The modern sports fan is angry. Escalating ticket prices, overpaid athletes and owners who gladly shell out their salaries make it hard not to sympathize with the fan who has to put up with the circus that is professional sports. Without fans, there are no leagues, after all. But the two fan-related stories that surfaced today raise the question: how much influence should paying patrons ultimately have?
Blinded by the Light: This one hurts baseball, the city of New York and its loyal, usually law abiding fans. According to this Associated Press report, Frank Martinez, 40, has been barred from Shea Stadium for three years for shining a flashlight in the eyes of Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson and shortstop Edgar Renteria during a game on April 20. Really? This is a new low for the Big Apple. This is the same town that chanted “Fire Layden” at the NBA Draft a few years back and stole a critical fly ball from Baltimore’s Tony Tarasco in the 1996 American League Championship Series. Yet those actions are tame compared to Frank’s little flashlight stunt. Surely it crossed the line and there’s not a whole lot of sympathy floating around right now, but if anything, it was original.
Nantes So Forgiving: According to several sources, former Manchester United and French national team goalkeeper Fabien Barthez is fleeing his club team, Nantes, after being attacked by a fan following a 2-0 loss to Rennes that put the club dangerously close to relegation for the first time in team history. Barthez had come out of retirement to help the struggling squad, and told radio station France Info about the run-in that may end his career. “A gang of five or six guys came to block me from leaving the stadium,” he said. “They were there to rub me out, as they said.” Just when you thought North American fans were passionate, soccer fans in Europe make sports enthusiasts across the pond seem Eeyore-esque. If you’re hungry for more, check out the Belfast Telegraph’s version of the events.
So, what’s left to be said here? While the majority of fans are civil, loyal and often display sportsmanship that the athletes themselves could learn from, there are always a few who ruin it for the rest. Here’s hoping Frank Martinez and his compadres overseas realize that it’s just a game and that coughing up a c-note to attend a sporting event doesn’t give you the right to inflict physical harm.
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