I think a sports fan has certain rights when it comes to his team and physical harm on another person isn't one of them. We as sports fans can argue until we are blue in the face with another fan of the same team. That just shows our passion for it. I have friends that can push the right buttons just to get me going about my teams. Sure I can get into heated discussion and maybe get mad for a second because I think my opinion is right but I would never express physical harm on anyone over a sports team or game.
The way fans treated Bartman after he tried to catch a foul ball was just outrageous. We have all wanted to catch a foul ball at a baseball game. Its just what fans do. This was the ultimate fan at a huge game going for what could have been a big part of history. It just turned out that it wasn't. And things went a little wrong on the field and the game was lost. There were plenty of reasons to blame the team in the field and not the fan in the stands. But how could we. How could we as fans blame our team. Its always shocking when we see our hero's out there and something goes extremely wrong. Most of us like to thinks its a dream or go into denial about what happen.
The week the Tiger Woods story broke I think I was in denial about what he did. I just couldn't imagine that he could do something like that. I was hoping it was going to be a dream and I would see him get that green jacket Sunday at Augusta. That wasn't it and now two years later he just isn't the same athlete I grew up idolizing. I wish he was still to this day but I think its part of my denial.
In the heat of the moment, the fans in Chicago had to blame someone and Bartmen was the culprit. When he was getting beer thrown at him and the whole stadium was chanting "ASSHOLE," no one stop to think that the players were the ones still playing the game. The Cubs shortstop missed an easy ground ball that could have gotten them out of the inning with the lead. No one thought to look at that play. No one thought to blame them for blowing a lead the next night in game seven. It was an easy way to blame someone that wasn't a player they all looked up too. People were yelling to kill him and hang him. They also wanted to hurt his family. Why? What did he do? No one in that stadium knew what it was like to see the Cubs win anything, so getting a division title and to be that close in the NLCS was a huge accomplishment for the lovable losers. Why blame it all on Bartmen? Because it was easy.
The fans who take things too far I don't consider real sports fans. The fan who goes to the game to talk shit and start fights is not a fan. A real fan knows where the issues lie with the team and it is not by threatening or causing harm to another fan. You can talk shit back and forth during a game with other fans but when it gets to a point of physical harm then it should have stopped long before. Its to a point now where people don't even like to wear their teams colors or jersey for fear that something will happen to them at a game. Nothing is worse than going to a game, everyone is having a good time some crazed fan gets drunk and tries to start a fight with you because his team is losing. It ruins the whole experience.
I was at a NHL playoff game last year. The Coyotes vs Redwings. Its game four the Wings can close out the series in Phoenix. I am a Detroit fan I have a shirt on with the huge Wing logo. As the game gets into the 3rd period, the Coyotes are pretty much out of it at this point the Phoenix fans around us start to get crazy. The young woman sitting in front of me, also a Redwing fan, started getting harassed by two Phoenix fans on my right. Now by harassed I mean very vulgar and personal attacks at her. Nothing like your team sucks and they spend all kinds of money. It was vulgar and embarrassing. The woman was with man and he wanted to get after these two guys. I calmly told him to just brush it off and get a bear. After a few more minutes and a beer being hurled at her I just turned to the two fans and asked them to name the coach of the Coyotes. Not one of them could.
My point here is that this situation could have gotten a lot uglier if I had not calmed the male friend down and told him to ignore them. The woman just ignored them all together. She took it like a champ and continued to cheer for her team. Like a real fan. Anyway my point is if you want to harass and fight fans then know the coach of the team. A fan must know the team and stats first an foremost to call themselves a fan. If your a fan of the game then know the rules. Don't yell out stupid shit for no reason. Don't blame guys like Bartmen if you were in the same situation you would have done the same. The players and teams are the ones to blame. They make all the money. They are in front of the media making the excuses not the fans. We the fans pay to be there and enjoy the entertainment. Blame the entertainers for the bad outcome.
Fans should be able to enjoy an event and wear their colors without fear of getting beat up. Best fans in my opinion Boise State, and Wyoming fans. They are so nice to everyone win or lose they are just happy to be there. Worse fans once again this is my experience. UNR, BYU, and Hawaii. Those fans are down right looking to fight and cause some sort of trouble. I'm sure there are others but these are for the majority the worst in my opinion. I have been in or around these fans at either home or away games and it was never a pretty site.
All in all, the point here is to not act like a jackass. Don't call into radio shows calling the guys on the air stupid if you cant name your starting five from your "so called" favorite NBA team. Don't start a fight with another fan just because he likes the opposing team. You may hate that team but you don't know the fan. They say to clean up these sports but they need to clean up the stands too or should I say the fans too.
SIMSZEE
