I can't speak for every other situation; but, if I were to whip somebody's ***, for what comes down to embarrassing me at work, where I am representing my company, I would not have a job. I'm not saying that I would not have reacted similarly, just that I would have consequences to face if I did. Right or wrong doesn't play into it. Company image is what my employer would be most concerned with. If the same were true in the NBA, lose your cool and you're gone, there would be less of this crap from players. Justified or not. The beer thrower could have been dealt with by security.

 

I don't suppose you guys ever saw this (apart from CJ in Holland) but in 1995, Eric Cantona of Manchester Utd was sent off and on his way to the tunnel, launched a Kung-Fu attack on a fan in the stands who was giving him **** for the red card.
Eric was sentenced to 2 years for this but got it overturned on appeal.

Eric goes mental here

Say what you like about the French but Eric was no *****.

 

 

I agree 100%. Today's athletes are paid an obscene amount of money which ultimately is paid for by the fans. You can't expect thousands of fans to sit quietly in their seats (especially if they are drinking alcohol) during the entire game. These are supposed to be PROFESSIONAL athletes and their conduct should reflect so.

This is a pretty serious event. I think the involved players should be fired, fined and SUED by the fans. Particularly Artest who has been suspended several times by the NBA in the past..once for asking for time off to promote a soon-to-be released rap album, once for destroying TV monitors at Madison Square Garden and once for missing the team flight to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Unfortunately, I don't think that'll happen. They'll probably get suspended for a few games, be required to make a public apology and get fined quite a bit (like they can't afford it).

 

If there ever was a nail... you hit it on the head.

Very well put Odin...

 

My $.02 on this...

I agree with an earlier comment that both the fans AND the players both bear responsibilty in the events that transpired. Professional athletes, however, are supposed to be trained and conditioned to ignore the fans heckling.

The root of the problem for this professional sports league that will only continue to decline in reputation, quality and popularity is the people that it hires.

Let's take a look at the four players that have been suspended:

1) Stephen Jackson - came to the NBA straight out of high school, no Division 1 NCAA playing experience prior to joining the NBA

2) Jermaine O'Neal - straight out of high school, no Division 1 NCAA playing experience prior to joining the NBA

3) Ben Wallace - finished Junior College, stopped going to class after end of the hoops season so lost any chance of playing D1, then finished at a DII school before becoming a walk-on with the NBA

4) Ron Artest - left D1 St. John's after sophomore year, has had several problems during his tenure in the NBA, seems more concerned with his rap career than his basketball career.

Until the NBA does a better job at screening its employees, the product will continue to go downhill.

Now, before you flame me, I am fully aware that there have been many successful NBA players that did not finish college. There have also been several that never attended college.

But, in my eyes, the game lost all its fan appeal when you were no longer able to continue to follow the Bird/Johnson rivalries from NCAA to NBA or follow the Fab Five as they ascended from college to pro.

 

Our Webmaster makes a great point about some of the guys who don't have any or much big time college experience before jumping right into the NBA. I think that a lot of them lack the maturity to deal with what being a professional athlete entails. Part of that is ignoring hecklers, no mater how obnoxious they are. Even the most sheltered scholarship life in NCAA DI college ball will help a young guy mature and grow up mentally and be more ready to play in the NBA. Just b/c a guy can physically play in the NBA out of high school doesn’t mean he is mentally ready. They need to take some lessons from the NFL. Does anyone know if the NBA uses stuff like the Wonderlic test that the NFL does to gauge not only intelligence but also attitude? Bottom line, fans who misbehave usually gets what is coming to them from security (I've had buddies escorted out of Bills games after a brawl in the stands who got it worse from the guards than from the guys they were fighting) or from the police. These guys should be suspended for the season and I hope they end up in court facing assault charges. I used to love watching basketball, now I can't even stand the NBA, partially b/c of the way they play (proven by the embarrassment in the Olympics) and partly b/c of the current culture in the NBA, which this incident is a symptom of.

 

To carry my point a bit further...

Think about these athletes that come to the NBA straight from high school. They were stars and heros at that level, probably never lost a game or heard booing directed at them. Then they get to the NBA, 20,000+ fans paying big money to see them perform. Four years of high school stardom simply cannot prepare them for that pressure.

 

Good point. However, that does not excuse their behavior or relieve them of any responsibility. These guys make big bucks, they play in the big league and they need to step up to the plate and take whatever punishment is given to them without making excuses.

 

If these worthless a-holes like fighting so much, let give them some uniforms and send 'em to Iraq.

While we're at it, let's ship anyone dumb enough to actually spend the kind of money they spend to sit at one of these stupid games.

The last time I went to a basketball game was when Jerry West was playing. Back then, the game was real and the fans were well mannered.

What passes for basketball today is bull*****, and so are the ya-yhoos who watch it. So, since it's all worthless, I say suit 'em all up and send 'em to the middle-east.

It's a great way to learn how good you had it and not to be throwing beer bottles at the entertainers, and them punching paying customers.

 

another clip here http://establishedboard.com/brawl/brawl.html

realplayer

 

Why can't I get this thing to play? The first link that Adam posted no worky. The second one, posted by Zacky asks me to download RealPlayer. I already did.

I am a BFD I know.

 

Tuff, yet another reason to move to the Detroit CR City! I've seen the clip about a billion times! I'm getting brawl overload! Plus, the Detroit police department is starting a big hiring campaign! How cool would it be to pull me over?!

 

I saw it yesterday afternoon, I just want to have a link to it to save it.

I am not moving any further north than right here.

Cold Weather = Teh suck!

~PS~

You'd be the first one I'd pull over a shoot. I'd camp out in front of your house.

 

Good thing your not moving here... riding my bike to work would suck...