@AFLfan said:
I dunno. I still think it is an issue of common courtesy/manners, or lack thereof.
Take the situation and personalities out of it. When someone is injured and being helped away, is it proper to dump popcorn on them from somewhere where they cannot access you? I don't believe that it is, and that the fan paid for an entrance ticket makes no difference to me.
Westbrook wasn’t injured enough to be held back from going into the stands though. And as far as this being done not face to face? Give me a break, it wasn’t like he was challenging him to a fight behind 30 people here. I think it’s fine for Westbrook to give the fan the middle finger or tell him where to go but to be held back from going to fight the guy? Overreacting is what it is, one of your star players who the team looks to for leadership and someone who should be setting an example for younger players? Look I’m not crucifying Westbrook for getting mad, it was in the heat of the moment while being forced out of a playoff game, I get it but if your going to ask me straight up I’m going to say I lean towards Westbrook overreacted. On the flip side I’d have no problems with the fan being kicked out or banned from attending any games for the rest of the series either, the fan is not without fault.
Sure. everyone has had cramps and stubbed toes, and many have limped off a field due to ligament tears or other, more serious issues. But the severity of the injury doesn't matter to me in the least. I wouldn't go anywhere and dump popcorn over someone I didn't know personally and would see the gesture as a gag or joke. I see the act itself as a blatant display of disrespect regardless of the city in which it occurred, how much the ticket cost or whether someone had done it before.
Todd Tobias - Grateful Collector - I focus on autographed American Football League sets, Fleer & Topps, 1960-1969, and lacrosse cards.
@AFLfan said:
I dunno. I still think it is an issue of common courtesy/manners, or lack thereof.
Take the situation and personalities out of it. When someone is injured and being helped away, is it proper to dump popcorn on them from somewhere where they cannot access you? I don't believe that it is, and that the fan paid for an entrance ticket makes no difference to me.
Westbrook wasn’t injured enough to be held back from going into the stands though. And as far as this being done not face to face? Give me a break, it wasn’t like he was challenging him to a fight behind 30 people here. I think it’s fine for Westbrook to give the fan the middle finger or tell him where to go but to be held back from going to fight the guy? Overreacting is what it is, one of your star players who the team looks to for leadership and someone who should be setting an example for younger players? Look I’m not crucifying Westbrook for getting mad, it was in the heat of the moment while being forced out of a playoff game, I get it but if your going to ask me straight up I’m going to say I lean towards Westbrook overreacted. On the flip side I’d have no problems with the fan being kicked out or banned from attending any games for the rest of the series either, the fan is not without fault.
I can get with you to a certain point. I'm not saying Westbrook didn't overreact. But I lay the blame at the feet of the fan who started the issue by dumping the popcorn, which I am not sure how could be interpreted as anything other than a sign of disrespect. Did it physically hurt Westbrook? Absolutely not. But physical altercations have occurred over far less.
Todd Tobias - Grateful Collector - I focus on autographed American Football League sets, Fleer & Topps, 1960-1969, and lacrosse cards.
@AFLfan said:
I dunno. I still think it is an issue of common courtesy/manners, or lack thereof.
Take the situation and personalities out of it. When someone is injured and being helped away, is it proper to dump popcorn on them from somewhere where they cannot access you? I don't believe that it is, and that the fan paid for an entrance ticket makes no difference to me.
Westbrook wasn’t injured enough to be held back from going into the stands though. And as far as this being done not face to face? Give me a break, it wasn’t like he was challenging him to a fight behind 30 people here. I think it’s fine for Westbrook to give the fan the middle finger or tell him where to go but to be held back from going to fight the guy? Overreacting is what it is, one of your star players who the team looks to for leadership and someone who should be setting an example for younger players? Look I’m not crucifying Westbrook for getting mad, it was in the heat of the moment while being forced out of a playoff game, I get it but if your going to ask me straight up I’m going to say I lean towards Westbrook overreacted. On the flip side I’d have no problems with the fan being kicked out or banned from attending any games for the rest of the series either, the fan is not without fault.
I can get with you to a certain point. I'm not saying Westbrook didn't overreact. But I lay the blame at the feet of the fan who started the issue by dumping the popcorn, which I am not sure how could be interpreted as anything other than a sign of disrespect. Did it physically hurt Westbrook? Absolutely not. But physical altercations have occurred over far less.
And I absolutely understand your point, of course the fan instigated this whole thing 100% but throwing popcorn is probably the least sign of disrespect a fan could come up with though in my opinion. A drink? A hot dog with mustard? Ice cubes? Totally different in my opinion but popcorn should be along the same lines as a “You Stink Westbrook” lol. Either way I honestly see both sides of it, maybe since I spent 20 years in a correctional facility I’ve learned what it means to differentiate from things that deserve brutal violence and things that don’t lol.
