The Problem with Sports Fans - jmik58's Blog

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jmik58's Blog

The Problem with Sports Fans Stuck

Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:06 AM.

(15)

It doesn't happen very often but when it does it's ugly.

Fans throwing debris on the field, cheering an injury, or dumping a beer on a player as he leaves the court -- it's all happened recently and it makes no sense. There is zero justification for it in the perspective of life yet it is a far-from-rare action when considering the complex web that is human behavior. We tab such actions as deplorable but the reality is that many of us aren't as immune as we would like to believe.

But are fans -- humans -- really that messed up or is the media's reaction creating a story where none exists?

The answer -- in the sports arena -- has everything to do with the setting in which people appear. A curious reaction occurs when a person is placed in a large group. The larger that group becomes the less responsibility for one's actions each individual feels. Normally I wouldn't toss my half-eaten eight-dollar hot dog onto the field, but it's not like I'm that bad -- nearly everyone else was going it.

Oh the power of social proof (judging a situation based on the actions of those around us).

Our mothers often asked us, "If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump also?". What our mom's didn't know, however, is that the answer to that question is most likely a conditional "Yes!". Yes, if they landed safely. Yes, even more so if a large number successfully made the leap without injury.

If your friends angrily threw trash and beer bottles onto a baseball field in Atlanta, would you do it too? Maybe you wouldn't but too many did. And the more people participated, the more others around made exceptions for their morals and justified their actions. The mob mentality, or herd, was moving full steam ahead.

And what if your friends, frustrated by the poor performance of your favorite team's quarterback, cheered as that player was helped off the field following a concussive blow leading to the insertion of the backup quarterback? Would you cheer? Thousands in Kansas City did, but did they mean it? And did they even know how badly Matt Cassel was hurt?

The answers are never quite as extreme as the discussion makes the actions seem. The Budweiser bottle you threw was aimed for the left-field line, fifty feet from any vulnerable player or umpire. You never hoped that Matt Cassel was that hurt, only for him to be dinged enough so he received some natural punishment for his perceived poor play. Regardless of your excuse -- it's still wrong.

It's often believed by individuals and heavily lectured by coaches that sports imitate life. Lessons on the practice field and in a game reflect the adversity you may deal with in your future life as a husband, father, or employee. Life and sport truly are analogous but the comparisons go both ways and they don't stop at the white lines -- they carry over the wall and into the stands.

Those people in the seats -- those sports fans -- are imitating life. The moral exceptions they make and the influence they succumb to as a spectator reminds us how vulnerable human beings are and how unexceptional we can be despite our prideful objections.

The problem with sports fans is that they let themselves go; that they're making mistakes in an arena that is covered by knee-jerk hyperbole. The problem with sports fans is that they're all so very human.

Sound Off: What are the worst actions by sports fans you've experienced or witnessed?

Justin Mikels is a staff writer for Operation Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @long_snapper

Comments

# 1 boomhauertjs @ Oct 9

I was at the game where Browns "fans" cheered Tim Couch getting injured and replaced by Kelly Holcomb. Then an obviously concussed Couch cried in the locker room after the game.

# 2 cadalyst17 @ Oct 9

Quote::
"Fans throwing debris on the field, cheering an injury, or dumping a beer on a player as he leaves the court -- it's all happened recently and it makes no sense. There is zero justification for it in the perspective of life yet it is a far-from-rare action when considering the complex web that is human behavior...."

Human behavior is not a complex web. Humans are only "complex" If human behavior runs contrary to one's expectation of how humans should behave in a certain environment.

My only expectation is people will behave like people; some good, some bad

# 3 Bmore Irish @ Oct 9

interesting piece. KC fans portrayed themselves as very classless. In the air force vs navy game this past weekend, air force fans booed when a Navy player went down while they were driving to win the game at the very end because they thought he was faking to stop the clock.....even though stiopping the clock would have benefited air force! Fools!

very true statement that sport is a mirror of society. societal issues are absolutely played out in the sports arena, and we've seen sport make progress with societal issues and vice versa.

