The Psychology of Sports
By Dr. Richard Lustberg and Charles Deitch

 On The Couch: An Analysis of Current Topics and Issues in Sport
January 2, 2005

Thoughts on Player-Fan Violence

Let’s just cut to the chase.

There is absolutely no excuse for any athlete to respond to any kind of insult from a fan at any level of sport.

While we live in a society that punishes crime, we do not live in a society that endorses an eye for an eye on an interpersonal basis. Just because a verbal assault happens inside a sports arena doesn’t give the target of the onslaught the right to start throwing punches or retaliate in any manner.

There is, however, a minority of individuals who endorse retaliation and revenge and make every excuse to defend why they punched some fan because he offended the player.

These individuals on a continuum of psychic development and maturity are less psychologically intact than others, who have developed the emotional coping mechanisms necessary to comport themselves appropriately.

The ability to respond or not respond in the face of insults exists on a continuum. It is paradoxical that athletes and people (because it sometimes seems that we’ve forgotten that athletes are people) who respond to barbs with violence or are reactive; are out of control.  

Let me explain. Fans hurl insults for a myriad of reasons. Perhaps some try to have some control over the players and the game; others are simply uncouth.  By responding the way they do, the athletes have in affect given control of their actions to the very individuals they are trying to silence.

The society we live in has built-in methods to deal with these situations. Granted, they are not always fair, or maximally effective, but they’re the best solutions we have for now.

Do sporting venues have to have enough security to eject fans who behave in an inappropriate manner? Sure they do, and more than likely this will be reflected in increased ticket prices. The majority always pays for the follies of a few transgressors.  

Keep in mind that at sporting events – where attendance can range from 1,000 to 70,000 – the majority of people behave in an appropriate manner. That’s because most people have the inner controls to act appropriately in most situations, or else there would be societal chaos!  Some believe we already are there – we are not.

Think about it. It would not be too difficult for a crowd at Arrow Head Stadium or Madison Square Garden to charge the court and attack and overwhelm the players.  It often happens at college sporting events but in a much more celebratory manner. The opposite end of the spectrum – mobbing the field for the sake of violence is a hallmark at soccer stadiums across Europe .

Many continue to blame the consumption of alcohol as the primary reason for fans abhorrent behaviors. The excuse that alcohol plays a role in the fans’ behavior at sporting events is simplistic and too obvious. It serves to deflect from the problem and solution. Oh, people get drunk and act in less than enhancing manner? I didn’t notice.

People who are drunks or who want to go out and drink usually do not go to beauty parlors to get tanked. They find a more entertaining place to do it like a basketball court in Detroit or a baseball field in Chicago . Places where the event sponsors psychologically collude with the fan to make money. 

Alcohol has become too easy an excuse for everything in our society. The point is that it is not the venue or the event that makes the drunk; it is the drunk who goes to the venue.

A reporter recently called me and told me of a High School basketball star who ran into the stands after a fan a la Ron Artest after being insulted. Many will say it was a copy-cat event, and it may have been, but the reason or answers do not stop there. This explanation does not speak to the level and of the maturity of the copy-cat, who himself did not have the emotional make-up and stability to not respond. 

One would hope that adults at youth sporting events would act in a different manner than they do at professional sporting events. Evidently, that’s not the case. Heck, parents have killed each other and officials at this level of sport. 

Sadly, we are now sick while waiting for the next plateau of violence in professional sports – a shooting. It is bound to happen. Tennis pro Monica Seles was stabbed on the court by a rival’s crazed fan. How long do you think it is before someone tries to take a shot at an athlete, or anyone associated with the game?

While the field of psychology has not progressed to the point of being able to predict behaviors, it has many tools that can help both coaches and authorities determine those at risk for the kind of behaviors we have seen out athletes like Ron Artest and the NHL’s Todd Bertuzzi.

However, they are not being used to their maximum effectiveness and won’t be, as coaches and owners on all levels too often look the other way sacrificing emotional stability for athletic ability.

Let’s hope it doesn’t take gunfire at a crowded gym to make them realize they need to find room for both.