Last year, a Portland Trail Blazers fan was ejected for holding a sign that criticized the team’s general manager. Last February, Southern California head coach Henry Bibby demanded the names of students who were chanting what he believed to be “insensitive” remarks during his team’s loss at McArthur Court. A month ago, a handful of Seattle Mariners fans were asked to remove or turn inside-out shirts that read “Yankees Suck” during a weekend series at Safeco Field against New York.
In 2001, spectators in the United States spent more than $26 billion on tickets, concessions and merchandise. Without this money from the paying fan, sports would be on its last days of life support.
If you open your wallet to watch your favorite team play in person, are you are allowed to open your mouth as well? It would be expected that, in a country where our deepest-felt right is free speech, that answer would be yes. The answer, though, may be a surprise, in that an individual’s free speech rights are limited once they go through the turnstile.
Journalism school Dean Tim Gleason said that, with the sale of a ticket, teams have the right to set conditions to control fan behavior and expression. So next time you are at Safeco Field watching the Mariners take on the Texas Rangers and you are asked to take down your “A-Rod is an idiot” sign, don’t rush from the stadium looking to find the American Civil Liberties Union.
But even with the law on their side, teams should think a little bit before they harshly discriminate against fans and eject them or demand they remove clothing or signs. When you look at it logically, teams should actually be thankful for this type of behavior.
When Katherine Topaz raised her handmade “Trade Whitsitt” sign at the Trail Blazer game last year, it wasn’t because of a personal vendetta against the team’s general manager. It was because she cared about her team and she wanted them to win. Topaz simply questioned some of the general manager’s moves, and as a dedicated fan she should be able to hold up that sign.
The same goes for the fans in Seattle or the students here at the University who choose to display their hatred toward the opposing team. Although Oregon men’s basketball coach Ernie Kent made the image-conscious move to ask students to be more respectful after Bibby complained about being called a deadbeat dad, he has routinely praised the ruckus-like behavior of the students at Mac Court. Kent thinks that Oregon plays in an environment that not only creates an advantage for his team but is positive for college basketball as a whole.
Even some visiting coaches to Mac Court have enjoyed the taunts directed at them. When UCLA head coach Steve Lavin spotted a group of students mocking his signature slicked back hair earlier this year, it evoked a smile.
Sports need fans who are willing to wear “Yankees Suck” shirts. In an era of dwindling attendance and declining television ratings, the support of the die-hard fan is as important as ever. If these fans fall victim to the trap of political correctness, there is little to fill the void. Teams shouldn’t be looking to kick these fans out of their seats, even if the small text on the back of a ticket allows them to do so.
E-mail columnist Jeff Oliver at [email protected]. His opinions
do not necessarily reflect those of the Emerald.