Fanatically Insane

   This past week I watched a documentary called Catching Hell on ESPN. It was the story of how a man named Steve Bartman innocently became the most maligned person in Chicago after trying to catch a foul ball during the 2003 National League Championship Series between the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs. Apparently his "interference" cost the Cubs the game and the series. People threw beer at him, hurled verbal insults at him and used his last name as a punch line for jokes. They chanted an expletive during the rest of the game directed at Bartman. You can imagine what word it was. All of this caused this poor man to go into hiding fearful for his life. One part of the documentary shows security escorting him out of the stadium. Sadly, they were afraid for him too.

   In 2010 an eight year old New York Jets fan, wearing his favorite team's jersey, was tackled in the parking lot by a drunken fan after watching his beloved Jets beat the Cleveland Browns in overtime in Cleveland. This was after he had hot dogs thrown at him and called expletives right to his face during the contest. Back in March of this year a San Francisco Giants fan, Bryan Stow, was attacked walking to his car after a game with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles. He was beaten so bad by two men that he laid in a coma for months and only recently was able to speak again. His family says his medical bills will cost fifty million dollars. The doctor treating him said that his road to recovery has a long way to go and he is not out of the woods yet. Lovely isn't it. I don't believe so.

   I have done a lot of thinking about this lately. Watching this documentary the other night about Bartman really bothered me. My heart broke for this guy. Reading stories about an adult tackling a kid in the parking lot after drinking himself into oblivion infuriates me. The fact that fans think it is okay to beat someone into a coma leaving him for dead just because he roots for another team makes my blood boil. What about you? I think any sane person would agree. What kind of a society have we really become where we think it is okay to do these kinds of things to people? A lot of this nonsense has spilled over into to younger leagues of our children. I am sure you have seen this yourself. I just want it to stop.

   The word fan is actually short for fanatic and it means, " a person with an uncritical enthusiasm or zeal." I am a fan of different sports teams myself. I am more than a fan and not just a fan all in one. More on that though some other time. We all have our favorites and there is nothing wrong with rooting with all of your zeal for your team. I do it all of the time. However, as a fan of different teams there is a line we should never cross. Tackling a child, beating a man senseless and vilifying a fan of your own team because he tried to catch a foul ball is ridiculously criminal. We should root for our teams but we need to do it with some self control. Last year I watched the Jets advance to the AFC championship game for the second year in a row (only to lose again, unfortunately for me). I ended up leaving Facebook for a while because of the vitriol hurled in my direction by people who should have known better. It should not be that way but it was. People really need to just grow up. Unfortunately some won't ever get there.

   I will always be passionate about my team as should you. However none of us should get to the point where we become out of control fans. Cheer loudly for your team. Get excited and have a blast. Be responsible when you do it though. Show people some grace too. The Bartman case really gets me (even though the other two cases resulted in much worse). This guy's life will never be the same as long as he lives in Chicago. He stopped showing up to work. He became invisible because he was afraid. The city did not help it either. They held a "party" at a local restaurant where they blew the ball up. Apparently the Cubs were cursed so they needed to blow the ball to smithereens. So much for that. They still stink. The city owed Bartman an apology. They owed him grace. Neither of which did he ever receive.

   What does acting like an imbecilic fan really accomplish? Nothing really. It just shows how uncivil and self absorbed people have become. Folks like this look foolish, immature and ludicrous all at the same time. It is kind of the trifecta of idiocy. I do think the teams, stadiums and ballparks are liable too. Trust me I am not giving them a free pass. They are not faultless in this whatsoever. It is a money grab for them. Close down the concessions and money is lost. In the end though people need to be responsible for themselves. Kids need to be able to attend a sporting event where they do not have to worry about being tackled. Adults should act like it and set the example. It is not the fault of anyone else when people go fanatically insane. They only need to look in the mirror. When is this madness going to stop? Maybe it will when someone like Bryan Stow does not wake up from a coma. Let's hope not. Remember it's about the dash.