Unruly Fans Could Change Professional Basketball
NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2004 — -- NBA commissioner David Stern's suspensions of nine basketball players -- after Friday night's brawl between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills -- were the toughest-ever punishments for arguably the league's worst-ever brawl. The move was today widely praised by sportswriters.
"David Stern was basically telling everyone, players and fans alike, this will not be tolerated. An incident like this will not be tolerated again," said Michael Wilbon, sports columnist for The Washington Post.
Longtime observers of the sport say there's more to be done, however, such as curtailing beer sales -- a move that could anger major sponsors.
"That's really the next step for the NBA," said USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan. "Will they look at beer sales? Will they crack down? Basically, will they bite the hand that feeds them?"
There are also calls to rein in unruly fans, who get to sit closer to the action than in any other sport, but whose catcalling has become increasingly venomous.
"I'm not saying Ron Artest was right for going into the stands," said former NBA star and TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley, "but we are not animals in the zoo because we make a lot of money. You can't throw things at us. Anyone who thinks that is stupid."