If you were to search for other incidents where a fan throws popcorn on a player walking into the tunnel at a game, will you find any? I would assume this has happened thousands of times. Go all the way back. NHL. NFL. MLB.
Well perhaps the overall bottom line to this is that a player should and must be held to a higher standard than a fan.
Westbrook has to be clearly instructed and sternly warned to let security handle the fans, and never try to take matters regarding the fans into his own hands in any way shape or form. I'm sure his agent will tell him the exact same thing.
@thisistheshow said:
If you were to search for other incidents where a fan throws popcorn on a player walking into the tunnel at a game, will you find any? I would assume this has happened thousands of times. Go all the way back. NHL. NFL. MLB.
Here's an incident thst occured in 2017, a Jaguars fan threw some food at Seahawks DE Quinton Jefferson and Jefferson had to be restrained by security.
@doubledragon said:
Oh check this out, at a soccer game, a fan threw a banana at Daniel Alves, and Alves picked up the banana and peeled it and took a bite!
@doubledragon said:
Oh check this out, at a soccer game, a fan threw a banana at Daniel Alves, and Alves picked up the banana and peeled it and took a bite!
I remember fans at a Denver Bronco home game played late in the season making and throwing multiple snowballs at players on the opposing team. The targeted players did not take that very well.
Fans have thrown hot dogs at Tiger Woods on a few occasions I do believe. Here is one of the incidents, and at the end of the video you can see the weiner being carried off by security.
@SanctionII said:
I remember fans at a Denver Bronco home game played late in the season making and throwing multiple snowballs at players on the opposing team.
In the old dog pound at Cleveland Stadium the liquored up section would throw D sized batteries at the opposition when they scored a touchdown! The Dog Pound is much more calm at the new stadium - LOL!
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
@thisistheshow said:
If you were to search for other incidents where a fan throws popcorn on a player walking into the tunnel at a game, will you find any? I would assume this has happened thousands of times. Go all the way back. NHL. NFL. MLB.
Here's an incident thst occured in 2017, a Jaguars fan threw some food at Seahawks DE Quinton Jefferson and Jefferson had to be restrained by security.
Here's an extended version of that. Quite disturbing. I didn't google it but I wonder if the league fined Jefferson?
Russell Westbrook is a very successful entrepreneur outside of basketball. I've bought two cars from his dealerships. Yes, hoops gave him the funds to expand his portfolio but to suggest that he would be working fast food otherwise is just ignorant or worse. I've spoken to the man. He is intelligent, passionate and driven. You walk away impressed.
I would react the same if someone dumped something on my head in that moment in time as I was been helped off the playing surface. Heck I would be mad as hell if I wasn't hurt and some jack ass fan dumped anything on me. That's 100% off limits and that fan deserves a life time ban and all the bad publicity that comes with it.
The spitting incident is vile and that fan deserves prosecution. It's vile pre pandemic. It's even worse as we are working our way out of the pandemic.
m
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
@Justacommeman said:
Russell Westbrook is a very successful entrepreneur outside of basketball. I've bought two cars from his dealerships. Yes, hoops gave him the funds to expand his portfolio but to suggest that he would be working fast food otherwise is just ignorant or worse. I've spoken to the man. He is intelligent, passionate and driven. You walk away impressed.
I would react the same if someone dumped something on my head in that moment in time as I was been helped off the playing surface. Heck I would be mad as hell if I wasn't hurt and some jack ass fan dumped anything on me. That's 100% off limits and that fan deserves a life time ban and all the bad publicity that comes with it.
The spitting incident is vile and that fan deserves prosecution. It's vile pre pandemic. It's even worse as we are working our way out of the pandemic.
m
Mark I respect what your saying but I cannot disagree with you anymore than I do when your talking lifetime ban and bad publicity that comes with it, like destroying the guys livelihood by losing his job ect.. ect.. it’s extreme thinking and that’s exactly what we don’t need anymore of in today’s society. I respect you and believe you to be highly intelligent and a very good guy but on the part I mentioned I have to voice my disagreement with you on that point. The spitter we are on the same page
@Justacommeman said:
Russell Westbrook is a very successful entrepreneur outside of basketball. I've bought two cars from his dealerships. Yes, hoops gave him the funds to expand his portfolio but to suggest that he would be working fast food otherwise is just ignorant or worse. I've spoken to the man. He is intelligent, passionate and driven. You walk away impressed.
I would react the same if someone dumped something on my head in that moment in time as I was been helped off the playing surface. Heck I would be mad as hell if I wasn't hurt and some jack ass fan dumped anything on me. That's 100% off limits and that fan deserves a life time ban and all the bad publicity that comes with it.
