The Oregon women weren’t the only ones who ended the regular season on a low note on Saturday at McArthur Court.
A funny thing happened to me that day involving a fellow media member and an unruly spectator. We’re all aware of how fan behavior in the student section has ruffled a few feathers this year with stadium security, so I won’t go into that. This time it wasn’t a student who was acting inappropriately, however, it was a middle-aged man who was under the influence of three things: Ensure, Fixodent and being a jerk.
Erick Olson of KWVA, was seated next to me at the game jotting notes and enjoying his soda (or pop, I guess) when he accidentally tipped his cup over.
This wasn’t your usual party foul. Keep in mind, where the media is seated at basketball games is directly above ticket holders who paid to get in. One of them was unfortunate enough to get a little wet, and he used the next media timeout to let Olson know about it.
He stood up to have a look at the man who sprinkled his $7 Oregon T-shirt. Olson promptly said he was sorry, but that didn’t help. The disgruntled fan dealt one back by batting Olson’s cup and spilling the remainder of the liquid onto you-know-who’s game notes.
That guy needs to watch an Allstate commercial and work on keeping his in-game emotion in check. That’s the problem with spectators: They use sporting events as an excuse to be jackasses to one another. They think it’s all right to leave their humane side at the stadium door and assume a new identity.
Fans need to rise above this and think before they throw that rolled up Duckeroni, or spill that drink. Actions like this only piss off those around you.
“Let’s go wait in the parking lot,” I told Olson shortly after.
I was just joking, but couldn’t help but wonder: What would have happened if it was someone else whose notes got ruined? “Someone important” as I put it. Perhaps a big name reporter who didn’t pick Seattle to win Super Bowl XL, Team USA to medal in hockey at Torino or thinks that Rafael Palmeiro doesn’t juice. This fan could have had his butt thrown out of the arena, much to the chagrin of his wife.
Olson and I did not take this ordeal very seriously after the game, seeing as it was good for quite a few laughs in the media services room. It was as funny then as it is now for me to talk about this, but don’t assume every person would take this so lightly. Other writers covering the game told me they would have asked security personnel to drag that guy off the premises without hesitation.
Whoever that fan is, he’s taken a step backward for Oregon.

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