Over the last week-and-a-half,
nearly every notable NBA player has been asked about the ugly fan
incidents that have occured at playoff games recently.
The NBA Players’ Union put out a
statement that read: “True
fans of this game honor and respect the dignity of our players. No
true fan would seek to harm them or violate their personal space.
Those who do have no place in our arenas, and their conduct is
appropriately evaluated by law enforcement just as if it occurred
on a public street. Respect our Players. Respect our
Game."
The NBA also released a
statement to address these incidents: “The return of more NBA fans
to our arenas has brought great excitement and energy to the start
of the playoffs, but it 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
and respectful environment for all involved.”
What will that “enhanced code of
conduct” entail?
According to Shams Charania of The
Athletic, the NBA has
introduced new measures such as encouraging teams and arena staff
to develop processes for pursuing arrests (as opposed to a lifetime
ban for the individuals), announcing the Fan Code of Conduct three
times during games and enhancing arena security.
Will this be enough?
Are there any additional changes
that the NBA will implement?
The NBA’s top priority seems to
be ensuring that these fans are prosecuted, which is the right
move. The entire sports world was talking about how multiple NBA
fans received lifetime bans after acting out, yet that didn’t stop
other fans from disrespecting players the very next day. Even if
the fan is banned from all NBA games and all events at the arena (as some players
suggested), it likely isn’t enough.
Since a lifetime ban hasn’t been
an effective deterrent, arrests must be made and
publicized.
For example, 21-year-old Cole
Buckley is the Celtics fan who threw a bottle at Kyrie Irving
during Game 4, and he was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
That’s a felony and he could face 10 years in prison, if
convicted.
The consequences of this fan’s
actions were reported everywhere, so hopefully other fans will fall
in line. A lifetime ban from an arena is an inconvenience that’s
somewhat frustrating when Ariana Grande comes to your city; a
felony obviously has a much bigger impact on one’s life.
Even if the fan pleads guilty
and has to pay a large fine (in addition to the legal fees), the
punishment is significant enough to dissuade most. As Hall-of-Famer
Reggie Miller said during a recent broadcast, “Hit ‘em in their
pocketbooks.” Miller
was involved in the “Malice at The Palace” (receiving a one-game
suspension), and he stressed that the NBA needs to do something
because this “is getting ridiculous.”
Several players including James
Harden, Russell Westbrook and Draymond Green called for the NBA to
improve security, but it’s hard to imagine how additional security
could’ve prevented a number of these incidents. Perhaps the
security guards can warn fans who are out of control and seem on
the verge of crossing the line, but there’s only so much they can
do.
“You can put more security in
the stands, and try to monitor as many people as possible, but
somebody throwing a bottle from their seat, you can’t really
control that,” Damian Lillard told reporters on Monday. “That’s who
that person is. That’s what they decide to do in that moment, and a
security guard can’t jump 20 feet in the air and grab the bottle
before it flies onto the court. Some things you just can’t control,
so you got to just trust that fans are going to be respectful and
behave themselves correctly when they come into these
arenas.”
It remains to be seen what the
NBA means by “enhancing security,” since that’s somewhat vague. But
if these issues persist, here are some other ideas for the league
office:
LIMIT ALCOHOL SALES
It’s no coincidence that most of
these incidents are happening later in games, after many fans have
been drinking for much of the night. By limiting alcohol sales a
bit or cutting fans off sooner, perhaps these fans will be in their
right mind and less likely to act out. The NBA likely doesn't want
to miss out on beer sales, but there is a precedent for
this.
The last time the NBA adjusted
their alcohol policy was in 2005 in response to the "Malice at The
Palace." The NBA investigated what factors contributed to the brawl
and instituted new league-wide guidelines. In addition to tightening arena security, the league started preventing
alcohol sales at the start of the fourth quarter, restricting the
size of drinks to 24 ounces and limiting fans to purchase just two
alcoholic drinks at a time.
They also trained arena staffers
to manage drunk fans and introduced designated driver programs.
They also posted the Fan Code of Conduct in all arenas. Perhaps we
see the league make a similar move now, even if it’s only
temporary.
PUNISH THE TEAM
This seems unfair to the
players, but if these fans are so passionate about their team, this
should put an end to these incidents rather quickly. This method
has been effective overseas when fans become unruly; they simply
ban all fans from attending the next game and the team loses their
home-court advantage.
Fans throwing objects at players
is a huge issue overseas, as former player Josh Childress
recently tweeted. He recalled having “coins heated by a lighter, bottles filled with
urine and feces, broken down toilets from the arena and M-80
[fireworks]” thrown at him while playing abroad.
Perhaps the NBA can take a page
out of FIBA’s book. It’s hard to imagine the NBA blocking fans from
attending the next game (and giving up the playoff revenue), but if
a fan misbehaving led to a technical foul, perhaps the crowd would
act differently. This would
also lead to the fans policing each other because they wouldn’t
want the team to be affected.
No fan wants to be the reason
their favorite team loses.
ORIENTATION FOR SEASON TICKET-HOLDERS
Again, in the past, the NBA
posted the Fan Code of Conduct in arenas. According to Charania,
the league plans to read the Fan Code of Conduct three times during
games to ensure that fans understand the rules (which are as
follows):
- Players and fans respect and appreciate each
other.
- Guests will be treated in a professional and
courteous manner by all arena and team personnel.
- Guests will enjoy the basketball experience
free from disruptive behavior, including foul or abusive language
and obscene gestures.
- Guests will consume alcoholic beverages in a
responsible manner. Intervention with an impaired, intoxicated or
underage guest will be handled in a prompt and safe
manner.
- Guests will sit only in their ticketed seats
and show their tickets when requested.
- Guests who engage in fighting, throwing objects
or attempting to enter the court will be immediately ejected from
the arena.
- Guests will smoke in designated smoking areas
only.
- Obscene or indecent messages on signs or
clothing will not be permitted.
- Guests will comply with requests from arena
staff regarding arena operations and emergency response
procedures.
- Guests will comply with all COVID-19 health and
safety protocols.
- Guest will comply with the list
of prohibited items at NBA arenas
Fans are encouraged to “report
any inappropriate behavior to the nearest usher, security guard, or
guest services staff member.” What happens to guests who don’t
adhere to these rules? “They will be subject to penalty including,
but not limited to, ejection without refund, revocation of their
season tickets, and/or prevention from attending future games. They
may also be in violation of local ordinances resulting in possible
arrest and prosecution.”
While reading the Fan Code of
Conduct several times at games may help, it could be smart for the
NBA to have orientations for season-ticket-holders to go over these
rules and train the fans to police each other. Teams do plenty of
events for season-ticket-holders like Q&As with the front
office, meet-ups with the players and so on; covering these topics
at those functions could help.
There’s no simple solution for
this issue, but the NBA must do something and take this seriously
or there will absolutely be another player-fan brawl in the near
future.