So, you think it’s great that NBA commissioner David Stern laid down the law and suspended Pacers bad boy Ron Artest for the rest of the season for attacking Pistons fans in Detroit last Friday. You also think that Pacers Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal deserved to be suspended for close to a third of the season too. After all, unlike Artest, they were unprovoked. Fans didn’t toss beer at them. Fans didn’t confront them. They weren’t necessary in danger if they didn’t start throwing haymakers - which they did.
You’re wrong though. Stern didn’t do anyone justice when he handed out the stiffest penalties in league history.
For one, Stern’s decision wasn’t fair to the Pacers, and set a horrible precedent because of the circumstances in which the infamous incident erupted out.
It occurred in the last minute of a lopsided Pacers blowout, thus the Pacers certainly weren’t looking to instigate extra-curricular activities. They were probably not looking to do anything other then wrap up the game and leave.
Piston Center Ben Wallace triggered the incident by serving Artest a two handed push to the face.
Then, fans brought the conflict into the crowd by tossing beer at Artest, who at the time was actually trying to steer clear of engaging Wallace.
Over the course of a few minutes, the Pacers went from having been close to wrapping up a victory against its main Eastern Conference foe, to having its season in question, all because of an incident caused by the Pistons and their fans.
And Stern has a newfound agenda to create more separation between crowds and players so a similar incident doesn’t occur? Suspending Artest, O’Neal and Jackson the way Stern did, could certainly result in an exact opposite effect in terms of player-fan interaction. After all, Stern’s move effectively declared open season on visiting players for any unscrupulous fans. Courtside NBA spectators now know that they are only a few vicious taunts and a tossed beer away from being able to destroy the season of their team’s rivals.
Do you think the threat of losing season’s tickets is enough to stop a fan from recreating the incident in Detroit at another arena? Certainly not. To the die hard Pistons fan, I’m sure that the disappointment of being stripped of season’s tickets was well made up for with the thrill of knowing that you’ve just participated in dismantling the biggest threat to your team’s chances of returning to the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference.
Stern’s move also made little sense because it punished O’Neal and Jackson for doing precisely what is expected of them as teammates. Even at the youngest and lowest levels of sports, players are taught that it is their responsibility to step in and protect their teammates should they be physically threatened.
What would have happened if one of the fans who confronted Artest had used a concealed weapon during the incident and Jackson and O’Neal did not step in? People certainly would be criticizing O’Neal and Jackson for not aiding their teaming.
Stern’s decision also ought to be called into question, because as he even admitted, Artest’s punishment was heavily influenced by his past action.
This approach is very inappropriate because the NBA has always been a league of second chances.
The NBA and the Lakers allowed Kobe Bryant to play while he was trial for a more serious incident.
Others are allowed to play despite fathering and abandoning illegitimate children.
Why change then when dealing with Artest?
There was even evidence that excluding the Pistons incident, Artest was taking a turn for the better.
He certainly is a more controlled player than he was as recently as two seasons ago, when he was a notorious flagrant foul perpetuate.
Yes, Artest comes off as being a bit loony for having allegedly asked for time off to promote his R&B album, and for continuing to shamelessly plug the album in interviews. But, he’s not the first athlete to trick himself into thinking that he’s an artist. And some would argue that his request for time off from his potentially championship bound squad to promote his album is still less offensive that Shaq’s performance in Kazaam. The point to be made here, of course, is that Stern opened up a large can of worms by factoring in Artest’s perceived mental state.
The next time a similar incident to the Pacers-Piston controversy, Stern’s agenda would be better served by handing out regular sentences to involved players and by concentrating on attacking the symptoms of the incident.
Stern can and ought to restore a safe player-fan dynamic without resorting to spectacular measures, such as season compromising suspensions or erecting a giant cage between NBA courts and fans.
The easiest way for Stern to prevent another brawl that sprawls into the crowd is to lower ticket prices. Courtside fans pay exorbitant amounts for their seats, which clearly fuels a mentality that they have the right to act, heckle and provoke as they please.
If seats were cheaper, fans would more readily realize that they have no entitlement at games beyond that of just being spectators. And if fans acted just as spectators, then Artest would never have become a household name.
Steven Orbuch is lifetime sports fan who hails from New York. While not reading stacks of books and watching tons of television, Steven writes for his college's daily newspaper, The Dartmouth.
