Sportsmanship

This column stems from an incident that occurred last week in Chicago during a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the visiting Kansas City Royals.  Toward the end of the game, while the Royals were batting, two drunken fans ran onto the field and brutally attacked first base coach Tom Gamboa as he was watching the batter.  The two fans, apparently a father-son duo, started punching Gamboa and knocked the 54-year-old off his feet.  After the Royals' bench cleared and the players and other coaches pulled the men off of Gamboa, it was discovered that one of the two men had a small knife in their possession.  While not clear if they would have used the knife, it was evident that the two men left an obvious mark of their attack - an oversized welt atop the forehead of Gamboa.

What happened in Chicago was simply disgraceful.  That two fans, especially a father and a son, would attack one of the most unassuming people in all of sports, actually a virtual unknown as hardly anyone had heard of him until last week, is simply atrocious.  The actions of these two imbeciles puts a black mark on each and every one of us who are good fans that cheer whenever we can and boo in respectful and unharmful ways.  For that, the two men should be thrown in jail under the maximum penalty given by law.

Unfortunately, these actions happen too often.  Last year, for instance, at a Cleveland Browns game, the fans became irate with the officiating and threw beer bottles on the officials as they were walking by.  In numerous other instances, fans can be seen darting across the field making spectacles of themselves and ruining the games for those of us who are good, upstanding fans.  In each case, the fan is arrested and either fined or imprisoned depending on how offensive his or her actions are.

In the days of tightened security resulting from September 11th, these actions become more and more serious.  Everyone, especially sports stars who display their talents in front of tens of thousands of people every day, is worried about safety and security.  When actions like the ones in Chicago occur, it triggers yet another level of fear among everyone.  That is why these activities should cease immediately.  Unfortunately, they won't.  Therefore, the authorities should do whatever they can, within the confines of the law, to throw the book at the offenders.

Sportsmanship should be something that is not taken lightly.  The two fanatics in Chicago failed to do that.  I urge you, however, to do so.  If you go to a game, be it a Pop Warner football game or the World Series, do your duty and practice good sportsmanship.  If not only to feel good for yourself, do it for the thousands of younger fans who may be watching and learning from you.  In this way, the ordinary fans like you and I become true mentors and heroes to tomorrow's adults.