NBA or WWE you decide...

[Ryan Dognaux]

It saddens me to see such a small situations escalate into something so big. I'm actually ashamed to be in Indianapolis at the moment, that whole incident reflected poorly upon our entire city. It wouldn't surprise me if Artest and others were out for the entire season with criminal charges filed (although they won't have to do any time because they all have money). Detroit's fans have always been rough, but I just didn't think they would stoop to such a low level. The fans and the players display of complete and utter disrespect really just saddens me

[Kyle Love]

We all have kind of forgot who really provoked all of this....the fans. Artest would have NEVER hit the fan if he didn't get hit with beer, bottles, and such. I do agree though he should have handled it differently but put yourself in his shoes.

On another note, Jackson, Artest, and Wallace should all be suspended 3-5 games. Wallace should get the toughest punishment due to him hitting Artest causing the fans to get out of control.

Another note, did anyone see Freddie Jones get nailed by some black dude? He was trying to break the fight up and he got absolutely NAILED. I think that guy along with the guy wearing the "police" shirt should be arrested, along with the guy that got onto the court(to me thats like a player going into the stands and hitting a fan, isn't this a 2-way street?).

Last note, I think there should be plexi-glass walls put up around the courts now and have NO player/fan contact EVER. They need to learn that the players deserve respect, while the players should give equal respect back to the fans. If they had those "shields" up none of this would have been started.

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Karthik

Knowing my luck, I'll be the guy who's sitting beside the drunken moron who throws the next cup, that ends up getting mistakenly attacked by Ron Artest.

...and sues everyone and their brother involved with the incident, and makes $$$$$$ as a result. Christmas has come early for Detroit-area lawyers this year.

[Brandon Martus]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

Ben Wallace overeacted alot to what had happened.

Yeah, I'm not saying what he did was OK. He shouldn't have reacted to that, and let the refs do their job. I was just pointing out to Eddie that it was more than just normal contact.

[Corey Balint]

Im still not sure what to say about this, but heres what i can kind of sum up.

Ben Wallace got wayy to angry over a simple foul(even if he did get punched in the head, it happens)
Then the stupid fans started to throw stuff at Artest-This is where it shouldve been stopped. Police and Security were too slow to react to the events, and they shouldve been able to prevent Artest from getting in the stands.
Artest, O'Neal, and Jackson-should never have thrown punches back because it reflects poorly upon themselves, their team, thier city, and makes them horrible role models. But, they were provoked, and these days many fans dont realize that going through heckling everyday does get to you and when your in a very heated game(no matter what point of the season) your emotions will get the best of you.

This brings up a few major things to think about.(I personally hate to have to say these, but with the conservative/strict mindset America is in, someone has to) One-Do you separate the court/game from the seating area.-This has always been one major appeal to the NBA, you are right thurr with the team, and you can really get into it.
Two-Do you stop selling alcohol at games(Im sure some of those fans were completely trashed)-Everyone likes to go to a game and have a drink, but when do you call it too much, and how can you stop it from getting out of hand(since we all know, people dont know when to stop)
Three-Criminal charges and suspensions(who gets charged and for what)?
Four-How do you prevent this from happening again.

I think Artest, O'neal, Jackson, Wallace all should be suspended(note-they already have been suspended indefinitely). Jackson will get the longest-not sure what game range-15 at the most(although that to me, is outrageous)O'Neal will get somewhere around 7, and Artest will get more then he should(acted in self defense-ya i know it was a plastic cup, but with all these crazy things happening, it could be something dangerous)-probably 12ish. Wallace will get 4 for the whole starting of the ruckus.

Criminal charges-Misdemeanors at the most(I'd hope) i see heavy fines and possible jail time for some. Like i said, they were provoked, and should be judged that way. The Fans should be banned for life, and be sent to jail for longer though, much longer.


If anything comes from this, i hope its that Alcohol is being phased out of the arenas, and more security around the players to prevent these morons from ruining a great game.

[Elgin Clock]

A day after a shoving match between the Pacers and Pistons escalated into a brawl between players and spectators, the NBA has spoken – indefinitely suspending the players involved in the melee.

[Jeff Rodriguez]

Originally Posted by Kyle45

We all have kind of forgot who really provoked all of this....the fans. Artest would have NEVER hit the fan if he didn't get hit with beer, bottles, and such.

Unfortunately, the NBA has no controls over the fans. They can't tell the fans how to behave. They can tell the players how to behave though.

Artest, Jackson, and every other player who was fighting in the stands should be banned from the league.
The NBA needs to adopt a ZERO tolerance policy. The players need to be held accountable.

Most professional sports need a zero tolerance policy. This is a perfect opportunity for the NBA to spearhead this.

[Corey Balint]

I disagree with that type of policy-they are humans too-they cant control their feelings all the time too. I personally think before such a horrible restriction comes into the game, more needs to be done to protect the players/or better yet, not let fans get drunk at games, and having guards be more strict with the hecklers.

I can see a no-tolerance type rule in football or hockey because they both are playing with very dangerous equipment, that could kill someone very easily. Baseball for that matter too, but baseball tends to have calmer fans, and more calm-headed players. Football and hockey the players get heated very fast, thats the major drawing of their game. Basketball is different. Fans should be right on the court(not actually on it), its the best part of the game.

Like i said before, the NBA can prevent these events from happening, beef up security and get Beer out of the arena. Even if they dont ban alcohol, maybe they could have a type of quick test to tell if someone should be drinking or not. All major fan events have occured because fans were drunk and not able to realize what they were actually doing.

