If you’ve ever gone to a Detroit Red Wings hockey game–or pretty much any large, public event for that matter–then you’ve had to deal with security checks. And if you’re of the female gender, you’ve had to have your purse searched.
It’s not that big of a deal, since we’ve had to do it for well over a decade. It’s commonplace, really. When you come up the steps into Joe Louis Arena and pile into various lines, your ticket is scanned, you hand your bag to one of two gentlemen stationed at the metal detector, and walk through; they hand back your purse and tell you to enjoy the game.
But the Detroit Red Wings and Olympia Entertainment have decided to forego the words of the J. Geils Band: first, they no longer look at the purse.
They made the announcement before the start of the preseason, and my Twitter feed was on fire with outrage. Here are their new rules, from their website:
The Detroit Red Wings and Olympia Entertainment have introduced a new no bag policy to provide a safer environment for the public and expedite entry for guests at all Joe Louis Arena events.
Guests are permitted to carry ONLY the following style and size bag, package or container into Joe Louis Arena:
- Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag that does not exceed 12” x 6” x 12”
- One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar style)
- Small clutch bag with one of the clear plastic bag options above.
- An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at the West Press Entrance.
Fun, right?! Not so much.
Joe Louis Arena, March 10, 2009. Photo taken by Christina Roberts (aka me)
This is horribly frustrating for us females for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, all of our crap is in our purse: phone, wallet, keys to name just a few essentials. Secondly, it gives us a place to put things we buy. Thirdly, if we’re going with a male counterpart, there’s a good chance they ask us to put their keys/wallet in our purse.
This is not an NHL-wide policy, either. Nationwide Arena in Columbus? Just a searched bag. Console Energy Center in Pittsburgh? Searched bags. The Staples Center in Los Angeles? Nothing over 14″x14″. And in Canada? The Saddledome in Calgary will search purses, and the Air Canada Centre in Toronto allows small personal bags and diaper bags, which will be searched.
Heck, the Verizon Center in Washington DC doesn’t even have metal detectors, and that’s in the US capital!
I understand that this is a policy at National Football League stadiums, but I’ve never heard of an NHL team doing it.
Has there been an issue with security when it comes to bags being brought into Joe Louis Arena? The only thought that comes to mind is the octopus throwing (hey! That’s the name of our site!), but the people who do that usually strap them onto their legs or under their jerseys. Have the bag checks been slowing down entry into the arena? I’ve never noticed a problem other than everyone only using three of the seven doors to enter and that’s because they just follow the crowd.
If I cannot bring a purse into Joe Louis Arena, I’m going to throw a twenty dollar bill in my pocket along with my license and wallet (and keys if necessary). And what will $20 buy me merchandise-wise? Maybe a child’s winter hat, which I can’t use. I’m not going to go in and buy a ton of stuff at any of their set-ups because I don’t want to carry that much money on me. Likewise, I don’t have anywhere to put my merchandise. I’m already dressed up in as much Red Wings gear as possible, I’m not going to double-layer myself.
A study done by The Atlantic back in February pointed out the demographics of every professional sports league. 32% of hockey fans are women, and that number is only rising. If 32% of every crowd is coming in without a purse and has a similar mentality to mine, how badly do you think merchandise sales are going to be?
I know I’m being melodramatic. I know factors like this won’t change anything revenue-wise for Joe Louis Arena, Olympia Entertainment, the National Hockey League, etc.. But when it seems like no other NHL team is doing this (and it’s not just a Detroit thing, because Comerica Park/Detroit Tigers don’t have the no-bag policy), it’s frustrating.
Putting the contents of a purse into a ziplock bag isn’t a solution. It’s stupid. And for now, everyone can deal with seeing the wonderful items every woman has in her purse.