If you ask me, we’re in a tough spot right now as sports fans. We love our teams, love the players and want them to succeed and win games and championships – but there’s a bushel of bad apples looking to spoil the whole bunch right now. Stories of fan misconduct both in and out of the stadium have become all too common lately, and I think it’s time for us “good” fans to take out the trash.
By now you’ve likely heard the story that came out last week, the one where a White Sox fan was banned from future games at Rate Field AND the remainder of Major League stadiums after yelling something insulting at Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte. Marte had to be consoled on the field by teammates and manager Torey Luvullo after the moron in the stands reportedly told Marte he “messaged his mother” on social media the night before. If you aren’t familiar, Marte’s mother passed away in an accident in 2017 and trips to the Windy City are especially trying for Marte since the D-Backs were in town to play the Cubs when he found out about her passing.
While some of you might think a joke or a little heckling like that isn’t so bad, there’s always a line that can be crossed, and I think you cross it when you bring family into the conversation.
Ketel Marte isn’t the only MLB player who’s had to deal with bad fans lately, and the other two examples make what happened to him look like child’s play.
In mid-June, Minnesota Twins pitcher Bailey Ober received death threats toward his family after a poor performance in a game vs. the Texas Rangers. Ober told reporters that the threats on social media toward his wife Montana were “too specific” and that meant it was time for him to speak up. “It’s tough,” Ober said via the St. Paul Pioneer Press, “I think every single guy in here has probably experienced it and usually it doesn’t bother me too much, but Tana was getting them and kind of specific stuff about our kids. That’s where it kind of irks me and crosses the line.” Houston Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. also had threats made toward his family in May, by someone who was revealed to be a drunk person who had bet money on a game McCullers had started.
So, how do we as a collective address this bad behavior from these so-called fans? First of all, It’s important to recognize these bad actors don’t represent their entire fan base, nor do they represent sports fans in general. The majority of people out there who love sports couldn’t fathom making threats toward an athlete for something as simple as a bad game, and I think those people can be, and should be part of the solution.
So what can be done? I personally would like to see both college and pro teams fully embrace and emphasize a “fan code of conduct”, both in and out of the stadium. I think talking with and using the voices and words of the everyday fan to put together a campaign to reinforce the fact that acting like a lunatic and making threats toward the people playing or coaching the game is out of line. Teams could promote and highlight the campaign in their stadiums, and major TV networks like ESPN, CBS, Fox, etc. could also join in to help spread the message.
I also believe that any message put out there needs to be included in, and supported by sports betting companies. Please don’t misunderstand me – I am not against sports betting, but when a number of the examples of people making threats toward athletes are tied to angry bettors who lost money because of a pitcher losing a game, a player missing a shot, a quarterback not throwing a touchdown pass, etc. then there needs to be action taken. We will never get the genie back into the bottle when it comes to sports betting, it’s here to stay, so let’s be smart and set fair boundaries and continue educating people about responsible gaming and respectful behavior.
I’m cautiously optimistic that teams, sports leagues, and even their sponsors will see these headlines of fans crossing the line and work to find a solution. Realistically, I don’t think you’ll ever put a complete end to some of the problems because people are going to be people and do dumb things. It doesn’t hurt to make an effort to change course, though.
Spencer Wagen is the host of “Spencer on Sports”, weekdays from 4-6 PM on 1600 ESPN. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @SWOnTheRadio
