By Noah Hickman
As sports venues open up again, fans eagerly are buying tickets to games just like the good ole’ days.
It hasn’t come without drama though as one major league has been struggling with rogue fans more than the others.
The NBA playoffs are in play and there have already been six reported/filmed incidents that have gained media attention and the first round is not even over yet.
Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook got popcorn thrown at him by a Philadelphia 76ers fan after the conclusion of game two. The fan got an indefinite ban and lost his season tickets.
The father of Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Tee, said that three Utah Jazz fans made lewd, racist remarks to his wife, Jamie. Those fans have been banned indefinitely.
A New York Knicks fan spit on Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during game two. The fan who spit at Young is banned indefinitely.
A Boston Celtics fan threw a water bottle at Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (and missed). The fan was immediately arrested and banned from TD Garden for life.
A Wizards fan ran onto the court to disrupt game four of the Wizards-76ers series. The fan is banned indefinitely and is facing criminal charges.
Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley said that a fellow Knicks fan threw a beer at him during game two of the Knicks-Hawks series. That fan has reportedly been banned from Madison Square Garden.
Did I mention that all these events have happened this week?
There are a lot of quotes I could use since there has been bipartisan disgust amongst players, sports journalists and fans.
The one quote that stood out to me the most and puts into perspective of how NBA players are sometimes treated is from Nets forward Kevin Durant.
“We are not animals. We are not in the circus,” Durant said. “You coming to the game is not all about you as a fan. So have some respect for the game. Have some respect for the human beings, and have some respect for yourself.”
Bingo! Sometimes fans get caught up in the live entertainment that they forget that NBA players are human like them and that's understandable to a degree.
What's troubling is the frequency in which these events are happening.
The only fan incident that made headlines outside of the NBA this week is the Washington Nationals fan who streaked during a rain delay.
Since hundreds to thousands of children attended the event, it is likely that the streaker will end up being a lifelong sexual predator.
It's crazy that fans feel emboldened to do stuff that will take a heavy toll on them once they do it.
The question is, do these people even think before they act or are they just stupid and careless enough to the point that their vitriol spirals out of control and they just do the stupidest thing that comes to mind?
There are a lot of players who take crap from the fans but NBA players take the worst of it without a doubt.
There is a Marshall basketball player whom I consider myself friends with and like me, he is entering his senior year.
There is a good possibility that he will be drafted in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft and he has earned his stripes by not only being one of the flashiest athletes I have ever seen, but one of the most humble, hard-working, and nicest guys I have ever met.
I got to know him better during the second semester of my junior year and even though we never spent real quality time together we would talk for about five to 10 minutes every other day and I never knew how much I had in common with him until we had those conversations.
I knew he was awesome before we bonded and I can say without a doubt, he is what people want to see in a person.
Whichever NBA team drafts him next year will be getting a quality person and a proven winner on and off the field.
My concern is that NBA fans feel more emboldened than ever to assault players and their families and this is the worst behavior I have ever seen 'bad apples' exhibit.
I can only hope that my friend does not fall victim to this nonsense in any shape or form as I pray for his continued success.
After all, sporting events are meant to be fun family entertainment in which everybody has a good time regardless of the outcome.
I have been blessed to witness the best athletes in the world perform their respective sport many times.
Assaulting them should not be tolerated and stricter punishments should be enforced since these attacks seem to be getting more common.
Every human being on this earth is human and should be treated as such.
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