The idea that if you pay the money for a seat you can say what you want could not be more misguided. Should athletes have thick skin and expect some verbal barbs from the crowd? Without a doubt. But there is a line and it has been crossed. We saw that with the Jeff Orr-Marcus Smart incident in Lubbock.
While the athletes on the floor should have thick skin and show restraint, they are human beings. A human can only be subjected to so much and if the words directed at them turn racist, sexist or extremely vulgar then what are we to expect from them? Things have gotten ugly in the last month in college basketball. Smart pushed Orr, New Mexico State brawled with Utah Valley students and a UCSB fan angrily confronted Hawaii's Gib Arnold last night on the court.
It's a troubling trend that has arisen and it's one that must stop. Now. Fans are spectators and they are meant to be in the seats. Should a fan choose to come on the court then they must understand that they could be punched (see Utah Valley-NMSU) or arrested. It takes only one idiot and only one second for something tragic to happen.
There is no need to ask, "How bad can it get?" We have already seen that at the Palace at Auburn Hills when the Pacers and Pistons found themselves in arguably the ugliest scene to date between players and fans. There does not need to be a rerun of that night, but fans must learn their boundaries. Stay off the court and show some class and respect.
Fans create noise, distractions and a difficult environment for opponents, but that's where it should stop. This is a game we are talking about. There is no need for racist comments and there is no need to ever step foot on the court.
Let the game play out and enjoy it from your seat. After all, that's what you paid for right?
This fan interaction issue obviously segues in to the topic of court storming, which I believe to be part of the problem as displayed by NMSU-UVU. You think something needs to be done about it? I'm on the fence, but I'm starting to think there needs to be some kind of penalty for it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I'm on the fence, but it's starting to seem like there must be a penalty. There has just been too many problems lately. I know that there are only a few incidents this season, but it only takes one for something bad to happen.
ReplyDeleteI also just grow tired of it. It is kind of overdone. I know for the kids on the team and those in the student section it is an unforgettable experience to have everybody out there celebrating, but when I see North Carolina storm the court after beating Duke it seems like it's overdone.
The thing is, you can impose a penalty (like the SEC did with a fine to the school), but you can't stop the stampede if it happens. South Carolina beat Kentucky and stormed the court and the president said he would gladly pay the fine. So it's hard to monitor.
A few thoughts:
ReplyDeleteI was at a high school game in the Chicago south suburbs last night where the students/fans of the winning team of an IHSA Regional game (first championship in the state series) stormed the court in a small gym. Nothing came of it, but one just never knows these days -- with both sides of the gym packed with the respective schools' fans, who knows if someone would have taken exception. High school games tend to have much less security than college games, as well.
Secondly, yesterday I saw a photo on one of the Twitter accounts that tweets classic baseball pictures. It was from 1948, I believe, and may have been from a World Series game. NY Yankees right fielder Joe DiMaggio was besieged by several 10-year old boys in the middle of an inning -- kids looking for autographs! In the middle of the field and during the game! The comment attached to the photo said that particular game was delayed 4-5 times for such antics.
Lastly, this post would have been a home run (pun intended) if you'd included the video of justice at the Phillies game -- when that idiot who ran onto the field was dropped in the outfield by a taser. Total faceplant!
Doug
There is a lot that can go wrong when the court is stormed, especially at a neutral site where fans from both teams pack the gym. People go mad and just start running and shoving and that can be interpreted in a negative way if the wrong person gets shoved.
ReplyDeleteSecurity has definitely stepped up in recent years, but it does seem that baseball routinely had the issue of fans on the field. I would say there is no security guard who did his job better than the Philly guy who tased that fan! Amazing stuff...here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqtPUhYdz6M