Sporting fans pay top dollar to be up close and personal to the action, but high ticket prices doesn’t buy spectators the right to detract from or interfere with the game.
That’s exactly what happened during Game 4 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. Two Yankees fans were ejected for fan interference after prying the ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove on a foul pop fly down the right field line.
The fans were banned from Game 5 of the World Series in New York for their ‘egregious and unacceptable’ behavior.
There are many instances where fandom can veer into unruly territory. Here’s a list of unacceptable offenses that can get you ejected and potentially banned from a professional sports venue:
Going on the field/court
Entering the field of play is a big no-no. Whether a fan chooses to streak or stage a protest, interrupting game play by going on a sporting field or court is automatic grounds for ejection and often times criminal charges — it is trespassing after all.
Two shirtless fans were ejected and arrested after running onto the field at Super Bowl 58 between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas. They each were charged with prohibited conduct at an athletic event, a misdemeanor.
In October 2022, an animal rights protester ran across the field at Levi’s Stadium with a pink flare during a ‘Monday Night Football’ game between the Los Angeles Rams and 49ers. The protester evaded security guards until he was leveled by linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive end Takkarist McKinley. The fans were removed afterward.
‘There’s consequences for your actions,’ Wagner said.
In April 2022, another animal rights activist was removed during an NBA playoff game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves after running onto the court in the middle of a play at Minnesota’s Target Center. She was immediately tackled on the court by security and dragged off.
Throwing objects
Fans are allowed to shower their favorite sports teams with cheers, but that’s about it. Throwing anything else is a surefire way to make an early exit. The MLB’s Fan Code of Conduct strictly prohibits ‘interference with the progress of the game, including throwing objects onto the field.’ The NBA, NHL and many other leagues have similar rules. NHL fans often throw hats on the ice for a player’s hat trick (three goals) but other objects are banned.
In May 2021, a Celtics fan was arrested for assault and battery with a deadly weapon for throwing a water bottle at Kyrie Irving following a NBA playoff game in Boston. There were multiple fan incidents in the NBA that month. The New York Knicks announced that a fan was banned from Madison Square Garden for spitting on Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young as he inbounded the ball during a first-round playoff game against the Knicks. The Philadelphia 76ers also handed down a lifetime ban to a fan who dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook’s head.
‘The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the (expletive) they want to do — it’s just out of pocket,’ Westbrook said. ‘There are certain things that cross the line. Any other setting … a guy were to come up on the street and pour popcorn on my head, you know what happens.’
Earlier this month, the SEC fined the University of Texas $250,000 after the Longhorns’ matchup against Georgia was briefly delayed when Texas students threw trash and debris onto the field at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium following a controversial call. The SEC said the fine was levied ‘interrupting the competitive opportunity for both teams and endangering contest participants.’
Abusive language
Foul, derogatory or abusive language and obscene gestures are prohibited at sporting events.
In 2021, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James had two fans ejected from their courtside seats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis after he said they engaged in behavior ‘outside the line with obscene gestures and words.’ During the Nov. 25 matchup against the Pacers, James demonstratively pointed and gestured at a man and a woman in their first-row seats, resulting in an arena official escorting the fans away.
‘When obscene gestures and language come into it, (it) can’t be tolerated,’ James said. ‘There’s a difference from cheering for your team and not wanting the other team to win and things I would never say to a fan and they shouldn’t say to me.’
Fighting
Fighting is grounds for an immediate ejection. Social media videos of fans getting into physical altercations with rival fans have flooded the internet in recent years. Fans not only can’t fight among themselves, but they can’t engage in any physical conduct with players.
The most infamous example is the ‘Malice at the Palace’ brawl, when a fight broke out between members of the Indiana Pacers, fans, coaches, personnel and Detroit Pistons players during a November 2004 game in Michigan. The fight started between Pistons and Pacers players following a hard foul. The brawl escalated after a fan threw a beer at Ron Artest (now Metta Sandiford-Artest) as he lounged on the scorer’s table. Artest immediately ran into the stands and confronted a fan he thought responsible and the brawl unleashed, resulting in the suspensions of nine players overall, including five Pacers. Artest was suspended for the remainder of that season and all fans involved in the brawl were banned indefinitely from Pistons games.
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