@cadalyst17, if you dont think human behavior is complex, id love for you to explain to me how it works and why ppl do what they do, as im often at a loss. you could make a career out of that, as there are many, many people whose job it is to answer such questions, and they still aren't entirely sure

# 4 BennyLeo @ Oct 9

@Sneed24

Quote:


	It was reported they crowd was cheering B. Quinn as he ran on the field.

Reported by who? First of all, show me one publication that reported that they were cheering for Quinn. Second, Brady Quinn NEVER gets cheered for THAT loudly, especially on the road. Something sounds very implausible here.

Quote:


	It's not as if matt cassel got carted off. He walked off.

So ****ing what? An injury is an injury. If you have to be taken out of the game, it's serious, and as a decent human being, you should take a little concern, even if it's somebody you don;t particularly like.

Quote:


	"The problem with sensitive people" seems more appropriate. IMO.

Oh, so now it's sensitive and unjustified to care about people? You think you're such a tough guy because you don't take concern for people when they get hurt. If Matt Cassel was your poker buddy you'd probably care how we was doing. But, because he plays a game against your favorite team, you want him to get hurt. There's a word for people without sympathy for others. Heartless. And that, Sneed24, is what you are.

# 5 MAGboyswifT27 @ Oct 9

I live here in KC, I'm not a Chiefs fan but their fans have been known to be classless.. But to their defense when has the Chiefs or Royals been significant in their respective sport? Still to me I think it was messed up that they cheered when he was hurt but then again these fans pay money to see their team win.. So I can see both sides points of view..

# 6 MLBGeek @ Oct 10

Okay here's my take on this guys. I too was at the afore mentioned Couch injury in Cleveland. I instantly felt embarrassed to be a Clevelander. However, the more I thought about it the more I can at least understand it. Football has been advertised to be the modern day "gladiator" sport. I don't need to tell anyone here what took place in gladiator events. Now, am I missing the boat in saying that we cheer for KO's which are known to cause brain injuries and linked to suicidal tendencies in boxing? Then we have MMA and even hockey. I played in a competitive hockey league in Midwest as a kid and the coaches would tell us which kids to try to injure. It doesn't justify the actions of a few hundred to even a thousand fans who did this, but I think we can begin to understand how this is not so surprising. It's acceptable talk at Nascar events to hear the most common line "I come for the crashes" which have killed drivers destroying families but we are sensitive to a guy getting carted off field. Again, I'm not saying I'm not included in that category either because I was very displeased with the cheering. Also, our local morning show on CBS Sports radio station in Cleveland had on the play by play broadcaster for the Chiefs and he did say people were actually clammering for Brady Quinn for a week or two now. That is incredible to me being a Browns fan..

# 7 Bmore Irish @ Oct 10

@MLBGeek i think that is the real issue here and at least part of what this piece was touching on, this is a cultural issue. our culture celebrates violence, especially in sports, its painfully obvious and your anecdotes above back this up. that is a serious issue that just researching concussions isnt going to change. but how do we?

# 8 jWILL253 @ Oct 11

I'm just gonna leave this here... http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...-power-balance

# 9 Money99 @ Oct 12

People today have no life; overworked, underpaid, over-stressed, horrible marriage, bratty kids, divorced,... so sports are their only outlet and avenue. It's all they have.

I helped organize a house-league Select baseball tournament in August for kids aged 10 and 11 years old.
During a round-robin match, I witnessed a parent (who looked nearly identical to Kenny Powers) jump around the sideline, fist thrusting, high fiving, hugging and howling his team's name at the top of his lungs for 7 long innings. Anytime his son's team scored a run, or made a nice play, he was there making a complete and utter arse of himself.
I wish I captured it on film.
I have never in my life seen anything like that live. And in a meaningless, glorified, house-league game no less.
I would wager my last dollar that this man had NOTHING going on in his life. That game was everything to him.

# 10 Cryolemon @ Oct 13

As much as I can't condone the sort of fan behaviour that this is about, this stuff is nothing on soccer fans in various parts of the world.