Controversy between fans and players continues to be a problem

Darrius Barron

Sports Editor

 

No matter if its player to player, fan to player, or player to fan, trash talk is a beloved part of many competitive sports.

Although many sports fans are avid at hurling insults at a rival player, where the line should be drawn between fans and players.

During a game against the Utah Jazz on March 11, a fan recorded Russell Westbrook cursing at another fan and his wife.

In the cellphone video, you can hear Westbrook threatening to get physical with Jazz fan, Shane Keisel and his wife.

Westbrook, although an NBA superstar and former league MVP is often viewed as troublesome by league officials and press.

Some fans and players alike do not agree with the way Westbrook treats people because he does not hesitate to voice his opinion on certain topics and defend himself when a fan decides to heckle him.

This was not the case after the video of Westbrook threatening Keisel was uploaded to Twitter. Because this was something the NBA community was used to seeing from Westbrook, many people did not expect for the situation to have been so controversial.

Before Westbrook released a public statement about the situation, his teammate Patrick Patterson uploaded a post to Instagram saying: “Fans can say [inexplicable] about a man’s family. Wife, & kids.. Tell a player ‘Get down on your knees like you use to.’ As men, what do you expect us to do? Shut up & dribble? No one is held accountable for their actions except for us. Fans are protected in every way possible but not us.”

Westbrook claims that Keisel and his wife were shouting at him to get on his knees like he’s used to. Westbrook found that racially offensive and passionately retaliated.

Keisel denies that he said such things to Westbrook, and that the situation was blown out of proportion. Keisel claims he told Westbrook to sit down and ice his knees.

Fans that were sitting close to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s bench where the altercation occurred, said that Keisel said something racially offensive to Westbrook.

After investigating the dispute, Utah Jazz personnel personally banned Keisel from the Vivint Smart Home Arena, and the NBA officials fined Westbrook $25K.

The NBA issued a statement highlighting the fact that games are meant to be watched in a friendly environment, and how they strive to keep it that way.

According to FoxNews.com, Kevin Durant seemingly called a fan an extremely disrespectful name after sinking a free throw.

During a matchup between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers in 2004, NBA fans witnessed an event that changed how the NBA reacted to inappropriate behavior from players.

The game that would later be given then name, “Malice at the Palace,” featured a scuffle between two players that led to a brawl with the hometown fans in Detroit.

This was the first time in NBA history that a player marched to the stands and fought several fans. The altercation between Pacers’ Ron Artest and Pistons’ Ben Wallace began to subside when Artest chose to lay across the announcer’s table, and a rowdy fan hit him with a cup filled with beer.

The Palace of Auburn Hills (the home of the Pistons at the time) quickly turned into a royal rumble with both teams fighting each other, fans, and even coaching staff. Since Malice at the Palace, the NBA became very strict about players disrespecting each other, coaches, and fans; but fans would still harass players with racial insults.

This unfortunate event, no matter how bad it looks; can be an opportunity for the NBA to crack down on disrespectful fans.