Why Are There Snipers at Football Games? Safety Is Top of Mind

Snipers at a high-profile political rally? Yes, of course we expect this safety measure to be taken when the leaders of our country are out in public.

But what about at a sporting event?

It turns out that snipers are set up at NFL football games attended by a large number of people, as inherently these events carry with them a potential security risk. Read on for details.

The Super Bowl can draw as many as 70,000 emotionally charged-up fans, per Statista.

Let's take Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles as an example. Not only did the event garner the attention of the world, but per the Department of Homeland Security, 600 people provided security in Arizona.

We're talking air security resources, venue, cyber and infrastructure security assessments, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives detection technologies, and intelligence analysis and threat assessments, to name a few extensive measures taken, per the site.

"The overall security posture in and around the event was bolstered by HSI’s elite special response teams (SRTs)," the site explains, going on to state, "Highly trained in the use of specialized firearms and defensive tactics, SRT Arizona supported local mission requests from law enforcement partners and was ready to respond to threats and incidents at a moment’s notice."

The detailed explanation of security measures taken for the event also shared that SRT Arizona consisted of two quick reaction force teams. This personnel was "responsible for responding to possible critical incidents during the game, such as active shooter threats or hostage situations. The team also deployed snipers within the stadium to provide active overwatch and collect key intelligence during the game."

More than a decade ago, snipers were used at the Super Bowl to protect fans, players, and employees from a potential security threat. A photo of a sniper's nest at the matchup between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots went viral at the time and continues to circulate online.

"The NFL had a sniper’s nest set up at Super Bowl XLVI in 2012 for security reasons," a caption of a series of Instagram images of snipers at the football game explained. "In recent years at large sporting events SWAT snipers are positioned in strategic locations to monitor crowds and ensure no unusual activities occur."

And snipers are also set up at regular season NFL games. It's been reported that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones planned AT&T Stadium to feature sniper’s nests.

Not only are snipers present at NFL games, but college football games as well.

At Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, snipers practice their tactical approach. As Tacflow's lead instructor Mark Lang explained, “What we have found with the guests — the fans, the student-athletes, the cheerleaders and the band — (is that) there’s two things they assume are in place: safety and security."

"We have been fortunate that we’ve never had an attack on a sporting venue in the United States, but if we sit back and assume that never will occur here, then that will open up the possibility of it occurring here," he said.