I'm generally anti-social, so I haven't missed the fans during the Covid protocols. I've enjoyed being able to hear so much of the on-court chatter with players, coaches, and referees. I've enjoyed players not getting injured after stepping on photographers plopped too close to the court behind the end lines. I've enjoyed not having to look at the Bloated Class in courtside seats. I've thoroughly enjoyed not seeing crowd reaction shots of tubby, middle-aged accountants talking shit to players who can't hear them.
Obviously, ticket sales are too important to the solvency of teams to keep fans out, particularly in the smaller markets. The NBA absolutely has to get control of the fans, and tossing a guy from the arena isn't sufficient. Sporting venues are not their own jurisdictions where laws don't apply. What happened to Westbrook was assault. What happened to Young was an assault.
If fans are going to behave like assholes, then there are going to need to be real-world consequences. These actions are criminal in nature, and perpetrators should be charged accordingly. Even with this step, the NBA still needs to create physical barriers to protect the players, even if all they do is keep fans at least twenty-five feet from the court and access points. If teams are unwilling to do this, and players continue to be attacked, then the NBA needs to sanction them, monetarily or in the form of draft picks.
It goes far beyond the fact that these guys make a ton of money and need to be protected from physical abuse for solely business reasons. Players are entitled to their dignity, and shouldn't have to give that up because they're rich, or because they play a game for a living.
I'm generally anti-social, so I haven't missed the fans during the Covid protocols. I've enjoyed being able to hear so much of the on-court chatter with players, coaches, and referees. I've enjoyed players not getting injured after stepping on photographers plopped too close to the court behind the end lines. I've enjoyed not having to look at the Bloated Class in courtside seats. I've thoroughly enjoyed not seeing crowd reaction shots of tubby, middle-aged accountants talking shit to players who can't hear them.
Obviously, ticket sales are too important to the solvency of teams to keep fans out, particularly in the smaller markets. The NBA absolutely has to get control of the fans, and tossing a guy from the arena isn't sufficient. Sporting venues are not their own jurisdictions where laws don't apply. What happened to Westbrook was assault. What happened to Young was an assault.
If fans are going to behave like assholes, then there are going to need to be real-world consequences. These actions are criminal in nature, and perpetrators should be charged accordingly. Even with this step, the NBA still needs to create physical barriers to protect the players, even if all they do is keep fans at least twenty-five feet from the court and access points. If teams are unwilling to do this, and players continue to be attacked, then the NBA needs to sanction them, monetarily or in the form of draft picks.
It goes far beyond the fact that these guys make a ton of money and need to be protected from physical abuse for solely business reasons. Players are entitled to their dignity, and shouldn't have to give that up because they're rich, or because they play a game for a living.