If one class needs to be mandatory for all UMass Amherst students when they come to the university, it should be How Not To Riot 101. According to Brian Canova of MassLive.com, the student body of the university broke out into riots after the New England Patriots lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI by a score of 21-17.
Immediately following the end of the New England Patriots' loss in Super Bowl XLVI thousands of students from the University of Massachusetts erupted in a much predicted riot in the concrete concourse of Southwest Residential Area.
Fortunately, the police were there before the riot broke out and worked on stopping things before they got too far out of hand. The crowd, chanting "U.S.A. and [expletive] the Giants," set off firecrackers and broken up bottles as police used flashbangs and smoke grenades to calm them.
While this riot may be controlled because police responded quickly, the response was so quick because authorities have had to deal with riots at UMass Amherst many times before.
They rioted in May in response to the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, they rioted after the Patriots lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII in 2008, they rioted in response to the Red Sox 2008 playoff elimination and there were other riots in relation to area sports teams in 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003 and in 2001. It's easy to see that the police could probably see this one coming, especially since there were students Tweeting that there would be riots.
Here's a video of the UMass riot following the Super Bowl (warning: there are obscenities in the following video):
Former Minuteman and now Super Bowl Champion wide receiver Victor Cruz, on Vimeo, asked UMass students to "watch the game, be safe,enjoy the parties, and don't hurt anybody or anything." Obviously they didn't get that memo.
For more on the Patriots and their Super Bowl run, check out SB Nation's Patriots blog,Pats Pulpit as well as SB Nation Boston. For more on the Giants and their Super Bowl appearance, visit Giants blog Big Blue View and SB Nation New York. For all news and information regarding Super Bowl XLVI, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated Super Bowl hub.