The 1st Amendment Can Get You Hurt!

"Ron Artest was at his limit"

 I'm always blown away by fans that think that they are entitled to act a fool once they buy a ticket to a sporting event. Like the price of admission gives them the right to be disrespectful to players and even other fans. How many times have we seen fans shouting or throwing things at players as they come off of the field or court.

The most memorable of those were when a fan threw a cup of water at then Pacer Ron Artest in Detroit and he immediately dove into the stands after the guy, inciting a riot. Now granted, Artest was completely out of line but the fan was equally as wrong, in my opinion. I wasn't all that mad at Ron for going after the guy.

On Sunday night during the Miami/Chicago series a fan blurted out something to Joakim Noah and he in turn shouted a gay slur back. Now we have no idea what the fan said to Noah as he exited the floor. Does that give the professional athlete(Noah), that is essentially on his job, the right to say something disrespectful? No, not at all,  because he was way out of line. However, the fan has to understand that there is always the potential of catching a guy in the heat of the moment and getting beat down.

What most people don't realize is that majority of the professional basketball and football players in the league grew up in ghetto's all over this country. They haven't always been millionaires. Growing up in that environment wasn't easy and respect is earned by defending yourself verbally and often times physically. Keep in mind that many of these guys aren't that far removed from that environment because they're so young. Therefore, many of these fans should consider themselves lucky that Artest is the only guy that has snapped because the potential is always there.

Yes, the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States gives us the right to freedom of speech. So you have the right to say whatever to whomever you'd like while at the game or anywhere else for that matter. However, just because you have the right to say it doesn't mean that it's a good idea.

It's like the teen that goes to the zoo and aggravates the cheetahs by throwing and spitting things at them. Sure, there's a cage separating the two and it's there to protect the patrons. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. The cats just wait until the juveniles get comfortable enough to approach the cage. Then he claws him to pieces. Again, just because you paid to get in doesn't give you the right to be disrespectful. The fact that they pushed the envelope was the reason that they were sent to the hospital in critical condition.


Going to the game should be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Cheer your team on and be as rabbit as possible but please remember that the players are human beings with families and friends. You can't act like the kid at the zoo! You wouldn't want somebody coming to your job shouting expletives and taking the mic out of your hand while you're taking orders at McDonald's would you? So give them the same respect regardless of whether you bought a ticket or not.
 I especially hate going to professional sporting events because they sell alcohol, unlike they do at college games, because people tend to drink too much and it always gets out of hand.  Just recently a  S.F. Giants fan that was brutally attacked by L.A. Dodgers fans outside of Dodger Stadium on Opening Day. The guy suffered brain damage in the attack and remains in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital.

I just believe that people that act like that shouldn't be allowed to have tickets to the games. If you're disrespectful to the players or the fans you should be removed from the arena or stadium immediately and your tickets privileges should be revoked. Have a ball but understand that you can't act like a moron because you've got a ticket.

Holla At Ya Boy
Jay Graves
 Twitter:@jaygravesreport