Is There Such A Thing As Fan Misconduct?
Wizards center and SLAMonline columnist Etan Thomas wonders when the NBA will get serious about fans who go to far.
by Etan Thomas
How is it possible that what occurred at the end of Game Four of the Spurs/Jazz series did not become a serious a topic of discussion? It was briefly mentioned that the fans in Utah were upset with the disparity of foul calls, upset about flopping, threw some things on the court, then was dismissed as being part of the game. Almost to be expected.
It’s one thing to take pride in cheering your team on, but sometimes fans can take this whole sixth man thing way too far.
What exactly would it have taken for this to be viewed as a serious issue? If one of the San Antonio players responded with a punch after being hit with an unidentified flying object, then would we have seen much different coverage? Would the entire media then have been focused on ostracizing the player who reacted incorrectly and demonizing the entire current culture of NBA players as violent thugs? Would we have been inundated with various discussions on how terrible hip-hop culture is and the horrendous influence it has on young, NBA players? Would they have then imposed a more strict dress code to further improve the image of the NBA? Would we then hear suggested options such as maybe moving the seats back to protect the fans, or putting the bench in a protected box or Plexiglas shelter similar to the ones utilized in some countries overseas? If one of the players, after being struck with an object, picked that object up and threw it back, then would it be an issue? What if one of the objects cut a player’s eye, head, or seriously injured said player in any type of fashion? Then would it have been viewed as something that has no place in basketball?
I pose these questions to gain some clarity as to why, in fact, nobody viewed this as a problem.
According to an article in the Deseret News…
At the end of the game, the amount of debris being thrown was so bad, when ESPN sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya tried interviewing Spurs forward Tim Duncan, Coach Gregg Popovich grabbed all of his players and quickly ushered them into the locker room.”
The article goes on to say…
“In all, after several eyewitness accounts from media members, Energy Solutions Arena security guards and ushers, here’s a list of some of the items that were tossed: empty water bottles, coins, wrappers, Carmex, towels and soft mini basketballs.
Some of these items were thrown at Spurs players as they left the floor, while others were thrown at referees Steve Javie, Joe DeRosa and Ken Mauer.
Two fans were taken away in handcuffs after an incident near the portal where the refs left the arena. One of those men was eventually cited for throwing a water bottle, according Salt Lake City lieutenant Steve Cheever, who added it’s not that uncommon for that to happen.”
Maybe there is going to be an ongoing investigation and I just missed that announcement. Maybe they are going to utilize security cameras and find the people who were throwing the various items at the players and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Maybe they are going to take the necessary steps to insure the safety and welfare of the players, and guarantee the players a safe working environment.
After the Detroit/Pacers melee, David Stern issued some of the harshest punishments on record. He made the point clear that this type of behavior was not going to be tolerated in the NBA. He issued the statement: “We have to make the point that there are boundaries in our games. One of our boundaries, that have always been immutable, is the boundary that separate the fans from the court.”
Does that only become applicable when a player reacts to a fan, but not the other way around?
We are expected to maintain control no matter what is done, said, or thrown at us. No matter what type of abuse, verbal, physical or otherwise, we are expected to remain professional. We have to be the ones who rise above tolerated ignorance and endure various forms of maltreatment? The fact of the matter is, we are professionals and don’t have to endure an ounce of the abuse that our predecessors had to, but we are in 2007, not the 1960s. This is not something that should happen in today’s arena of sports.
My question is, why are the fans given somewhat of a free pass to conduct themselves in any inappropriate manner? Because they purchased a ticket? Why aren’t the fans required to handle themselves in a manner that promotes the healthiest environment possible? Players should not need protection from the fans.
Usually the fans are great. Cheering their teams with great passion and energy is something that players welcome with open arms. Players feed off the energy from their fans. Hearing the roar of the crowd, the cheering, the passion, that’s what makes the entire atmosphere of the arena special. Playing in a hostile environment on the road is a challenge that makes the game what it is. That makes the fans feel like part of the game. But when that line is crossed, the necessary steps have to be taken to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
David Stern also said after the Detroit/Pacers melee, “We have to do everything possible to redefine the covenant between players and fans, and between fans and fans, and make sure we can play our games in very welcoming and peaceful settings.” He added, “The NBA also has to redefine the bounds of acceptable conduct for fans attending our games and resolve to permanently exclude those who overstep those bounds.”
