The Larry O’Brien is still up for grabs as the NBA postseason continues. Fans consistently fill up arenas from Salt Lake to New Orleans to watch their favorite players ball out. The high energy on the court is contagious for fans, but at what point does fan energy become a burden?
The NBA playoffs are not the only time that fans can take banter too far, but it’s still a great time to reflect on the expectation of fan behavior. In the NBA, it’s easy to take for granted being so physically close to the game. Close enough that yelling “Brick” loud enough can elicit a reaction from a top tier player. However, there needs to be a collective stop to death threats and personal attacks from fans.
This regular season, Russell Westbrook experienced the wicked side of fan interaction with a series of death threats to his family. Here is a video recap of the situation that occurred in March of this year.
The tweet above speaks to the mindset of those defending inappropriate fan behavior. Less harassment and verbal attacks will not lesson the fan experience of an NBA game, especially during the postseason. It’s important for sports culture to continue empowering it’s athletes and all staff who are firsthand participants in creating the magic of any given basketball game.
Sports culture can evolve in a positive way through fan accountability. Let’s keep in mind that these players are people first, world class athletes second.
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