The spitting incident is vile and that fan deserves prosecution. It's vile pre pandemic. It's even worse as we are working our way out of the pandemic.
m
Mark I respect what your saying but I cannot disagree with you anymore than I do when your talking lifetime ban and bad publicity that comes with it, like destroying the guys livelihood by losing his job ect.. ect.. it’s extreme thinking and that’s exactly what we don’t need anymore of in today’s society. I respect you and believe you to be highly intelligent and a very good guy but on the part I mentioned I have to voice my disagreement with you on that point. The spitter we are on the same page
That's ok. We aren't going to agree on everything. Respect
Maybe that fan can get a job at that proverbial Popeyes
m
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
@Justacommeman said:
Russell Westbrook is a very successful entrepreneur outside of basketball. I've bought two cars from his dealerships. Yes, hoops gave him the funds to expand his portfolio but to suggest that he would be working fast food otherwise is just ignorant or worse. I've spoken to the man. He is intelligent, passionate and driven. You walk away impressed.
I would react the same if someone dumped something on my head in that moment in time as I was been helped off the playing surface. Heck I would be mad as hell if I wasn't hurt and some jack ass fan dumped anything on me. That's 100% off limits and that fan deserves a life time ban and all the bad publicity that comes with it.
The spitting incident is vile and that fan deserves prosecution. It's vile pre pandemic. It's even worse as we are working our way out of the pandemic.
m
Mark I respect what your saying but I cannot disagree with you anymore than I do when your talking lifetime ban and bad publicity that comes with it, like destroying the guys livelihood by losing his job ect.. ect.. it’s extreme thinking and that’s exactly what we don’t need anymore of in today’s society. I respect you and believe you to be highly intelligent and a very good guy but on the part I mentioned I have to voice my disagreement with you on that point. The spitter we are on the same page
That's ok. We aren't going to agree on everything. Respect
@thisistheshow said:
I really don't condone dumping things on a player, but I cannot come right out and say someone shouldn't do it.
Really? You're not willing to say fans shouldn't throw stuff at players? Seriously?
I am reading through these comments and seeing a lot of negativity towards my wording. Looking at it, I didn't do a great job of specifically saying what I meant. And I understand the vitriol. Of course fans should not throw stuff at players. I just didn't think popcorn should be lumped in with things like batteries and beer bottles, etc. That was my only point. It's just popcorn. I do not condone throwing things at players. Please, everyone, I do not want to attack players. Stop attacking me. 😂I get it.
@thisistheshow said:
I really don't condone dumping things on a player, but I cannot come right out and say someone shouldn't do it.
Really? You're not willing to say fans shouldn't throw stuff at players? Seriously?
I am reading through these comments and seeing a lot of negativity towards my wording. Looking at it, I didn't do a great job of specifically saying what I meant. And I understand the vitriol. Of course fans should not throw stuff at players. I just didn't think popcorn should be lumped in with things like batteries and beer bottles, etc. That was my only point. It's just popcorn. I do not condone throwing things at players. Please, everyone, I do not want to attack players. Stop attacking me. 😂I get it.
I think we all can agree that batteries are worse then popcorn. Neither are cool. Why as a player should you have to worry what some asshat from the stands is going to at or on you? It's hard enough to play the game. It's hard to fathom what legitimate work place would allow anything to be thrown or dumped on someone. I think losing your privileges as a season ticket holder with a lifetime ban is a good deterrent and the right place to start.
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I am sure it is obvious, but I still feel like I need to point out that there are multiple distinct ideas being discussed here. It is not just "player vs fan".
No one is condoning the spitting. Of course.
No one is condoning throwing things at players. That is not what happened to Westbrook. Popcorn was dumped on him. I have watched many times as players ran into the tunnel as popcorn is thrown down. I never once in my life thought of conflating that with actual assault. I would doubt if players did either. I absolutely think Westbrook overreacted. And he shouldn't have said what he said post game. The idea of there being lawsuits and public humiliation is crazy to me.
I get the feeling that some of you think this is a race issue. That's what I read between the lines.
I regret saying that I thought popcorn throwing was the one thing fans could do. I was half joking, and only said it because I have seen it so many times. But I am not willing "die on this hill" defending the rights of fans to throw popcorn. Why? Because I don't think fans should throw things at players.
I again would like to see the condemnation of the unacceptable actions of idiot fans directed at professional athletes be applied with equal force to other similar situations, including teachers who have to deal with students who are just as disruptive, disrespectful and confrontational as the fans.
Throwing food is never cool. Having food thrown at it or on you is kind of humiliating . Everyone is going to react differently. Don't forget Westbrook had a 100 million lawsuit against him from two idiot hecklers he's been dealing with for two years. So I'm guessing he is a little sensitive. Dumping popcorn or soda on a player from the safety of your seats is cowardly and reprehensible.
