So much for my beloved Giants being a wild-card team. It was a nail-biting finish, but eventually they prevailed to win their third World Series title in five years. The course of the game crushed my emotional state in many a ways, but in the end, it was pure exhilaration.

But that joy didn’t last long. The events that unfolded a few hours later put a big dent in my sunny disposition.

As I finished my homework and switched the TV back on, I caught the news reports showing pictures of rioters setting property on fire. It only got worse from there. Bonfires everywhere in the Mission district. People being stabbed and taken to hospitals. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined something like this.

This got me thinking.

Is this how you are supposed to celebrate a sports victory? People climbing on top of cars, shattering windows. Is this what we have come to expect of the civilized world?

As I did some research on such events of the past, it didn’t seem like anything new. Year after year, history repeats. Boston in 2013. San Francisco in 2012. Los Angeles in 2009 and 2000. Detroit in 1984. It seems like these are traditions that go hand in hand.

Win a sports event and then set the city on fire.

Maybe the civic leaders should feel happy that their teams did not win a sports event. So why do people actually riot? Is it excessive drinking? Or is it the herd mentality that rules the roost?

One would think that the city that lost is most likely to be the one that is rioting. But logic doesn’t prevail here. Because it is not common sense. It is pure anarchy.

And as concerned citizens, what should we do? Who else needs to shoulder the blame? Is it the media that might be feeding this frenzy? Their coverage only seems to add more testosterone to the fragile emotions of these rioters.

These anarchists need to dealt with very stringently. Jail them. Maybe, a little sobriety behind bars will make them see the folly of their ways. It cost the city of San Francisco $1.5 million in 2012. And that is no chump change. The taxpayers should not have to bear the cost of these riots.

The people who instigate this mayhem need to be dealt with very seriously and need to be taught civic responsibility. We all need to realize that these events bring us all one step closer to barbarism. And, that is not who we want to be. It is about time we all grow up.

And finally, as I gather my thoughts and muse over the happenings, I have come to seriously question if all of this is seriously worth it.

Would I rather have victory riots or maybe a team with no victories? For now my heart is still with the Giants, but maybe a time will come when I have to wonder if I really care about my team winning. Until then, I will continue to root for the Giants to win yet one more title. And hopefully, this time, sans the riots.