The latest incident where a player went into the stands after a fan at a basketball game once again shows an increasing division between fan and player. Unless total change occurs, things can only get worse. Ballplayer Antonio Davis was worried about his wife, Kendra, who was having words with a fan. Davis went over and luckily for the fan nothing happened. Then again, luckily for Davis nothing happened. Subsequently, both sides agreed to move on from the incident with no further action.
Ironically, Mrs. Davis was arrested shortly after due to a confrontation on a highway in a totally different incident.The incident is just another example of fan disgust with the modern-day ballplayer.
There really is no way around it. With utterly absurd salaries to go along with absurd arrogance plus sometimes thuggish behavior, the player is becoming a hated character.Going to a professional sporting event was of course at one time a "family affair." Now that family must belong to the Trump or Rockefeller family. Good seats cost a bundle and that is before parking, programs, concessions,etc.
are factored in. The sense of being "ripped off" builds and builds.Of course, the best way to confront such things is simply not to go. Many people have done just that.
However, there are still a substantial amount of fans who "grin and bear" it. A few curse words are tossed out along with the cash, of course. The sense that he/she is being screwed on a royal basis simply accumulates.To add insult to injury-particularly in big markets-ticket prices are never reduced even if a horrible year was had. They are simply not raised.
In the event of a simply average year, you can bet those prices will go up. The typical fan is probably making in the area of $35,000 to $60,000 a year while the player sometimes makes that money in just one game. Such a thing can not only cause frustration but outright hostility.
This is certainly true when the fan holds a job that is more important than a guy who bounces or hits a ball for a living.For those who detest the modern ballplayer they should simply practice good therapy and not go to the games. That is by far the biggest protest and loudest statement a fan can make.
To simply complain about ticket prices or scream your lungs at a player is counterproductive to say the least. If skipping games is done by a large amount of people you will see the players jumping into the stands to keep the fan there instead of looking to punch them out.
.Robert Carberry is a freelance writer from New York.By: Robert Carberry