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Throwing food is never cool. Having food thrown at it or on you is kind of humiliating . Everyone is going to react differently. Don't forget Westbrook had a 100 million lawsuit against him from two idiot hecklers he's been dealing with for two years. So I'm guessing he is a little sensitive. Dumping popcorn or soda on a player from the safety of your seats is cowardly and reprehensible.
mark
Like I said, I do not want to be the throw popcorn at players guy.
I have been to less than five live sporting events in the last twenty years. I went a lot as a kid, teen, early twenties. Over these last twenty years, I have watched NFL games on tv like it's my job. And I feel like I have seen popcorn and maybe the occasional liquid being thrown towards exiting players countless times. Am I imagining things? It is truly because of this that I thought the throwing of popcorn was seen as sort of harmless. I never conflated this in any way with the horrible stories I've heard and videos I've seen of fans throwing actual dangerous objects at players. But I realize now that this was a senseless argument, especially because I feel like it derailed this thread in a negative way.
@thisistheshow said:
If you were to search for other incidents where a fan throws popcorn on a player walking into the tunnel at a game, will you find any? I would assume this has happened thousands of times. Go all the way back. NHL. NFL. MLB.
Here's an incident thst occured in 2017, a Jaguars fan threw some food at Seahawks DE Quinton Jefferson and Jefferson had to be restrained by security.
Here's an extended version of that. Quite disturbing. I didn't google it but I wonder if the league fined Jefferson?
Quinton Jefferson was not fined for attempting to go after the fans, but he was fined $9,115 for the unnecessary roughness penalty that got him ejected from the game. I think the Jaguars fans were upset because the Jaguars had the game wrapped up, and they were in a victory formation, but the Seahawks defensive line continued firing off the ball and roughing the Jaguars players up, which led to some scuffles, which is why Jefferson was ejected for unnecessary roughness. The fans were probably pissed off because of that, so they threw food at him.
Throwing food is never cool. Having food thrown at it or on you is kind of humiliating . Everyone is going to react differently. Don't forget Westbrook had a 100 million lawsuit against him from two idiot hecklers he's been dealing with for two years. So I'm guessing he is a little sensitive. Dumping popcorn or soda on a player from the safety of your seats is cowardly and reprehensible.
mark
Like I said, I do not want to be the throw popcorn at players guy.
I have been to less than five live sporting events in the last twenty years. I went a lot as a kid, teen, early twenties. Over these last twenty years, I have watched NFL games on tv like it's my job. And I feel like I have seen popcorn and maybe the occasional liquid being thrown towards exiting players countless times. Am I imagining things? It is truly because of this that I thought the throwing of popcorn was seen as sort of harmless. I never conflated this in any way with the horrible stories I've heard and videos I've seen of fans throwing actual dangerous objects at players. But I realize now that this was a senseless argument, especially because I feel like it derailed this thread in a negative way.
I think a lot of things changed after the Ron Artest fiasco in Detroit.
All good
m
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
@thisistheshow said:
I really don't condone dumping things on a player, but I cannot come right out and say someone shouldn't do it.
Really? You're not willing to say fans shouldn't throw stuff at players? Seriously?
I am reading through these comments and seeing a lot of negativity towards my wording. Looking at it, I didn't do a great job of specifically saying what I meant. And I understand the vitriol. Of course fans should not throw stuff at players. I just didn't think popcorn should be lumped in with things like batteries and beer bottles, etc. That was my only point. It's just popcorn. I do not condone throwing things at players. Please, everyone, I do not want to attack players. Stop attacking me. 😂I get it.
@thisistheshow said:
I really don't condone dumping things on a player, but I cannot come right out and say someone shouldn't do it.
Really? You're not willing to say fans shouldn't throw stuff at players? Seriously?
I am reading through these comments and seeing a lot of negativity towards my wording. Looking at it, I didn't do a great job of specifically saying what I meant. And I understand the vitriol. Of course fans should not throw stuff at players. I just didn't think popcorn should be lumped in with things like batteries and beer bottles, etc. That was my only point. It's just popcorn. I do not condone throwing things at players. Please, everyone, I do not want to attack players. Stop attacking me. 😂I get it.
showtime- you did a good job explaining what you meant, you're right popcorn is a lot different than something
that could hurt a player like beer bottles, etc.
I'm with Todd in that throwing anything is just a sign of disrespect that Westbrook didn't deserve.
If Westbrook would have reached that fan and punched him, Westbrook might be working at a prison commissary for a few years as a food server saying to each inmate as they walk by with their tray for the evening entree, "Chicken or fish?"
Westbrook would then wish he was instead working at Popeye's, and get to go home after work.
