Secure the perimeter
There continues to be quite a bit of ambiguity as to what is acceptable behavior for fans at NBA games.
Some of it (throwing objects on the court, for instance) is pretty clear cut. But yelling at players and refs is a more fluid situation.
Take, for instance, the recent suspension imposed on referee Joe DeRosa. The veteran official was walking to the scorer’s table at half time of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, when a fan approached, gesturing with his arms and apparently shouting at DeRosa. DeRosa responded by lightly tossing the game ball at the fan, who reciprocated.
Some said the ref was out of line, while others wanted to know why security didn’t intercept the fan in the first place.
Having been courtside at most NBA arenas, I can say a few things with relative certainty. First, it’s hard to police traffic behind the scorer’s table, especially during halftime. Fans on the front rows need to be free to walk out to use bathrooms or visit concessions. There’s no realistic way to block the area behind the table at many arenas.
Second, DeRosa was wrong. Though the fan was banished to another seat after the incident, DeRosa should have summoned security while the fan was giving him a hard time, not after throwing a ball at him.
It’s a fine line between razzing and harassing, but I figure it should go like this: Refs get paid to take grief from fans, as well as to officiate. But security guards should be instructed that once the razzing becomes vulgar or grossly abusive, it’s time to remove the fan.
This particular fan, who reportedly was a Wyndham Vacation Ownership executive, might be wise to use this rule of thumb: Dish out only as much abuse as he expects his front desk people to take at his hotels.