Argentina defeated Columbia, 1-0, in the Copa America final on Sunday but that’s isn’t the story that everybody is talking about today. The story became the chaos at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami as unticketed fans attempted to get past the gates.
Distressing scenes at Hard Rock Stadium as gates burst and fans fall on top of one another, endangering families and children. Obviously not what you want from a signature football event just two years before the World Cup.pic.twitter.com/9NzIp14niB
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 15, 2024
Mike Ryan of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz was at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday amidst the madness and joined Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. to talk about the situation.
Mike noted that as soon as he arrived at the stadium he knew there would be problems. As a Miami Hurricanes season ticket holder he knows, generally, how stadium ops usually works for a multitude of events. Approaching the stadium, he could already tell it was going to be a bad day based on the lack of uniformed police presence outside the stadium. Mike was one of the lucky ones where he got into the stadium, largely because he carved out extra time to get in. But getting in was a nightmare. Mike says the game wound up being great, but it was a really ugly scene beforehand.
“You knew it was going to be a bad day … Unfortunately, the atmosphere, once you actually got to the game, was great, but it was a really ugly scene beforehand.”@MichaelRyanRuiz on the scene at Copa America in Miami pic.twitter.com/zAawoMkydd
— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) July 15, 2024
Mike said if he had to lay blame with one entity, he would have to go with local law enforcement, who he says are throwing their hands up and saying they’re just along for the ride. Mike says there is usually a degree of that when it comes to bidding on a prestigious Cup final, but you have to know that a plan with no uniformed personnel isn’t going to work and goes against everything that has ever worked at a venue that is no stranger to big events. It’s a black eye for a venue that Mike thinks should be considered one of the greatest sporting venues in the world. He says it looked like the stadium ops people took a back seat from the moment you pulled in and unfortunately, that led to a night where a lot of tragedy and pain could have been avoided.
.@MichaelRyanRuiz was at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday & said the scene was a black eye for a great venue.
— DraftKings Network (@DKNetwork) July 15, 2024
“That plan not to have any uniformed personnel establish a perimeter was just asinine & it goes against everything that has ever worked for that venue ever.” pic.twitter.com/wXiY2Agt6I
Watch or listen to the full show below and make sure to tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
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Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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