Sports Fans Behaving Badly It is becoming more and more commonplace to turn on the television, pick

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Sports Fans Behaving Badly

It is becoming more and more commonplace to turn on the television, pick up a newspaper, or browse the web and find out about another sports fan behaving badly. You can attend a sporting event from professional to little leagues and you are likely to encounter fans misbehaving. The misbehavior of fans has become legendary. The offenses run the gamut from simple mischief all the way to criminal behavior.

In fact, researchers have identified a subset of fans they term dysfunctional fans. “These fans tend to be overly aggressive with opposing teams, fans, and officials oftentimes yelling obscenities or throwing things. These fans are typically disruptive, confrontational, complain a great deal, and abuse alcohol while attending sporting events.”1 In addition, these fans tend to be highly identified with a particular team.2

Team identification is defined as the degree to which the fan feels a psychological connection to the team.3 Fans exhibit high levels of team identification in numerous ways: following the players’ careers, being students of team history, attending or watching games, closely watching the news coverage, wearing team apparel, just to name a few. There are additional benefits associated with high levels of team identification: an improved state of well-being, a greater sense of community, and strong social connections.4 In addition, high team identification is also positively correlated with game attendance and merchandise purchasing. Fans who identify highly with their teams consume sports-related products, services, and media such as television, talk radio, and websites at greater levels than their low-identifying counterparts. These high consumption levels are good for business. Unfortunately, there is also a dark side. Some researchers believe that excessive team identification is a determinant factor in fan misbehavior.

Dysfunctional fans are characterized as aggressive males who lack self-control and have positive attitudes toward violent actions.5 Anecdotal evidence supports the research in this area.

Examples of legendary fan misbehavior include the 2004 NBA brawl between the Pacers and Pistons. A fight broke out between players. After it was brought under control, Ron Artest lay on the scoring table. Suddenly an upset fan threw a drink at him. Artest responded by entering the crowd and throwing punches. The resulting altercation was enormous and included both fans and players. In the end, nine people were injured. Several players were fined and/or suspended from the game as a result of their participation in the fight.6

More recently, Harvey Updyke, a 62-year-old avid Alabama fan and retired Texas highway patrolman, called into a popular sports talk show to announce his misbehavior. Updyke told the radio host that he became upset after a disappointing loss to archrival Auburn and decided to retaliate. He allegedly poisoned the famous Toomer’s oak trees located on the Auburn campus with a lethal herbicide. The Toomer oak trees represent a coveted symbol for Auburn Tiger fans. The fans traditionally roll these trees with toilet paper after every victory. Updyke is facing criminal charges.

In the latest instance, several Crimson Tide fans poked, prodded, and taunted an incapacitated LSU fan at a burger joint. Eventually one of the fans sexually assaulted the unconscious man in a restaurant after the BCS championship game. Although many people witnessed the incident, no one intervened. The incident was recorded and posted on the web, where it eventually came to the attention of local authorities in New Orleans.8

In the heat of the moment, sports fans either fail to consider the consequences or believe their inappropriate exploits will remain an unspoken part of the game day experience, repeated only as part of sports folklore. However, this is not the case. Just as in the aforementioned examples, all of these occurrences were heavily scrutinized and reported by the media and gained national attention. Additionally, all of these occurrences were punished and criminally prosecuted. But this inappropriate behavior is not limited to professional sports.

At the conclusion of a teenage baseball tournament, a player from the losing team left the field, making loud and disrespectful comments about the opposing team. A supporter of the winning team consequently punched the player in the head and a fight broke out. By the end of the fight, a spectator had bitten off a man’s earlobe and knocked a baby from its mother’s arms.

In 2009, sheriff’s deputies had to be called out to a little league championship. Apparently, words were exchanged after the game. Then the mother of one player threw a punch at a father of a player from the opposing team. Deputies moved in and quickly gained control of the scene. Both parents were taken into custody.10

While this type of fan misbehavior may not be new, it certainly appears to be more frequent and widespread in today’s society. Unfortunately, this type of behavior is detrimental to numerous stakeholders, including employees and other consumers. The misbehavior is especially concerning for the management of sports organizations because it is their job to deliver positive consumer experiences. Sports fans are expecting to experience an exciting game filled with suspense, drama, and emotional swings. Fan misbehavior like shouting obscenities at officials, throwing items on the field of play, drunken displays, and confrontations can disrupt not only the game but also the positive experience of other fans. Sports fans have many choices when it comes to where to spend their entertainment dollars. Event managers are afraid some fans may decide that sporting events are either unsafe or inappropriate family outings.

As a result, reducing incidents of fan misbehavior is an important concern for managers of sports organizations. Obviously, no one has found the answer yet, but several strategies are presently being used: increasing the number of security personnel present at games, proactively seeking out misbehaving fans through fan tips and increased security surveillance and removing them, and limiting the sale of alcohol. Is that enough? What can be done about fan misbehavior outside of the stadiums? Are the teams responsible in any way? Could teams like Alabama play a role in reducing this type of behavior? If so, what could they do?

Is fan misbehavior unethical?