The Locker Room - Fans, Respect the Game

Fans often rant, rave and raise all kinds of hell when it comes to the bad-boy behavior of athletes on and off the field. This past Tuesday however the tables were turned and now the paying customer has to examine their behavior. At the NASCAR Nextel Cup race last Sunday at Talladega a few fans were far from happy with Jeff Gordon taking the victory on Dale Earnhardt day (who didn't see the backlash from that coming). Some of those fans took it upon themselves to show their dislike for the Rainbow Warrior by throwing beer cans among other objects on the track, pelting Gordon's car in the process. The officials at Talladega International Speedway decided that it would be the first and last time that kind of display would happen. Fourteen fans that started the "celebration" were banned from the track grounds for life...that's right...for life.

This takes me back to other displays of sheer stupidity that would make coach Bob Knight tell them to chill out. There's the incident simply known as "The Brawl" between the Pacers and the fans that decided to have a little "fun" in Detroit a couple of years ago. That instinct triggered the worst fight in NBA history, cost Ron Artest the rest of that season and had said fans banned from the Palace at Auburn Hills for life and arrested for their actions. Then, in the 2001 NFL season, a botched call by the refs that seemingly cost the Browns the game, and a potential playoff spot, resulted in the fans throwing beer bottles onto the field and at the refs stopping play for several minutes. Granted any sport, even golf for heaven's sake, can make anyone lose their cool but remember, it's just a game. Sure you get pay good money to watch them, say a few chants and meet some new friends, and enemies, but that's it. Throwing objects on the field, yelling slurs and obscenities that would make Marge Schott blush and running onto the field only guarantees you a night in jail and a bruised body if you're unlucky enough. That's the price you pay for pretending to be Johnny Knoxville and trying to get away with getting some TV time.

The fact of the matter is when you pay to get into a stadium, arena or dome you're paying to watch the game and have a little fun, nothing more or less. These asinine acts may get you your 15 minutes of fame on ESPN but it puts everyone around you in danger, you'll have a criminal record for the worst reasons imaginable, and you'll end up looking like an idiot for the nation to see. Just remember this; you'll want to leave the stadium the same way you came in, with family and friends, not with the cops.