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Nov. 20th, 2004 07:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kayreI stayed up for quite a while last night watching coverage of the brawl at the end of the Pistons/Pacers game (because ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
davehogg was there). After a fight on the court, fans were heckling and throwing food at the players, and several Pacers charged into the stands after them.
For more than an hour after the fight, ESPN's commentators basically said this, over and over: "Well, if someone threw a beer in your face, what would you do? What would any normal person do?" A paper cup of beer, mind. Guess what? If someone threw a beer in my face, I'd assume a defensive position, and move AWAY! Even the fact that the first player to go into the stands attacked the wrong person didn't seem to bother them.
I keep thinking of my Peace Partners kids. Their parents and older siblings may have been watching, and now they (along with thousands of other young people all over the country) have been told on national TV, over and over, that physical violence is an appropriate response to shouted insults and thrown food. I'm certainly not excusing the behavior of the fans, which was shameful (and in one case, a fan clearly does take some sucker punches that are not in self defense)-- but I'm absolutely shocked and disgusted at anyone defending the athletes who clearly were the first to throw punches, and chased down fans in order to do so.
davehogg was there). After a fight on the court, fans were heckling and throwing food at the players, and several Pacers charged into the stands after them.For more than an hour after the fight, ESPN's commentators basically said this, over and over: "Well, if someone threw a beer in your face, what would you do? What would any normal person do?" A paper cup of beer, mind. Guess what? If someone threw a beer in my face, I'd assume a defensive position, and move AWAY! Even the fact that the first player to go into the stands attacked the wrong person didn't seem to bother them.
I keep thinking of my Peace Partners kids. Their parents and older siblings may have been watching, and now they (along with thousands of other young people all over the country) have been told on national TV, over and over, that physical violence is an appropriate response to shouted insults and thrown food. I'm certainly not excusing the behavior of the fans, which was shameful (and in one case, a fan clearly does take some sucker punches that are not in self defense)-- but I'm absolutely shocked and disgusted at anyone defending the athletes who clearly were the first to throw punches, and chased down fans in order to do so.
