Control is a quality often used to laude the abilities of athletes. Whether it be ball control, club control or pass control, the characteristic is an essential skill that athletes need to have a firm grasp upon to excel in the world of sports.
More and more, however, one very human characteristic is being discarded at the gates of sports venues across the country in the same manner as a tattered ticket stub -- self control.
To focus on the situation that took place in Detroit Saturday might seem, in the simplest sense of the term, overkill. With the streaming video being replayed 15 to 20 times during news reports and its accessibility multiplied exponentially across the Internet, anyone's morbid curiosity has already been satisfied to the fullest and anything more is unnecessary.
Unfortunately, I think the actual significance of what happened at The Palace of Auburn Hills between the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and the fans has been lost in the raw violence that comes into focus. The fact of the matter is, this is just the latest (though most serious) in a string of altercations to occur at sporting events in recent memory and more importantly, a confirmation that there is a grave problem going vastly untreated.
Identifying what exactly is wrong is not as easy as just watching tape. In most cases the culprits tend to either be athletes or fans, with both sides associated with certain behavioral expectations. The players are there to do their job and the spectators are there to either be entertained or provide a home field advantage.
Unfortunately, when boundaries are crossed -- usually by the fans -- nothing good can come from it.
The question that must be raised is, "How hard can the athletes push back?"
In Kansas City in 2002, two crazed fans jumped from the stands and violently assaulted first base coach Tom Gamboa. In the time it takes for a pitch to reach home plate, a handful of Royals pried the assailants off Gamboa and managed to throw a few payback jabs in. While the two men were taken away in handcuffs, no one was suspended, no one was fined and no one cared. Popular opinion was the guys deserved it, but the players who pummeled the criminals were not defending themselves, they were defending a teammate.
The argument can be made that it was acceptable because the assailants opened themselves up to the vengeance of the players by crossing onto the field, but the same thing happened in Detroit with consequences that didn't match up.
Fans must be held accountable when they ignite violence. There should be no special rules because they bought a ticket to some stadium. Ron Artest was attacked, as insignificant as a thrown beer seems, and when people are provoked, it's either flight or fight. Should he have gone into the stands giving a beat down to everyone holding a cup? No, there is no way to condone what went on that night and how far it went.
So for Artest, I think there is no way to pass judgment unless you've been in that situation. I do agree with NBA Commissioner David Stern's tough punishment for all players involved because it seems both sides can balance each other out. Though fans might be the aggressors, if players can hold back, nothing seems to escalate beyond name calling.
Reach the reporter at jason.samuels@asu.edu.
