Read the debate intro and Bleacher Fan’s argument that coaches should have the authority to eject fans from a sporting event.
There are acceptable times to heckle and boo in sports. When the home team coach refuses to go for it on fourth and inches, it is acceptable to make your disgust known with a loud “Boooooo!” and an occasional “What are you thinking!?” When that creepy 40-year old guy wrestles a foul ball away from a 10-year old girl, you not only have to publicly belittle the guy (my favorite technique is to guess his occupation… like comic book store clerk, mall kiosk figurine salesman, etc.), it is also generally accepted to throw things when the ushers are not looking. And, of course, when someone refuses to stand for the national anthem, it becomes your patriotic duty to heckle that commie-loving-terrorist right back to his cave. But, there are some heckling lines that should never be crossed.
Growing up I worked at a minor league baseball stadium, and because of that I have heard every jeer imaginable. Some heckles made for hilarious memories, such as one unrelenting fans barrage of catcalls on the opposing team’s third baseman, Clyde “Pork Chop” Pough. Other fan outbursts have led to equally memorable – but sometimes infamous – moments such as the drunk guy standing next to the six-year old who shouted, “How’s your wife and my kids?” and “Come on, I hit my wife harder than that” to the batter. These were things this guy would never have said to a six feet 200-pound professional athlete with a bat in his hand if it had not have been for the alcohol and the anonymity of the crowd. This drunken fan’s delusional sense of entitlement made him feel invincible, when in reality the only thing that stood between him and the beating of his life was the foul ball barrier. It does not have to be like this. That guy would have been an entertaining fan to sit near, but instead he ends up coming off as the guy that makes mothers hide their children… in a Neverland Ranch sleepover kind of way.
I think that my examples prove that there is a line between acceptable good natured razzing and inappropriate personal attacks. When fans throw foreign objects onto the field they are ejected. Threats and verbal assaults can sometimes be equally as dangerous yet we often do nothing about them. I propose we intervene.
So, you may be asking yourself, “Babe Ruthless, how do we officiate bleacher heckling without robbing the sports we love of their recreational, carefree atmosphere?” Touché, my friend. After all, we do not want sports to take on the formality of a tea party with the queen. The answer is simple – we impart coaches with the power to eject only the most unruly and inappropriate of fans from games.<br.
It was clear to me that someone must make decisions about how to handle the inappropriate fan without getting the litigiously minded Guest Services involved, or acquiescing to mob rule (something about jumping the offending fan and beating him with a sack full of doorknobs does not seem like a long-term fix). At first, I toyed with the idea of a Crowd Captain. I thought that fans could turn to those unofficial leaders who already guide them in sporting activities, such as starting the wave, directing intricate chants and claps, and imploring them to don their rally caps. Take the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium, for example. They are entrusted with the tradition of The Roll Call. One of these champions of the stands could be called upon to judge the acceptability of a crowd cheer. I thought maybe offending fans could be brought before each sport’s Crowd Captain, and like the rulers of ancient Rome at gladiatorial battles, he could decide their fate with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Unfortunately each time I played through the scenario in my head, the power of the position ultimately corrupted the Crowd Captain and it always ended in a bloody revolution. This setback led me to settle on empowering someone who is already an official part of the game, leaving only the players, the referees, and the coach. Since officials already wield this power and players can sometimes be crybabies, I settled on the notion that coaches should indeed have the power to kick out only the most serious violators of acceptable jeering.
Coaches are the most capable of deciding when to eject a fan. Most have been players themselves and know the difference between a good natured joke and an inappropriate verbal assault. Since coaches already serve as the advocate of the player… (notable exceptions include Bela Karolyi, Brad Childress, Bobby Knight, and Mark Downs, Jr. – you should definitely click the last link) they should be entrusted with the power to eject guilty offenders. This requires even more responsibility on the part of coaches. They must not use this power arbitrarily or to further their own interest (i.e. negate the home field advantage by ejecting any fan that does not clap for their team). This system will not be perfect and it will see its fair share of abuses. However, in an increasingly aggressive world it is necessary (unless all coaches defend their players like Mike Gundy – “I’m a man! I’m 40!”).
Coaches need to eject fans. Sometimes they need to do it to set an example for the little guys in the crowd. Sometimes they need to do it to protect their players from unacceptable threats and harassment. And sometimes they need to do it because that one loudmouth fan is being a real jerk.
