Fan Behavior in Sports

Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran glared up at a fan during the seventh inning of the Red Sox’s game versus the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, April 27th. Between the top and the bottom of the seventh inning, Duran had to be held back by Red Sox’s players and officials to allow for security personnel to do their job. 

            It was later revealed that the fan had yelled “something inappropriate” towards Duran. Although the fan tried to flee the scene, nearby fans surrounded the heckler, who was apprehended by security personnel. The game then continued as normal. 

            "The fan just said something inappropriate. I'm just happy that the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it and they took care of it for me," Duran said after the game. 

The Cleveland Guardians issued a statement apologizing to both Duran and the rest of the Red Sox for their fans' inappropriate behavior, reassuring the team that the heckler had been detained and was in further talks with the MLB. 

            Duran later revealed that the heckler had yelled something about his struggles with mental health. A documentary called “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox” was released on April 8th. In the documentary, Duran detailed his struggles with mental health, even recalling a time when he attempted to commit suicide in 2022. Ever since, Duran has made efforts to open conversations about mental health. 

            "When you open yourself up like that, you also open yourself up to the enemies. But I have a good support staff around me, teammates, coaches. There were fans that were supporting me, so that was awesome," Duran told ESPN. 

            Fans yelling inappropriate comments at athletes is nothing new, and these actions aren’t limited to sports events. Concerts, gatherings, movies, and shows also often include fan heckling. Although society has evolved to tolerate this, many are surprised when athletes fight back.

            The most egregious example of an athlete fighting back against fans was the “Malice at the Palace.” In the final minutes of a 2004 midseason matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, Pistons center Ben Wallace went up for a layup, only to be smacked by Pacers forward Ron Artest (now known as Metta World Peace). Due to the high tempers present throughout the game, the teams engaged in a small scuffle. 

            Next, Artest jumped onto the scorer's table, only to have a fan throw a bottle at him. Artest and other players on the Pacers jumped up to fight fans in the crowd, and chaos ensued. Many suspensions were handed out, and 10 people (5 fans and 5 players) were charged with assault. 

            “That’s just unacceptable on both sides. The fans should be mature enough to not throw things at players, and the players themselves should have enough control to retreat. It’s one of the craziest breakdowns in all of sports,” NHS Senior Nate Twitchell said. 

            And sometimes, fans have a literal impact on how the game proceeds. This year alone in college football, a matchup between Arizona State and BYU, as well as a matchup between Ole Miss and Georgia, ended with fans storming the field too early. The clock continued to count down as fans from the winning team entered the field. Both schools hosting the matches were fined, leading to increased security restrictions. 

            “Fans get crazy, and it’s something we’ve seen. I think it just shows their love of the game, and how big it is to win games like those,” NHS senior Andrew Corey said. 

            The increased fan problems have led to a lot of speculation among professionals about why these events occur. The first reason that many point to seems to be the availability of alcohol at sporting events. When impaired by alcohol, people are not very good at controlling their actions. Due to the association of alcohol with sports games and other popular events, it’s not uncommon to see drunken fans yelling at performers without thinking. 

            However, alcohol has been served at sporting events ever since the prohibition era ended in the USA. So, what is the main reason for the increase in violent sports fans? Many tie it back to the rise of social media. Whether it be to spread some sort of message, be on TV, or just to draw attention to themselves, there are many videos on social media of fans performing questionable actions at sporting events. The increase in online gambling is another factor, as many avid gamblers grow angry when a player they bet on was unable to hit the line. This often leads to angry fans who yell and scream, both at the stadium and on social media, at the players for not having a great game. 

            “When you have money involved, there’s always going to be anger. Especially when fans are close to you, it can heighten the situation. Imagine losing $5,000 and having access to throw something at me,” Green Bay Packers wide receiver Marque Valdes-Scantling said earlier this season.

            Most articles regarding this topic stated that it is very difficult to find concrete data on a topic such as this. It is nearly impossible to know exactly what fans are thinking when they perform such heinous actions, especially because they are usually removed by security personnel soon after. However, the assumptions made by professionals all make sense given the ever-changing landscape of sports and sports media.