After the fan's lawyers get thru with Westbrook in a civil suit, the fan might then own his car dealerships, and perhaps a lot more.
Not only do I see two of my avatar and name where its says who is online in this category,
but also when I click quote it shows the post I'm responding to twice.
Since I'm a child of 1970's drama TV shows, this can only be the work of an evil twin I didn't even know existed.
Wish me luck everyone that I survive this, anyone have Columbo or Mannix's phone number?
Players with bad tempers such as Westbrook and Jefferson need to be properly schooled in reality. Real life isn't the movies whereby whenever there's a bar room brawl, John Wayne gets up and walks away unscathed.
One punch from a 250lb or 300lb super strong athlete to someone's face, can cause major permanent damage to someone, and in some cases can even kill.
During sentencing, after the plaintiff has displayed his medical records, showing major facial reconstruction surgery, along with permanent eye damage and other assorted pain and suffering to go along with it, let's see how much sympathy any NBA or NFL player gets from the judge when the player states that he threw the punch because the fan tossed popcorn at me.
These type of professional athletes prone to violence, really need to smarten up, and I'm sure their agents as well as their team owners and family will hopefully assist in that regard.
Throwing popcorn at someone is considered a warm welcome from the fans in Philly..
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
What no one is taking about is the Ja Morant incident which happened on the same night as Westbrook and Young and might be the most vile of all.
Ja Morant: We Have to Protect Our Players and Families After Incident with Jazz Fans
Tee Morant said one fan made a sexually explicit remark to his wife, Jamie. Tee Morant, who was sitting a couple of seats over, confronted the man before security deescalated the situation, ejecting the Jazz fan.
"According to Tee Morant, another Jazz fan told him, 'I'll put a nickel in your back and watch you dance, boy.' Several other Jazz fans, who had been enjoying good-spirited trash talk with the Morants and their family friends, confronted that fan and alerted security. Tee Morant said he was shocked that the Jazz fan, who was ejected, made such a comment with the man's young daughter by his side.
"The third fan who was ejected yelled at Jamie Morant, 'Shut the f--k up, b---h,' Tee Morant said.
Those incidents capped an ugly night of fan behavior in the Association.
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
That's just gross. Families of players should be able to go to games without getting hassled. Period.
What you're going to see with this eventually is ID getting taken every time you go into a game. Some fan gets banned for life - how is that enforced? A picture at the ticket taking stations? C'mon. You're basically trusting the person to not risk a trespassing charge by coming back. So, yeah, eventually there will be some kind of increased checking when attending games.
The NBA should also require bans be leaguewide - those three Jazz fans, for example, should be done for life at every arena not just Utah.
I’ll tell ya what I know that Red Sox and Patriots season ticket holders are absolutely responsible for the behavior of people they sell or give tickets too, if they act up and get in trouble it falls on the season ticket holder and they could lose their season tickets. That’s what I was told by various people over the years
here's my dos centavos, which are probably worth at least a cent less than that
i don't think you can dissect this incident in a vacuum. step back and take a look at what is happening in the stands at sporting events everywhere. just in the past month alone we've seen 3 all-out brawls taking place at baseball games with fans being assaulted. if you grant the asshat who dumped popcorn on Westbrook a pass, it is setting a precedent for even bigger asshats to take it to the next level, which, again, is already happening at an alarming rate.
i've gone to hundreds of nba/nfl/mlb/one nhl game /golf tournaments since i've been alive and i can't recall a single time when things spiraled out of control to the point where security had to intervene. now? truthfully i don't know what to expect. i mentioned in another thread that i'm going to 3 STL games in a few weeks, and honestly i'm just as curious to see what is going to go down around me as much as the play on the diamond.
imo, you've gotta come down hard on the culprits and nip this thing in the bud even at the most innocuous level, because things are getting very unruly in the sports world
one other thing. if you've followed Westbrook's career, he has been a lightning rod. an overwhelming majority of it unwarranted. some really terrible things said to him. make no mistake, this was a culmination of years of abuse. i don't care who you are, if you're relegated to being a punching bag long enough, you're eventually going to take a stand. i know i would. no one -- including handsomely paid athletes -- deserve verbal, physical or kernel abuse. if you ok that fan's actions by saying he didn't physically hurt RW, then you're missing the point. no one ever wants to be treated or spoken to like yesterday's garbage, and that's exactly what that dude was doing when he decided to unload his tub on Westbrook's head.
seriously, just treat people like an equal. if you can't do that, then you deserve to face the consequences
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I think we can all agree on the following three important points.
Throwing objects at players is unacceptable. Infractions should be handled by stadium security or the police. Punishment meted out by stadium officials or according to the law.
Violent responses by players to thrown objects from fans is unacceptable in accordance with criminal law. Punishment meted out by team officials or adjudicated in a court of law.
