Having grown up in New York City, where my father???s stories about living in the shadows of Yankee Stadium were a family staple, it was particularly painful to watch the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004.

I was in Boston when the Red Sox beat the Yankees for the American League Championship Series, coming back from three games down; the town went nuts. So crazy, in fact, that fan celebration turned into rioting in the streets, resulting in the death of a college student.

Instead of celebrating the team???s first World Series berth since 1986, Red Sox fans were discussing the tragic circumstances. Happiness turned to sadness and celebrations were somewhat tainted. It didn???t have to be that way.

I would never sit so high and mighty to say I haven???t celebrated a big victory, or stormed a field or two. That doesn???t mean I made decisions that would have made my mother proud.

Storming the field and partying with your friends sound like good, harmless ideas, and most of the time end up as good times remembered. When excessive drinking is thrown into the mix, those times can often spiral out of control and can result in street riots and unsafe behavior. When a young fan gets trampled to death or a goal post falls and kills someone, times of celebration turn to mourning. Somewhere, the fine line between good times and dangerous behavior is crossed, often without the cognizance of the participants.

How can we celebrate without taking it too far? In Jack Copeland???s NCAA News story last week, it???s proposed that changing fan behavior is possible and will prevent excessive and potentially dangerous post-game celebrations.

This is an issue we must confront before we head to the stadium, arena or field. We have to know how to keep it under control, so that everyone can enjoy sports in a safe environment.