my info. All the others I have had to. I don’t like it. Especially when I am signed in… that’s not necessary. And another blogger commented and posted her as anonymous, then she re-commented and it showed her gravatar. Give it 24 hrs and hopefully back to normal.
  
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  1. Chris Sheridan
    
    February 6, 2012 at 10:39 pm
    
    Thanks. I was wondering what the hell was going on. I also went in and changed that option, but I had to do it twice to get it to work, so I wasn’t sure whether it was still happening with my posts or not. But I can now reply here on yours without having to do that, so maybe they fixed it.
    
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    1. She speaks….
      
      February 6, 2012 at 10:49 pm
      
      Hmmm… it’s gone off of yours, but still shows on mine. I tried saving it a few times, too. Dunno. You’re probably on a different server. Hopefully mine will be “fixed” shortly.
      
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    2. Chris Sheridan
      
      February 6, 2012 at 10:52 pm
      
      TY for letting me know – yours will probably be fixed in 24 hours or so like you said.
      
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barkinginthedark

February 7, 2012 at 7:00 pm

morons. continue…

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1. She speaks….
  
  February 7, 2012 at 7:04 pm
  
  Very simply put and right to the point. Yes.
  
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