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Comments
Westbrook wasn’t injured enough to be held back from going into the stands though. And as far as this being done not face to face? Give me a break, it wasn’t like he was challenging him to a fight behind 30 people here. I think it’s fine for Westbrook to give the fan the middle finger or tell him where to go but to be held back from going to fight the guy? Overreacting is what it is, one of your star players who the team looks to for leadership and someone who should be setting an example for younger players? Look I’m not crucifying Westbrook for getting mad, it was in the heat of the moment while being forced out of a playoff game, I get it but if your going to ask me straight up I’m going to say I lean towards Westbrook overreacted. On the flip side I’d have no problems with the fan being kicked out or banned from attending any games for the rest of the series either, the fan is not without fault.
<<< Westbrook wasn’t injured enough to be held back from going into the stands though. >>>
Westbrook was jumping around like he could have gone 12 rounds with Ali. LOL
Sure. everyone has had cramps and stubbed toes, and many have limped off a field due to ligament tears or other, more serious issues. But the severity of the injury doesn't matter to me in the least. I wouldn't go anywhere and dump popcorn over someone I didn't know personally and would see the gesture as a gag or joke. I see the act itself as a blatant display of disrespect regardless of the city in which it occurred, how much the ticket cost or whether someone had done it before.
I can get with you to a certain point. I'm not saying Westbrook didn't overreact. But I lay the blame at the feet of the fan who started the issue by dumping the popcorn, which I am not sure how could be interpreted as anything other than a sign of disrespect. Did it physically hurt Westbrook? Absolutely not. But physical altercations have occurred over far less.
And I absolutely understand your point, of course the fan instigated this whole thing 100% but throwing popcorn is probably the least sign of disrespect a fan could come up with though in my opinion. A drink? A hot dog with mustard? Ice cubes? Totally different in my opinion but popcorn should be along the same lines as a “You Stink Westbrook” lol. Either way I honestly see both sides of it, maybe since I spent 20 years in a correctional facility I’ve learned what it means to differentiate from things that deserve brutal violence and things that don’t lol.
If you were to search for other incidents where a fan throws popcorn on a player walking into the tunnel at a game, will you find any? I would assume this has happened thousands of times. Go all the way back. NHL. NFL. MLB.
Well perhaps the overall bottom line to this is that a player should and must be held to a higher standard than a fan.
Westbrook has to be clearly instructed and sternly warned to let security handle the fans, and never try to take matters regarding the fans into his own hands in any way shape or form. I'm sure his agent will tell him the exact same thing.
Here's an incident thst occured in 2017, a Jaguars fan threw some food at Seahawks DE Quinton Jefferson and Jefferson had to be restrained by security.
Your choice - popcorn or spit - Hmmmmm.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Oh check this out, at a soccer game, a fan threw a banana at Daniel Alves, and Alves picked up the banana and peeled it and took a bite!
That’s hilarious 😂
Yes, I'm still laughing about it!
Injured 49ers player NaVarro Bowman had some popcorn tossed on him as he left the field one time.
I remember fans at a Denver Bronco home game played late in the season making and throwing multiple snowballs at players on the opposing team. The targeted players did not take that very well.
Fans can be absolute idiots.
Fans have thrown hot dogs at Tiger Woods on a few occasions I do believe. Here is one of the incidents, and at the end of the video you can see the weiner being carried off by security.
In the old dog pound at Cleveland Stadium the liquored up section would throw D sized batteries at the opposition when they scored a touchdown! The Dog Pound is much more calm at the new stadium - LOL!
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
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Thanks much @thisistheshow
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Here's an extended version of that. Quite disturbing. I didn't google it but I wonder if the league fined Jefferson?
There will ALWAYS be idiot fans.
Russell Westbrook is a very successful entrepreneur outside of basketball. I've bought two cars from his dealerships. Yes, hoops gave him the funds to expand his portfolio but to suggest that he would be working fast food otherwise is just ignorant or worse. I've spoken to the man. He is intelligent, passionate and driven. You walk away impressed.
I would react the same if someone dumped something on my head in that moment in time as I was been helped off the playing surface. Heck I would be mad as hell if I wasn't hurt and some jack ass fan dumped anything on me. That's 100% off limits and that fan deserves a life time ban and all the bad publicity that comes with it.
The spitting incident is vile and that fan deserves prosecution. It's vile pre pandemic. It's even worse as we are working our way out of the pandemic.
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Really? You're not willing to say fans shouldn't throw stuff at players? Seriously?
