Fan behavior reflection of society

By Joe McAdory

Published: February 29, 2008

Saw a story in this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated regarding the evils of fan behavior at college basketball games. Heckling is one thing, but sometimes the practice becomes downright rude and is a complete embarrassment to the college institution, the fans who are acting normal and the person acting like an ignoramous.

But boorish behaviour certainly is not restricted to college basketball. We’ve seen brawls in football, fans throwing objects on to the track in NASCAR, fights between fans and players at NBA and NHL games and even youth baseball parents jump into the fray from time to time.

Aren’t sports supposed to be recreation, fun? Why are they taken so seriously? What happens on the field has nothing to do with our daily lives, yet many take out their aggressions on people they don’t even know—blasting obscenities in the presence of small children.

This isn’t necessarily a sports fan problem, but a reflection of a society that continues to lose whatever couth their mothers gave them.