Written by Typically, when one thinks of popcorn, they know that there is heat involved, and fans as well, if getting popcorn from a large popper. However, when it comes to sports, popcorn, heat, and fans, are not always within the same category. For example, the recent incident where a fan dumped popcorn on Washington Wizards Point Guard Russell Westbrook during Washington’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 26th, while Westbrook was heading to the locker room due to an injury.
The 76ers, upon identifying the fan, immediately ejected him from the Wells Fargo Center where the 76ers play, and revoked his season ticket membership the following day, along with banning him from all future events at the Center indefinitely. Westbrook, understandably incensed at the incident, had to be restrained by Wizards staffers while he was on his way to the locker room to have his injured ankle checked out. The 76ers, as part of their statement related to the incident, apologized to Westbrook, and the Wizards, for the behavior while stating, “There is no place for it in our sport or arena.”
Following the game, Westbrook made it very clear that the incident was unacceptable, saying, “This s*** is out of hand. I wouldn’t come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head, because you know what happens.” He also called for the NBA to do a better job of protecting players who can be at the brunt of verbal harassment, heckling, and other unsportsmanlike conduct at the whim of fans.
A statement about the NBA’s enhanced code of conduct was released by the league the following day which said, “The return of more NBA fans to our arenas has brought great excitement and energy to the start of the playoffs, but is critical that we all show respect for players, officials and our fellow fans. An enhanced fan code of conduct will be vigorously enforced in order to ensure a safe respectful environment for all involved.” The statement also provided a link to the Fan Code of Conduct for fans to review. Whether or not the link received much traffic remains to be seen as the NBA continues with their playoffs.
At what point should sports leagues start holding fans accountable for their actions? Is it fair to expect players to check their emotions at the locker room door before stepping onto the court or field while still expecting them to give the game all they’ve got?
Do not get me wrong, I am all for solid, good-natured heckling of players, but there should be a visible line that cannot be crossed, and it needs to be made clear to all fans. I was witness to perhaps the greatest heckling ever done while watching a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals about nine years ago at Camden Yards. While sitting on the third-base side, a few rows up from the field, I had a Baltimore fan sitting behind me who would heckle then-Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas every time he took the field. There was never a curse word thrown, just good-natured ribbing, all in an effort to get a reaction from Moustakas. For his part, Moustakas remained stoic right up until the seventh inning when the fan yelled out that he had sent Moustakas a Facebook friend request and asked if he would accept it. That was the “breaking point” where Moustakas just hung his head and shook it in response while visibly trying to hide laughter. All of us in the section laughed and cheered at this knowing that our heckler had accomplished his mission without ever crossing the line or being disrespectful. From the rest of the game, he pretty much left Moustakas alone, as he had accomplished his mission. The parting shot at the end of the game was letting Moustakas know he had season tickets and looked forward to seeing him the next time the Royals were in town, a statement I am sure made Moustakas roll his eyes.
This is the kind of behavior that players, spectators, and officials should be expected from those in attendance at sports games. We should not expect to see fans fighting with other fans, spitting on players, cursing at officials, or throwing popcorn, or other objects, at the people we came to watch. (The exception to items being thrown during a game would be hats thrown on the ice in the National Hockey League to appreciate when a player scores a hat trick.) We expect players to uphold a level of sportsmanship on the court or field, yet why can we not expect fans to adhere to the same standards? Does paying for a ticket to watch a game entitle one to do whatever they please when it comes to the players? The short answer to that is an unequivocal “no.”
Had something as the Westbrook incident happened at a youth sports event, where a spectator threw popcorn on a youth athlete, there is a good probability a brawl would have erupted among parents. So if this would not be acceptable behavior at a youth sporting event, why would it seem acceptable at a professional event? Sure, there are cities that are known for being, “rough,” Philadelphia most notably, but it is not excusable. Regardless of how passionate fans are about their hometown teams, we must be cognizant of the fact that the actions we take in the name of “the team” have a far-reaching impact. Spectators would do well to remember that players, coaches, and officials are not just robots playing a game for our enjoyment. This is their job, albeit a very well-paying job, but a job nonetheless. We would not expect someone like Russell Westbrook to come to our workplace and throw popcorn at us if we got injured at work, so we should not treat athletes in a manner in which we would not wish to be treated.
If fans want to heckle players, coaches, or officials, and can do so without demeaning them, cursing at them, or doing things that they would not be proud to see shown on national television to their parents, then I am all for it. Be the fan who tells the player you sent them a Facebook friend request and asks if they will accept it. Make it family-friendly. Have fun with it, but remember, if you would not want someone saying or doing the same things to a member of your family, it is probably not a good thing to do. Sportsmanship applies to players, coaches, officials, and fans alike.