Mark I respect what your saying but I cannot disagree with you anymore than I do when your talking lifetime ban and bad publicity that comes with it, like destroying the guys livelihood by losing his job ect.. ect.. it’s extreme thinking and that’s exactly what we don’t need anymore of in today’s society. I respect you and believe you to be highly intelligent and a very good guy but on the part I mentioned I have to voice my disagreement with you on that point. The spitter we are on the same page
That's ok. We aren't going to agree on everything. Respect
Maybe that fan can get a job at that proverbial Popeyes
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Fair enough 🍻. I
I am reading through these comments and seeing a lot of negativity towards my wording. Looking at it, I didn't do a great job of specifically saying what I meant. And I understand the vitriol. Of course fans should not throw stuff at players. I just didn't think popcorn should be lumped in with things like batteries and beer bottles, etc. That was my only point. It's just popcorn. I do not condone throwing things at players. Please, everyone, I do not want to attack players. Stop attacking me. 😂I get it.
Your fine and correct the way I see it.
I think we all can agree that batteries are worse then popcorn. Neither are cool. Why as a player should you have to worry what some asshat from the stands is going to at or on you? It's hard enough to play the game. It's hard to fathom what legitimate work place would allow anything to be thrown or dumped on someone. I think losing your privileges as a season ticket holder with a lifetime ban is a good deterrent and the right place to start.
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I am sure it is obvious, but I still feel like I need to point out that there are multiple distinct ideas being discussed here. It is not just "player vs fan".
No one is condoning the spitting. Of course.
No one is condoning throwing things at players. That is not what happened to Westbrook. Popcorn was dumped on him. I have watched many times as players ran into the tunnel as popcorn is thrown down. I never once in my life thought of conflating that with actual assault. I would doubt if players did either. I absolutely think Westbrook overreacted. And he shouldn't have said what he said post game. The idea of there being lawsuits and public humiliation is crazy to me.
I get the feeling that some of you think this is a race issue. That's what I read between the lines.
I regret saying that I thought popcorn throwing was the one thing fans could do. I was half joking, and only said it because I have seen it so many times. But I am not willing "die on this hill" defending the rights of fans to throw popcorn. Why? Because I don't think fans should throw things at players.
I again would like to see the condemnation of the unacceptable actions of idiot fans directed at professional athletes be applied with equal force to other similar situations, including teachers who have to deal with students who are just as disruptive, disrespectful and confrontational as the fans.
Fair enough @thisistheshow
Throwing food is never cool. Having food thrown at it or on you is kind of humiliating . Everyone is going to react differently. Don't forget Westbrook had a 100 million lawsuit against him from two idiot hecklers he's been dealing with for two years. So I'm guessing he is a little sensitive. Dumping popcorn or soda on a player from the safety of your seats is cowardly and reprehensible.
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Like I said, I do not want to be the throw popcorn at players guy.
I have been to less than five live sporting events in the last twenty years. I went a lot as a kid, teen, early twenties. Over these last twenty years, I have watched NFL games on tv like it's my job. And I feel like I have seen popcorn and maybe the occasional liquid being thrown towards exiting players countless times. Am I imagining things? It is truly because of this that I thought the throwing of popcorn was seen as sort of harmless. I never conflated this in any way with the horrible stories I've heard and videos I've seen of fans throwing actual dangerous objects at players. But I realize now that this was a senseless argument, especially because I feel like it derailed this thread in a negative way.
Quinton Jefferson was not fined for attempting to go after the fans, but he was fined $9,115 for the unnecessary roughness penalty that got him ejected from the game. I think the Jaguars fans were upset because the Jaguars had the game wrapped up, and they were in a victory formation, but the Seahawks defensive line continued firing off the ball and roughing the Jaguars players up, which led to some scuffles, which is why Jefferson was ejected for unnecessary roughness. The fans were probably pissed off because of that, so they threw food at him.
I> @thisistheshow said:
I think a lot of things changed after the Ron Artest fiasco in Detroit.
All good
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
showtime- you did a good job explaining what you meant, you're right popcorn is a lot different than something
that could hurt a player like beer bottles, etc.
I'm with Todd in that throwing anything is just a sign of disrespect that Westbrook didn't deserve.
If Westbrook would have reached that fan and punched him, Westbrook might be working at a prison commissary for a few years as a food server saying to each inmate as they walk by with their tray for the evening entree, "Chicken or fish?"
Westbrook would then wish he was instead working at Popeye's, and get to go home after work.
After the fan's lawyers get thru with Westbrook in a civil suit, the fan might then own his car dealerships, and perhaps a lot more.
Not only do I see two of my avatar and name where its says who is online in this category,
but also when I click quote it shows the post I'm responding to twice.
Since I'm a child of 1970's drama TV shows, this can only be the work of an evil twin I didn't even know existed.
Wish me luck everyone that I survive this, anyone have Columbo or Mannix's phone number?
