No fan's land

It's imperative that spectators stay off the field

If Miami University assistant football coach Jon Wauford indeed knocked down and injured a fan Tuesday night after his team lost to Marshall, as is alleged, then he was wrong and he should be punished. Unless attacked and physically endangered, coaches and players simply cannot assault fans. But I if were sentencing Wauford, and found that he was provoked by unruly fans, I would seek a light sentence and beg America to look at the bigger picture.

Coming to terms with the behavior at games like Tuesday night's is painful. If your sports viewing is confined -- like the vast majority of Americans -- to watching games on television, it is imperative that you hurry to the nearest stadium, buy a ticket and sit among the masses.

Two stories:

In November of 1993, I covered a Big Ten football game between Ohio State and Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. The game was significant not only because Wisconsin was in the Rose Bowl hunt, but because one week earlier the Badgers had upset Michigan and, following the game, Wisconsin students stormed the field, nearly trampling several of their peers in the process. But here's what I remember from that Ohio State game: On a frigid evening, in autumn darkness, it nearly happened again. The Buckeyes blocked a late field goal attempt that left the game tied and a throng of Badgers' fans just disappointed enough they did not rush the turf again. But they were ready. Anticipating another big win, they had surrounded the field in an emotional mass, reeking of alcohol. I was among them, standing on the sideline, and when the game ended I ran alongside the players into a tunnel, rushing to safety.

Three years later Florida State upset then No. 1-ranked Florida in Tallahassee and the Seminoles' fans charged the field. Again, I was among them as state troopers protected the goal posts by dousing fans with pepper spray. I can still feel in the burning in my eyes as a fellow writer shoved me off the field.

A common argument says the American sports fan has become rapidly more empowered. He can write his words on the Internet. He can use his voice on talk radio. And when he wants to attend a game, it costs a great deal of money to do so, but relatively little more money to do so drunk. Thus, we have a generation of fans who feel that the game is theirs.

I am not so sure this behavior is new. Fans have been unruly for decades. They have long felt that they have the right to scream horrible things at players and coaches from the safety of their seats. And they do. Like I said, it's expensive to attend games. I wish spectators weren't abusive, but it's their money and their voices.

Fans don't belong on the field, however. They don't belong there because it's not safe, and they don't belong there taunting beaten opponents because it's just flat-out disrespectful and crude. It has become common -- and this is a trend -- in the last decade for home fans to storm the court or flood the field after "big'' victories, which can be interpreted as almost any victory at all. When this happens, players mix with fans. Ugly exchanges are common. Some players and coaches walk away and some don't.

I seriously doubt if it's possible, in the short term, to stanch the flow of spectators onto playing fields. Thousands of people can overpower 50 policemen every time. And there's nothing wrong with celebration. But when the fans ridicule players and coaches on their own field, they cross a line and they are simply wrong. Keep it in the seats. That's all: Keep it in the seats.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tim Layden is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.

 

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