I am hoping it doesn’t take an ugly incident of retaliation by a player for this to still be viewed as an overall priority for our League.
Etan Thomas is a center for the Washington Wizards and a columnist for SLAMonline.com. You can order Etan’s book “More Than An Athlete” on amazon.com here and through his publisher here.
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Should the court be protected by clear glass? I think it’s the safest way for both players and fans.
Your argument here has one fatal flaw. While you are right that what the fans are doing is wrong, your argument is illogical. Yes David Stern comes down hard on players who break the fan/court barrier – this is because he has jurisdiction under the CBA to punish NBA players. He has no jurisdiction over fans. Should these fans be subject to the fullest extent of the law- with all the problems out there, does it make sense for police to look through security cameras, track fans and prosecute them to the fullest extent— this would be a bad use of resources and in the interest of being balanced, were Artest, Jackson et al. punished to the fullest extent of the law (e.g. police and courts not Stern’s law)- no.
i suppose part of it is frustration; i can see how someone who is unhappy with their job, marriage, or life in general, and has a lot of pent-up anger, might see a bunch of young guys making millions of dollars to play a game as a viable outlet for their abuse.
what really pisses me off about the whole thing, though, is the sense of entitlement these people have – it’s as if some people think that, as etan mentioned, because they pay for a ticket, and pay for beer and food etc, they can do and say whatever the hell they want. sorry, but i don’t care if you pay $5000 for a seat, you still ought to carry yourself with some shred of decency.
when the detroit brawl happened, i was angered to the point of screaming at the tv. why didn’t any announcer or sportscenter anchor mention anything about how completely classless and idiotic the fans acted? not just the one who threw the beer and the one who came onto the court. what about all those people pouring drinks and food onto the pacers players as they walked towards the locker room, including those players who had nothing to do with the brawl? ok, you’re upset that some of the players went into the stands, so, hmmm…let’s respond by escalating the situation as much as possible.
i think sternbot should institute a new rule, since he’s so fond of ironclad disciplinary regulations: you throw something onto the court, you’re banned from nba games for the season. i realize there are many problems with this suggestion in terms of how to enforce it; i’m really just saying something needs to be done, something concrete and rather harsh.
I guess it all comes down to money in the end like everything else. Beer companies are big sponsors, they would stand to lose a lot of cash. Maybe a no beers after the first quarter/4th inning kind of deal??? To make it fair to the alchies.
The fact is, if you are going to hold players accountable for behaving properly, then you need to hold fans to the same standards.
MOre importantly, David STern does have jurisdiction over fans. He can ban them for life, for a year, whatever. He banned a guy for calling Mutombo a monkey. See, the difference is, nobody thought Mutombo deserved to be called a monkey, on some level people think it’s not that bad to throw stuff at fans.
It’s wrong, and borderline racist considering the racial makeup of fans and players. There is something wrong when people think that they are allowed to inflict bodily harm on someone because they are unhappy..
Regardless of what is being thrown, that type of behavior is borderline first grade. The fact that the players are subjected to the potential physical abuse (regardless of regional severity)should not be tolerated by the LEAGUE. Ban the fan, not the booze. I like Allen’s take on the banishment theory.
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/story/2007/5/29/1414/07494
The article states that bottles, coins, and other objects were thrown AT the players and refs. That is a little different than throwing trash on the floor. The court is not your house. You think those fans, players or refs are the ones who are going to pick up that junk? Fans need to have respect. We all know that if this happened in more “urban” areas, we wouldn’t hear the end of how fans are the new “thugs”.
What they did was not right but from what I understood most was directed at the officials and not the players. I have never known of Jazz fans purposely trying to hurt players in the past. I just think most were very upset about a lot of calls in that game.
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