Baseball Fans: Let’s Stop the Madness in ’08

By Gary Armida 

My wife is not a sports fan. However, since she lives with me, she is surrounded by sports. This has led her to have intimate knowledge of the Yankees and passable knowledge of the rest of baseball. There is nothing that makes my heart flutter more like when she’ll pass a television and say, “Isn’t that Kenny Lofton?” or some other out of town player. The point is, she is the very definition of an extremely casual baseball fan, but has gained some knowledge. There is one thing that annoys her about baseball and all of sports for that matter. It is not the athletes’ salaries, nor is it the length of games (although an extra inning, seven hour game does test her patience). The single most annoying thing is the fans.

With the advanced media outlets, a fan’s opinions can be heard/read instantly. It creates a wave that sways popular opinion quite quickly. Fans no longer watch their team from a far. Unfortunately, this has created a culture that allows people to be cruel to “these athletes”. Well, my wife has a message for the fans who constantly boo or say terrible things about players. Mrs. Armida states, “Let’s see you get your fat A$* on the field and see if you could do better. Shut your mouth, drink your beer, and enjoy the game.”  

While I may not have the same passion or say it as eloquently as my wife, I do agree with the sentiment. Lately, the behavior of a growing segment of sports fans has crossed the line. A fan once booed for poor effort or an extended period of poor play. The most common “boo” was given out for the opposing team, especially a rival team. Now, players hear the boo-birds for one poor at bat or one poor play from their hometown fans. Many fans have definitely lost sight of why they are fans of a particular sport or particular team. It is time for Baseball fans to make a resolution to become, once again, good, smart fans.

Money Matters

There seems to be a growing trend amongst fans that sees them treat their players as if they are their property. It’s not just baseball, but it’s all sports. Eli Manning can attest to being called the worst player ever to now being a celebrity in New York as a gifted quarterback who has taken his team to the Big Game. It’s amazing what a few good games can do for you! The reason most likely for this behavior is the rationale of the players making so much money. Talk radio is littered with calls asking, “How could he go 0-3 last night and get paid 20 million dollars for the season?!?” I didn’t realize the one’s salary made him less human. The fact is that players make that money because it is there. If the revenue was not there, the salaries would not be there. In the days before the Player’s Union, the owners were pocketing all the money (I guess the same could be said today of the Pirates, Marlins, and Twins ownership as they never pay their players). It seems to me that it makes more sense for the players to get a big piece of the pie. Sure, if one looks at it rationally, every single athlete is overpaid. None of them deserve to make millions of dollars to play a game. But, the reality is that they generate the revenue much like actors and singers.  Money should not be a factor in fan behavior. Fans do not get the right to chastise players because of the player’s salary.

Fans will argue that it is their right to behave however they wish because they are spending a ton of money to attend a game. The last time I checked, it was not a right to attend a game. If one feels so strongly about spending their “hard earned money”, then perhaps he is better off saving it for another day. Paying for a ticket does not permit a fan to behave recklessly. If one purchases a Broadway Theatre ticket, it does not give the audience member the right to boo if an actor flubs one line. The bottom line is that the price of admission is not an excuse to act ignorant.

The Worst Behavior of All: The Growing Problem

Although fans have heckled players since the game’s inception, the recent trend has become insane. The worst behavior is exhibited best by my fellow New Yorkers. Yankee fans, in particular, are called the “most knowledgeable fans in the world” by Yankee Captain Derek Jeter. I believe Jeter is being kind as the fans do not behave as such. For Alex Rodriguez’s four seasons in the Bronx, he has won two Most Valuable Player Awards. Yet, ARod was booed unmercifully for three of those years because of a perceived lack of clutch hitting. Only last season did Rodriguez receive fair treatment from the fans when he had one of the best seasons of all-time. Lost in the “love fest” that became 2007 for ARod was the fact that he was booed after his first at bat of the season at Yankee Stadium. Yes, it was after his first at bat of a brand new season. Classy move by great fans.

Players who build up equity because of spectacular performance are not immune to hearing from fans either. A couple of seasons ago, Derek Jeter, arguably the most popular player in Baseball, was mired in the worst slump of his career. At one point, he didn’t get a hit in 31 consecutive at bats. Derek Jeter, hero of four World Series Championship teams, was booed unmercifully by those “smart” Yankee fans. Baseball is a game of peaks and valleys; no player is immune to a slump at some point in his career. So, here’s Jeter working his way through a slump, and he is getting booed by his “fans”. Many people say they boo for motivation, but I can guarantee you that it does not motivate a player.  Although these seem to be slanted toward New York, most other franchises deal with the same problem. Philadelphia, among many others, is notorious for booing its hometown teams.

What Good Fans Do

A good fan boos his team if they are not playing with any sort of visible effort. The same goes for individual players. If a player is clearly “jake-ing” it, then he deserves poor treatment from fans. Good fans do not boo a member of his team for a slump or an undesirable result. Remember the old axiom, a good hitter is going to fail seven out of 10 times at the plate. Good fans realize that Baseball is a game of tremendous skill and even more precision. If a player who is honestly trying, fails, he will not get booed by the smart fan. The good fan will only boo the opposition in an attempt to give his team a home field advantage. A good fan understands that the game is difficult and every player on the field is playing at a tremendously high level. Someone will fail during each at bat. A good fan knows the difference between poor results and poor effort.

A Plea for a Return to Normalcy

It is now time for Baseball fans to break the trend of poor, ignorant behavior. Fans should go to the game and root for their team. In an age where media will comment about the disconnect between the player and the fan, it is time for fans to earn the trust of the players. Why would a player like Alex Rodriguez want to do anything for New York fans after being treated so poorly?  I can’t imagine the feeling of getting booed for a strikeout and then getting a curtain call for hitting a homerun on the very next at bat. That example shows the true foolishness of today’s fan.

So, Baseball fans-Get out there this season and cheer for your team. Heckle the opposition and get on your players if they are not giving the effort. Otherwise, cheer them throughout the peaks and valleys of the season. Don’t be like the two-faced football Giants fans who booed Eli Manning for 15 weeks and the team’s defense for the first two weeks of the season only to know cheer for them as they go into the final game.

Please feel free to comment below or, better yet, register for the Clubhouse (link above) and discuss it with fellow FCP Clubhouse members.

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