Dear Fans,
We need to talk.
What is going on?! Sheesh. It seems in the past, inappropriate fan behavior was rare. Altercations between players and spectators were few and far between, but now it has become more frequent. What is going on?
I like to call myself a Professional Sports Fan. I love all the players, even those I don’t actually like. They’re more talented than me, make a lot more money than me, and I pay big money to see them do what they do. Mainly, I pay for them to entertain me. I will be the first to admit that I yell and cuss when it comes to my own team. Boo opposing players. Participate in inappropriate chants. Get heated when it comes to discussing a team I don’t like for whatever reason. Don’t all passionate fans do that? Isn’t that part of the fun? At no point have I ever thought about throwing something at a player. What level of anger would I have to get to that I’m going to assault this player that much bigger than me?
Why are Fans taking it so personal that they throw objects? Do fantasy leagues, and sports betting and the like cause people to take it so personally when players are not doing well and disrupting whatever the Fan has on the line? Is that it? Help me understand. Is it because we have been cooped up for a year, and finally can go out that now no one knows how to act? I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on in your heads. I’ll probably never know.
I wanted to keep this short and sweet but please pay attention to your peers that have been banned from their arenas, publicly shamed and humiliated. Don’t let that be you. At the end of the day, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, and whoever your least-liked player is, will continue playing, making millions that many of us will never see in our lifetime, and you will be banned or known as that Fan. Just don’t even do it. Enjoy the game. Get frustrated when your team is losing. Celebrate the wins and enjoy the moments. But saying derogatory statements about their race, religion, creed, whatever it may be, while near them, throwing bottles, popcorn, etc while they’re exiting the court is **takes a breath** is cowardly. You would never do that on the street when there’s no security around. Just saying. I dare you to buck up to Julis Randle on the street just cause your mad at him for his performance. Let me know how that goes.
PS: I know there are a few bad actors out here, and this definitely does not apply to the vast majority of us. This has just been bothering me. Why are so many people misbehaving in general? Is it really worth it?
