Are the Fans to Blame? Although many people (myself included) have come out blaming the players after the Pistons-Pacers brawl, there is a vocal group that wishes to place the blame squarely on the Detroit fans. Juan Non-Volokh links to the Miami Herald's Dan Le Batard:

It was ugly and awful and historically staining, and now, it will get worse as the media machine cranks up, and the wailing begins about how our millionaire athletes are spoiled, entitled and out of control.



But the fans are more to blame for the riot in Detroit than those players are. Not to make this too playground childish, but, Mommy, they started it.



Ron Artest doesn't lose what little is left of his mind and charge into those stands if some dope doesn't hurl a cup and hit him in the head first.



It is lazy to say it is the responsibility of the athletes to remain rational, calm and professional in these instances. But you might not remain so rational, calm and professional if someone came into your emotion-and-intensity-soaked workplace and hit you in the head with something. And you might not remain so rational, calm and professional if you saw an angry mob surrounding your scared friend in a fight, either.



Don't make the rules different for the athletes than you would make them for yourself.

I address this in two parts. First, since Le Batard plays the role of the three year-old, I will play the role of Mommy: "I don't care who started it." And neither does the NBA. Did the fan use poor judgment in throwing the cup? Absolutely. But did Artest use poorer judgment in jumping into the stands? Of course. The fan had no right to throw the cup, but someone wronging you is not a free pass to attack them.



Second, I find the argument, "You would overreact if it happened to you" wholly unpersuasive. No one expects to be heckled at their job, except for professional athletes. It is part of the gig. And, as I have said before, athletes are paid absurd amounts of money. Part of that huge salary is putting up with stuff that regular Joes do not have to take. You cannot analogize to what an accountant has to tolerate.



So, in summary, I believe that this section of Le Batard's argument is faulty. I do not, however, mean this as a complete pardon of the fans. The fans acted in a despicable manner and the organization was woefully ill-prepared for an event of this magnitude. Both should be punished. Besides the legal ramifications, I like the idea of playing the next Pistons at Pacers game in an empty arena. This sends a clear message to the fans -- you were wrong -- and makes the organization pay a steep fine (loss of all of that game revenue).



One friend had the idea of banning all beer sales at Pistons games this year. I think this is a little harsh -- it is possible to enjoy beer responsibly while watching your team play. I don't think that all fans should be punished for the entire year because of the idiocy of a few.



But the punishment for the fans and the team should pale in comparison to that of the players, because the players shoulder the load of the blame. It does not matter who started it; the players have the responsibility to end it, and to do so maturely, without resulting to violence.

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