An Insider article on ESPN looks at the growing incidents with fans and players at ballparks. Not much new here, players think fans are out-of-hand, because they have nothing to lose, etc. Whereas in reality there is something to lose, for example the season tix the Boston fan lost in the Sheffield incident.

I’m not saying fans are not to blame; society as a whole has become celebrity-awestruck and also feel more interaction with players due to today’s increased communication capabilities. I mean how hard is it to chat with one of your favorite players in some online chat, or see the inside of their Crib, etc.? Every athlete gets involved in some way, shape, or form each year. Some genuine, giving back to the fans, others just to keep their celebrity status going…

The reason fans never caused problems before (when I was growing up) was that disconnect. No matter how big a fan you were, there was still little you knew outside of the game; when the game was over, the athlete got in his car and drove away, and you didn’t know much else about them. Now we know everything, mainly due to the media and corporate greed that fuel this machine, but admittedly due to fan interest; with no demand, supply slows down. I myself still enjoy some of the programs, but the problem is not all fans can still keep the disconnect and respect the players’ privacy.

So I do get sick of the players pointing fingers. It’s everyone’s fault.

But what I found funny in this article was one player’s analogy:

“We’re supposed to hold back, which can be tough sometimes,” said [the player]. “If you’re working at a computer store and some guy comes in and grabs you while you’re selling computers, you might be apt to hit him. It’s a natural reaction.”

Wha? That’ll relate well to the fans…I had to chuckle at the first analogy that came to his head, apparently alot of people work at computer stores 😀

I’m sick of athletes thinking we should applaud them for restraining themselves. The problem is they usually react on the offensive, not to just defend themselves. Need I bring up the NBA; defending yourself is a natural reaction, but not going into the stands…that’s where I have the biggest problem sympathizing with athletes.