Angels Fan Dies After Opening Day Fight

Fighting among rowdy fans is an ugly tradition that transcends almost every sport, whether it's rival fans taking team allegiances too far or fans of the same team who start throwing haymakers instead of high-fives after having too much to drink.

Most of the times, skirmishes are broken up by security or fellow spectators before anyone is seriously hurt, but that's not always the case. On Monday, Brian Powers, a 27-year-old Angels fan attending Opening Day, died after being involved in a fight as he was leaving Angel Stadium.

From the Orange County Register:

Witnesses told police that the victim was fighting with another man when a third man came from behind and punched his head, causing him to fall and hit his head on a concrete step. The two assailants then ran away before security and police arrived, [Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick] Martinez said.

"We don't know what the fight was about and who was the aggressor," Martinez said.

Powers was found unconscious and bleeding, and he eventually died after being taken to the hospital. The team has provided the police surveillance video, but it's unclear if the fight, which apparently took place in a stairwell, was caught on tape.

FanHouse's Elie Seckbach, who's based near Los Angeles, provided the following commentary before word was released that Powers passed away.