The debate with the first rows of fans in the NBA: does paying a lot give you the right to hurl insults?

On November 19, 2004, one of the most shameful episodes in the history of American sports took place. That night some players from the Indiana Pacers staged a fight with several fans of the Detroit Pistons, exchanging blows in the stands and on the parquet. The NBA He took measures to prevent another show like that from taking place, but the damage had already been done and will always be remembered. This week there was a despicable episode that could well have ended like this.

The NBA is not exempt from racist chapters. Despite being a sport dominated by black players, even in 2022 there are reprehensible scenes like the one that had to live carmel anthony this thursday in Philadelphia. the player of Los Angeles Lakers confronted a couple of spectators in the match against the Sixers for having made comments with racist connotations. Both were expelled from Wells Fargo Center.

While the NBA has pushed anti-racism programs after 2020, it can’t control its fans. Anthony only exchanged words with them, but they did not stop insulting him until they were kicked out of the pavilion. The scene could have ended much worse were it not for Carmelo’s patience. “I’m fine with fans harassing you, provoking you, cheering on your team… But when certain lines are crossed, as a man, that’s what you’re going to see,” he explained of his reaction.

Chris Haynesjournalist from yahoo sportsshared on Twitter his explanation of what had happened citing league sources. “The Sixers fan who got kicked out for making fun of Anthony was calling him ‘boy’ and yelling at him: go to the corner boy and keep throwing boy,” he said.

Although “boy” in English is “boy” or “child” and in a normal context does not have an offensive meaning, in the United States it has racist connotations when used by a white person (such as one of the expelled fans) to refer to a man. black (such as Anthony), especially if the first is placed in a superior plane or as a supervisor of the second. This has reopened the debate on how to sanction fans and prevent these situations.

More problems

Last season there were already several situations like this and the sanctions were always the same: sanction of prohibition of entry to the pavilion for life. On the same scene as the latest controversy, a Sixers fan threw popcorn at Russell Westbrook while he was on his way to the locker room after suffering an ankle injury in Game 2 of the 76ers’ playoff against the Wizards.

At Madison Square Garden unfortunate episodes have also happened. A fan spat on Bring Young during a visit from Atlanta Hawks. The Utah Jazz They also took action on the matter after learning that three fans gave racist insults to the parents of Ja Morant at Vivint Sand from Salt Lake City. The latter is more similar to what was experienced in the Wells Fargo.

This wave of verbal and even physical violence in the stands last year set off alarms in the NBA. The rules of conduct in their halls were reinforced and it was promised that they would work to create a healthier competitive environment both in the stands and on the track. It is not the same to do a countdown to Giannis Antetokounmpo than to proliferate racist insults against another player. It seems that they have not had all the effect that they expected.

this year more

It should be noted that last season the season ended with the vital massive fight between fans of the phoenix suns Y Los Angeles Clippers. But it is that this same year they have also had problems with the stands the same Lebron James or Kyrie Irving.

During the extension of Pacers-Lakers, LeBron asked one of the referees to accompany him to the first row of seats. There he singled out a couple of Pacers fans whom he accused of insulting him and members of security forced them to leave the pavilion. They left while she made gestures of being angry and crying. In the case of Irving, after his controversy over not having been vaccinated, he received insults from the fans of the Cleveland Cavaliersthe same ones he made champions in the past.

The NBA needs to work on this issue, since its image is diminished with this type of fans. Problems also tend to occur with spectators in the front rows, those who pay the most money to watch the match. They feel more privileged because they have a better position on the pitch. Although it is not a problem that occurs only in U.Sas Nikola Mirotic recently spoke about the same Spain.

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