Players with bad tempers such as Westbrook and Jefferson need to be properly schooled in reality. Real life isn't the movies whereby whenever there's a bar room brawl, John Wayne gets up and walks away unscathed.
One punch from a 250lb or 300lb super strong athlete to someone's face, can cause major permanent damage to someone, and in some cases can even kill.
During sentencing, after the plaintiff has displayed his medical records, showing major facial reconstruction surgery, along with permanent eye damage and other assorted pain and suffering to go along with it, let's see how much sympathy any NBA or NFL player gets from the judge when the player states that he threw the punch because the fan tossed popcorn at me.
These type of professional athletes prone to violence, really need to smarten up, and I'm sure their agents as well as their team owners and family will hopefully assist in that regard.
Did someone say Ron Artest?
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Throwing popcorn at someone is considered a warm welcome from the fans in Philly..
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
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Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
What no one is taking about is the Ja Morant incident which happened on the same night as Westbrook and Young and might be the most vile of all.
Ja Morant: We Have to Protect Our Players and Families After Incident with Jazz Fans
Tee Morant said one fan made a sexually explicit remark to his wife, Jamie. Tee Morant, who was sitting a couple of seats over, confronted the man before security deescalated the situation, ejecting the Jazz fan.
"According to Tee Morant, another Jazz fan told him, 'I'll put a nickel in your back and watch you dance, boy.' Several other Jazz fans, who had been enjoying good-spirited trash talk with the Morants and their family friends, confronted that fan and alerted security. Tee Morant said he was shocked that the Jazz fan, who was ejected, made such a comment with the man's young daughter by his side.
"The third fan who was ejected yelled at Jamie Morant, 'Shut the f--k up, b---h,' Tee Morant said.
Those incidents capped an ugly night of fan behavior in the Association.
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
That's just gross. Families of players should be able to go to games without getting hassled. Period.
What you're going to see with this eventually is ID getting taken every time you go into a game. Some fan gets banned for life - how is that enforced? A picture at the ticket taking stations? C'mon. You're basically trusting the person to not risk a trespassing charge by coming back. So, yeah, eventually there will be some kind of increased checking when attending games.
The NBA should also require bans be leaguewide - those three Jazz fans, for example, should be done for life at every arena not just Utah.
I wonder what would happen with a particular NBA or NFL player when at his wedding, the guests throw rice at him?
Would he then beat-up all the wedding guests, before driving off with his new bride to enjoy their honeymoon?
I’ll tell ya what I know that Red Sox and Patriots season ticket holders are absolutely responsible for the behavior of people they sell or give tickets too, if they act up and get in trouble it falls on the season ticket holder and they could lose their season tickets. That’s what I was told by various people over the years
here's my dos centavos, which are probably worth at least a cent less than that
i don't think you can dissect this incident in a vacuum. step back and take a look at what is happening in the stands at sporting events everywhere. just in the past month alone we've seen 3 all-out brawls taking place at baseball games with fans being assaulted. if you grant the asshat who dumped popcorn on Westbrook a pass, it is setting a precedent for even bigger asshats to take it to the next level, which, again, is already happening at an alarming rate.
i've gone to hundreds of nba/nfl/mlb/one nhl game
/golf tournaments since i've been alive and i can't recall a single time when things spiraled out of control to the point where security had to intervene. now? truthfully i don't know what to expect. i mentioned in another thread that i'm going to 3 STL games in a few weeks, and honestly i'm just as curious to see what is going to go down around me as much as the play on the diamond.
imo, you've gotta come down hard on the culprits and nip this thing in the bud even at the most innocuous level, because things are getting very unruly in the sports world
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
one other thing. if you've followed Westbrook's career, he has been a lightning rod. an overwhelming majority of it unwarranted. some really terrible things said to him. make no mistake, this was a culmination of years of abuse. i don't care who you are, if you're relegated to being a punching bag long enough, you're eventually going to take a stand. i know i would. no one -- including handsomely paid athletes -- deserve verbal, physical or kernel abuse. if you ok that fan's actions by saying he didn't physically hurt RW, then you're missing the point. no one ever wants to be treated or spoken to like yesterday's garbage, and that's exactly what that dude was doing when he decided to unload his tub on Westbrook's head.
seriously, just treat people like an equal. if you can't do that, then you deserve to face the consequences
ok i'm outtie
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
@galaxy27 boom boom out go the lights
Well said
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I think we can all agree on the following three important points.
Throwing objects at players is unacceptable. Infractions should be handled by stadium security or the police. Punishment meted out by stadium officials or according to the law.
Violent responses by players to thrown objects from fans is unacceptable in accordance with criminal law. Punishment meted out by team officials or adjudicated in a court of law.
Stevek is the greatest poster on Sports Talk that ever was and ever will be.
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