Both fans and athletes contribute to violence

By ANTHONY LAPOMARDO
Special to The Collegian

At the Indiana Pacers game, there were more punches thrown than a boxing match.

Perhaps the players forgot which sport they were playing, and perhaps the fans forgot their role as spectators. Either way, this fanatic display was not an isolated incident. The incidents that unfolded were a perfect example of the epidemic that has infested the sporting world.

The reoccurring images of angry and violent athletes are a view that we are unable to escape. Whether it be Ron Artest attacking random fans, a professional baseball pitcher throwing chairs, or even the large riots that appear after every championship game, this disease is plaguing society.

So where should we look to find a cure?

How do we know who has the disease?

There are so many fingers currently being pointed to place blame for incidents like the recent Pacers game. Should we blame the players for losing control of their emotions, the fans for becoming unruly, or even the lackadaisical security which always seems to be absent when it is needed most?

Although both fan and player are separate in their contributions to a sporting event, they do in fact share a parasitic relationship.

The players become aggressive and heated when they are playing, and the fans feed off this and become inherently rowdy, partly due to their love for the game, and perhaps partly due to the large red glasses they hold full of alcohol.

However, regardless of their preconceived roles in the sporting world, they both seem to have forgotten their boundaries and have spawned a new role. Fan and player interaction is something that should be applauded, but not in the capacity that we are shown on a daily basis.

The importance of the game is now overshadowed by the diversions of various instances of poor behavior.

An answer to this spawning virus may have been found in the strong hand of David Stern. Publicly setting a precedent by dealing out suspensions and attempting to cast out the demons of poor behavior as “separate from the image of the NBA” , he put himself in a position to change the sport’s corrupt appearance. The message he sent was clear— this type of behavior would not be tolerated—and we should echo his sentiments.

We need to re-evaluate the roles of both the player and fan, and far more importantly, we need to re-evaluate the responsibility and control that should be innate in all of us.

These player/fan incidents will continue to occur until we rein in our sense of control and display the proper amount of compassion to our fellow man, and although this plea may seem soapy, it is one that, in the end, is needed for us to continue to exist.