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November 22, 2004
Bitten by the Barbarian Bug: Malice of a "non-contact" sport
Suspensions without pay, fiesty fans, and uncontrollable athletes. NBA? I thought basketball was a non-contact sport...
Ron Artest of the Indiana Pacers proved otherwise on Saturday in a brawl with some fans during the close of a game with the Detroit Pistons (there were 45.9 seconds left on the clock). It began Artest fouled Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace, who went for a lay-up. Wallace pushed Artest, fouling him. Outside the court area from the force of the push, Artest was pelted with objects like cups and water bottles by fans, who were heckling and jeering as well. (For the ESPN highlighted video, click here and look on the right side for "Your Personal Film Room" to play footage.) Artest responded by lurching into the stands and over seats, pushing, hitting, and yelling at fans. Teammate Stephen Jackson joined Artest, and a chair was even thrown at one point in the melee.
What ought to happen is simple... The Pacers involved get real suspensions – long, staggered and without pay. The Pistons get fined several million dollars for their security lapses, even though this was your basic unforeseeable situation. [Both] teams play their next game in an empty arena, while paying all arena personnel as though they had worked that day, and then make sizable contributions to anti-violence charitable groups in their towns. And the fans involved are identified, found, stripped of their season tickets (if applicable) and charged with as much as the law will allow.Now guess how many of those will happen.
Or better yet, let us answer that for you. Almost none of them.
And while you're at it, guess which two other things won't happen.
Beer sales will not be curtailed... [a]nd... courtside seats... aren't going anywhere either.
~ Ray Ratto, Special to ESPN.com
With his "volatile past" many said that Artest's punishment of suspension for the remainder of the season should have been expected.
Artest will lose $4,995,000 of his $6,158,000 (about 80%) salary for this year. He and others, teammates and those from the Pistons, involved in the brawl have been suspended for a record number of games, over 140 total.
Typically I don't even pay much attention to sports, but with two teenaged brothers, a large television seated in our living room, and one remote control, there is little else to watch on television beyond sports. At least it seems that way at times, what with my lack of interest in television programming...
Why did this happen? Was it anger out-of-control? Was it a lack of security at the arena? Was it drunkenness? Was it the fans' doing by inticing the players?
Each party seems to want to pin it on another. (That's really nothing new.)
Personally, I think that in addition to the suspensions that the players should have to take a course in anger management. Also, the fans should face the police for their actions.
If you were caught in the street, the police would probably take you in and you'd have at least a fine, if not something more depending if someone was hurt in the situation. How is tossing a pop can at an NBA player different than if you'd chuck something at a passer-by in the street? These fans were on national television as antangonists in this incident--obviously there are witnesses--are they being punished? I hope so.
...Players overreacting is something that happens all the time. It's not a surprise to see players get heated and respond wrongly and badly to a situation. What was surprising was the fans' involvement in the situation. Usually the players, coaches and referees are able to sort out and deal with the situation. Tonight was different because the fans crossed the line and the players entered the stands.~Tim Legler, ESPN Insider
It seems to me that this is another case of athletes and fans bitten by the barbarian bug, thinking that during sporting events it's acceptable to act in this manner...
And for the athletes it extends into their everyday lives. I'm letting off a little steam on the topic because I think it's awful that professional athletes** can be charged with possession of illegal drugs and just be suspended when any other Joe-Schmo does jail time, rehab, and/or pays a fine...
All men (and women) are created equal--including citizens (law-abiding and otherwise) and professional athletes**. So let us be treated as such.
**This stands for "celebrities," too.
Posted by KarissaKilgore at November 22, 2004 12:54 PM
Comments
Man, that riot made my entire weekend! Normally I have to watch COPS or Worlds Scariest Police Videos to get that kind of entertainment! Let's hope this is the start of a entertaining and hilarious trend...
Posted by: Mike Rubino at November 22, 2004 1:41 PM
Oh my, Mike. I could have figured that you'd get a kick out of that sort of thing... I remember reading about your afternoon watching a live car chase--this was similar because I'll bet that no one saw the flying chair coming! (Oh my.)
Nothing personal, I hope that this kind of behavior stops only because it's not really what the sports are about. (I obviously have many personal issues against the entertainment industry, but that's besides the point.)
Posted by: Karissa at November 22, 2004 9:21 PM