Jim Geraghty has some thoughts on the sociological ramifications of Friday’s NBA fight over at the (presumably soon-to-be-retitled) Kerry Spot at National Review Online.
A few years ago, when NFL Films began running its Lost Treasures series on ESPN, I was struck by how conservative and dignified most mid-’60s fans looked. There was little or no team merchandise available, so fans arrived to stadiums on Sunday looking like they had just come from church (which many no doubt had), rather than wearing rainbow-colored wigs, Darth Vader Helmets, or cheeseheads. No doubt, the games had their share of hecklers, but I’ll bet that in general, fans of the past were much more subdued than today’s members of Raiders Nation, the Philadelphia Eagles’ crazed fans, or…the courtside fans of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
This isn’t meant to exclude the players’ guilt in Friday’s incident: compare athletes of the past with today’s every-millionare-for-himself attitude. (Indiana’s Ron Artest, the player who was banned for the rest of the season for being the pointman in the fight, actually asked for time off before the fight–to promote a rap album he was releasing on his recording label!)
But somehow, and without really thinking consciously about it, society has created the notion that sports arenas are a place for fans to go almost literally insane, rather than merely observe the hometown team in person and cheer for them. But the Pistons/Pacers rumble gives sports–and the public that watches them in person–a chance to hit the control/alt/delete keys and reset.
Will it? To be honest, I doubt it, but we’ll see. Geraghty’s right though: the politician who actually addresses this issue will look very smart.
Update: Welcome Kerry Spot readers!
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