Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you have heard about the Mallice at the Palace...the brawl between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons at the Piston's basketball arena, the Palace at Auburn Hills. If not, read all about it here:
Mallice at the Palace
Well, the story doesn't end there. The first meeting between the two teams after this incedent took place at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game went without a hitch, and everyone finally thought this ugly tale was behind us.
Wrong.
On March 25th, the Pacers returned for the first time to the Palace since the Brawl. They were met with not 1...not 2...not 3...but 4 BOMB THREATS!! The game was postponed for well over an hour to take care of all necessary precautions.
What the hell Detroit fans? Are you kidding me?
The latest episode with the fans happened in the second game of the NBA playoffs between Detroit and the Philadelphia 76ers. Detroit easily defeated Philly in game one, and were well on their way in game two when Detroits fans struck again. This time on Philly's team Captain, Allen Iverson.
With 2 minutes left in the game, a fan hit Iverson with a quarter thrown from the stands. Before you say, it's just a quarter, put one of those bad boys close to your eye and think about the damage a quarter could do if it were to happen to hit you in said eye from a distance. It would mess you up. Of course, it didn't hit Iverson in the eye, but it could have.
The big question here is, Why do Detroit fans suck so bad? Not all of them, but a portion of them. Let's forget about the stupidity of Ron Artest for a second, and let's forget about the arrogance that Iverson displays sometimes...and let's focus on the truth...
Objects are being thrown from the stands.
This is more stupid than Artest going into the stands...it's more arrogant than Iverson on his most arrogant day...
You might say these men are professionals and get paid a lot of money to endure the fans. Nobody makes enough money to be pelted with beer or quarters.
How about the guy in Boston who took a swipe at Gary Sheffield in center field of the Yankees/Red Sox game the other day? The guy took a swipe and hit Sheffield in the mouth...Sheff didn't go into the crowd, but he could have. He could have grabbed that guy and pulled him onto the field and beat the piss out of him, and I think he would have been justified. Does Sheffield make enough money that he should endure being hit in the mouth while doing his job?
No.
I'm tired of hearing the media report these incidents with the emphasis on the player's reactions.
"Sheffield Will Not Be Punished For Reaction."
"Artest To Be Suspended For Season."
"Iverson Reacts How Artest Should Have."
BS. I've played a lot of sports and have had spectators in the stands. Heckling? Fine. Throwing objects? Not fine. Can you imagine basketball or baseball or football with no fans? Or with plexiglass seperating the players and fans like a hockey match? The way things are heading, it will be a reality soon. I can't imagine going to see a basketball game from behind glass. It just isn't right that some fans are ruining it for all the rest of us.
Detroit fans, I'm talking to you.
And the Yankee fans...and the New York Giants fans who pelted San Diego equipment manager Sid Brooks with an ice laced snowball, knocking him unconscious...and the countless other times objects and fans made their way onto the field.
The fans need to grow up...the stadiums need to not worry so much about profits on alcohol sales and more about the players and fans well-being...and the players, well, they need to not worry about being attacked.
Now, tell me how the players can be at fault, when they have to fear for their safety?
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