Written by The semi-vaccinated public is returning to large gatherings. For over a year, we have either been alone or with close friends and family members. Consequently, now have to face our nemeses once again and learn how to play nicely with them. They didn’t go away, but they are no longer behind a mask and six feet apart or on a Zoom call. And, unfortunately, we don’t seem to be handling it very well.
Fans are returning to sporting events in large numbers. Unfortunately, we have had several incidents already in the first few days of the NBA playoffs. A New York Knicks fan spat on Atlanta Hawks player Trae Young from the second row, over rapper 50 Cent and his date. Philadelphia 76’ers fans showered Washington Wizard Russell Westbrook with popcorn as he was on his way to the locker room after being injured. Utah Jazz fans verbally assaulted the family of Memphis Grizzly Ja Morant with racial slurs.
An uncomfortable mob followed Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka up the eighteenth fairway at the PGA Championship last Sunday. Most of the fans supported Mickelson as he chased history, but some took the opportunity to target Koepka’s injured knee.
The Los Angeles Dodgers played the Houston Astros this week in Houston. The first time the two teams had played in front of fans since the announcement of the Astros cheating scandal, which Dodgers fans feel robbed them of the 2017 World Series championship. In addition, Minute Maid Park was at 100% capacity for the first time since the 2019 World Series. Not surprisingly, several fights broke out in the stands.
In England, they physically separate fans to prevent hooliganism. Supporters of visiting teams sit in designated sections with security and open seats serving as a boundary. A few years ago, I went to a “derby” game between West Ham United and Tottenham. The visiting Spurs fans came into the stadium on busses that dropped them off at fenced-off gates to keep them away from the West Ham fans. Pubs allowed only patrons wearing claret and blue.
Is that what we need to do? I hope not. However, it may be inevitable. At the very least, we need to protect the players from harm.
It is healthy to have a nemesis. I grew up during the Cold War. Everyone was united in our hatred of communism, and Rocky and Rambo inspired our patriotism. We were the good guys, and they were the bad guys. Nebraska is good, Oklahoma bad. It was pretty simple. Part of the draw of being a sports fan is being allowed to hate the other team and its fans. But there have to be boundaries.
Studies show that having a nemesis can increase motivation and improve performance. In addition, having enemies allows us to maintain a sense of personal control and navigate hazards. The key is to keep active conflict to a minimum. Otherwise, friendly competition can turn toxic. Unfortunately, that may be at play in the events this week. Hopefully, we can get back to a more healthy form of fan rivalry as we adjust to returning to normalcy.
Carl Jung taught that we all have a “shadow self.” It is the side of our personality with parts of ourselves that we do not want to admit having. We perceive our shadow as dark and weak, making us want to deny having it. Thus, a nemesis is helpful because we can project the characteristics we don’t want to accept in ourselves on them. That’s a little deep, but I think that means the Dodgers and Yankees fans hate the Astros because they represent the cheating they committed in the past.
Golf rivalries have always been entertaining—Palmer vs. Nicklaus, Faldo vs. Norman, and Tiger vs. Phil. However, a new one is emerging, Brooks vs. Bryson. It blew up on Twitter this week. First, a video leaked of an interview where Brooks rolled his eyes and was visibly disturbed when Bryson walked behind him wearing his metal spikes.
Then, the announcement of this year’s “The Match” pairings fueled the fire. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t include Koepka. Instead, DeChambeau and fellow nerd Aaron Rodgers replace Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Mickelson and Tom Brady. Social media exploded again. Everybody has had a few laughs over it and, so far, it all seems to be in good fun. Tiger and Phil eventually became good friends when they got an opportunity to work together preparing for the Ryder cup several years back. Hopefully, we see the same type of relationship evolves between Brooks and Bryson.
“The Match” is just a charity event with no real significance. However, last year it was one of the first sporting events we got to see after the lockdown began. I remember watching it with excitement. Shortly afterward, the baseball season began, and the NBA resumed. Golf and football followed. It took a while to adapt to empty stadiums and “bubbles.”
In the meantime, we not only endured the pandemic but escalations in racial justice issues and a bitter election. As a result, divisions are more profound, and emotions are higher. We have seen this play out over and over again on television. Yet, sports is supposed to be an escape—a place for rivalries and rooting, not protests and violence.
Our leaders need to step in and let us know that this type of behavior is not OK. In addition, the media needs to quit glamorizing escalating violence in stadiums as “a playoff atmosphere” and help tone down the volume a bit.
It is fantastic that the fans are back, but we need to recognize that the world has changed while they were gone and make an effort to re-establish the boundaries to avoid further episodes like those we witnessed this week. Banning unruly fans for a year may not be enough. In Europe, lousy fan behavior leads to empty stadiums. It makes the fans accountable to each other and teams incentivized to enforce a code of conduct aggressively.
It’s good to have a few nemeses. They make us better and build intriguing rivalries. But, let’s not turn into hooligans.