[meaubry]

What's done is done - the league and the law will enforce what they can. Anyone that thinks this was an isolated incident, has been watching ESPN sound bites for too long. Because everyone is only seeing the big fight, no one knows what had happened during the time preceding the incident. Too bad, because that is what really caused the event to occur. The whole game was played "on the edge" and the situation was fueled by the bad blood between these 2 teams and certain players. Because the score and the time left on the clock - the Pacers last possession ended up with Ron A getting inside the paint and Ben W letting him lay it in without contesting it. He could have, but must have realized that the game was over - that basket wouldn't matter, cuz Indiana had won the game and contesting the shot was meaningless. So with 45 seconds to go Ben is at the other end - probably thinking the same thing, when he feels a hand pushing him in the back of the head/neck. I think he just lost it, because he couldn't believe anyone would do that in that situation. Up by 12 or 15 and contesting a layup? Why?? Was Ron trying to send some sort of a message? I just don't get it - but then again this wasn't the first time Ron A started a fight at the end of a game between the Pacers and the Pistons - similar situation, similar results - 3 years ago with Corless Williamson. In that episode Artest hit Ben in the side of the head as he was trying to restore the peace - he got between the 2 others players and had his back to Ron. If I recall correctly in that incident and most others where fights occur between players the ref's and security immediately escort the ejected players from the court. Why were Ben W and Ron A still on the court? Why was Ron allowed to lie down on the scoring table and put a headset on?

[Greg Ross]

Originally Posted by Corey Balint

I disagree with that type of policy-they are humans too-they cant control their feelings all the time too.

While it may be true thet we can't control our feelings, we CAN control our actions. That's what makes us different from the animals.

...or better yet, not let fans get drunk at games...

I could go for that. It really disturbs me when I go to a major sporting event and see people getting belligerant or rowdy because of the alcohol they have consumed.

...and having guards be more strict with the hecklers.

Goes right along with my contention that humans should control their impulses.

[Corey Balint]

Originally Posted by gwross

While it may be true thet we can't control our feelings, we CAN control our actions. That's what makes us different from the animals.

I could go for that. It really disturbs me when I go to a major sporting event and see people getting belligerant or rowdy because of the alcohol they have consumed.

Goes right along with my contention that humans should control their impulses.

The only thing is, our impulses can be too strong sometimes, and you might not be able to do anything to stop it. They might have chemical imbalances that make them less controllable(ya i know its completely off the wall, but some people do). I mean, most people will have a reaction to fight back, but some will contain it, with these types of players, in these heated games, its tough for them to control it all.

I also think though, that the alcohol idea, will never go through. Its too big of a "staple" in america's backbone to separate alcohol and sport.

[Greg Ross]

Originally Posted by Corey Balint

The only thing is, our impulses can be too strong sometimes, and you might not be able to do anything to stop it.

As long as someone is willing to say "our impulses can be too strong", someone else (or maybe the same person) will take it as an excuse.

I also think though, that the alcohol idea, will never go through. Its too big of a "staple" in america's backbone to separate alcohol and sport.

Unfortunately, I think you're probably right.

[Jeff Rodriguez]

Beer will never be pulled from major sporting events. Just today, I was selling it at the UConn football game, as one of our fundraisers.

Most of the security personel (the ones in the yellow jackets) are also volunteers. If you had a fully trained staff, you would have to pay them, and your costs would go through the roof.

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by Cory

Karthik, I agreed with the content of most of your post, but these two statements directly contradict each other.

As I understood it, there was all of one security personnel on the floor at the time.

So while security and police would have dealt with the fan, they obviously didn't, and I'm sure that changed Artest's reaction.

By no means does that mean Artest isn't responsible for his actions, but had there been an appropriate number of security personnel there, I think it's safe to say the incident would not have escalated so much

Cory,

What I was trying to say was that there was enough security to handle one cup thrower. They didn't have time to deal with him, because Artest made reacted so quickly. If given enough time I think they could of handled it. They definitely did not have enough personnel on staff to handle the near riot that ensued.

[Jaine Perotti]

The only thing is, our impulses can be too strong sometimes, and you might not be able to do anything to stop it. They might have chemical imbalances that make them less controllable(ya i know its completely off the wall, but some people do). I mean, most people will have a reaction to fight back, but some will contain it, with these types of players, in these heated games, its tough for them to control it all.

Even though it may be difficult for one to control thier actions when they are caught up with feelings of anger, EVERY PERSON is still responsible for their own actions. While every person differs in their level of tolerance before they reach a breaking point, should that excuse some people from taking responsibility for what they do? Normally, when people do something wrong, they cannot say "oh, I lost control of my anger" and expect to be not held accountable for what they have done. If that were the case, how could violations of the law be dealt with properly?

I also think though, that the alcohol idea, will never go through. Its too big of a "staple" in america's backbone to separate alcohol and sport.

I agree with this statement in terms of a complete ban of alcohol consumption.
But I think that a better way of dealing with this type of situation would be to limit the amount of alcohol consumption, but not ban it entirely. If a person looks like they are becoming intoxicated, then they shouldn't be served any more alcohol. It puts other people around them in danger, as well as possibly endangering themselves. I don't think it would be feasible to completely ban alcohol at sporting events, but I think it would be a good idea to restrict excessive consumption.