Written by What role do we have as spectators and fans when it comes to sports culture? We know how toxic it is to have rude parents in the stands of youth games, but why does that seem to be lost at the professional level? Support and loyalty to a team is fantastic in so many ways, but what happens when support and loyalty to one team becomes disrespect and pain to an opposing team?
Competition is good for the game. It is fun to banter back and forth with people about who’s team will win, especially a rivalry, but when we get to a point that we boo specific players, say deplorable things about their families, or throw trash on a field, no good will come from this. Several years ago I attended an MLS early-stage playoff game in which home team fans threw cans of beer at the visiting team goalie, causing a delay of game. This happened multiple times throughout the second half of the game. What most fans may not know is that leagues fine teams because of delays of game. Fans are literally costing their team money. More importantly, what effect does having trash thrown at an individual do for their mental state? Even more so, the lack of respect shown for clubs and athletes as a whole. These acts do not just affect the person targeted; they effect all the players on the field. Athletes then feel embarrassment because of their fans, and may not want to show up for them in the future, and we know the importance of fan engagement.
Many leagues also have written in their rules and guidelines that if an athlete acts disrespectfully towards a spectator, they will face a fine. Most athletes would only disrespect a fan in retaliation if heckling went too far. Back in February a spectator heckled Lebron James in an away game, and they exchanged words, but the spectator was eventually thrown out of the game. While Lebron later stated that he did not necessarily think she needed to be thrown out of the game, he admitted he missed having fans and their interactions. Another instance – a Utah Jazz fan was banned from Jazz games after making inappropriate comments to Russell Westbrook in 2019. Many NBA players defended Westbrook because spectators can say all sorts of inappropriate comments, that they would probably never say to someone on the street, but feel they can say to an athlete, but players are not allowed to retaliate?
Just like Lebron, we miss being in the stands. The roar of a large stadium, cheers when our team scores, overpriced stadium food, we miss it all. When we finally get back into stadiums and arenas, maybe we can cheer a little louder and boo a little less.