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Sports Ethics Insights Brawls should result in automatic ejection Beanings and brawls make pitchers and hitters look foolish, writes SI.com columnist Phil Taylor, but, more important, there is too much potential for injury. Taylor suggests adding two rules: (1) Any pitcher who hits a batter in the face or head is automatically ejected from the game. Intent doesn't matter. (2) Any player who joins a fight is automatically ejected from the game, suspended from the next, and fined. See "Dumb and dumber," Phil Taylor, SI.com, June 23, 2003. MLB will use bully pulpit to discourage brawling Despite the spate of melees, writes USA Today's Rod Beaton, baseball doesn't see the need to employ the kind of fight-prevention rules that leagues such as the NBA and NHL have enacted over the years. For what MLB plans to do and what measures other leagues have taken, see "New wave of brawls concerns baseball," Rod Beaton, USA TODAY, June 23, 2003, and "How others handle fighting," USA TODAY, June 23, 2003, Page 8C. Baseball's nonchalance about brawling questioned "The fact of the matter is," according to Deron Snyder, who writes for Southwest Florida's News-Press, "baseball virtually condones the tradition of batters charging the mound, players clearing the benches and relievers sprinting in from the bullpen. In their heart of hearts, commissioner Bud Selig and his minions—and all of their predecessors—must secretly relish the occasional, mostly harmless, outbursts. They must believe it adds a certain machismo, an element of danger and excitement welcome by most fans." He opines that MLB "can stop them almost instantly and completely." How? Give any "joker" who steps foot outside the bullpen and anyone leaving either dugout an automatic, 20-game suspension. As for how to treat charging hit batsmen and plunking pitchers, see "Baseball, bash your brawlers," Deron Snyder, The News-Press, June 16, 2003. Stopping sports terrorism will require ethics cops Condemning sports terrorists, sports columnist Sam Donnellon writes, "Disguised as fans, almost always emboldened by liquor, they have managed with stupid and dangerous acts to frighten and endanger players, officials and fans, and to embarrass major cities worldwide. They need to be stopped. Now." As usual, when citizen indignity and disrespect prevail, we need to resort to legislation. The proof is in what Donnellon urges: "Let's create laws that make baseball a spectator sport again, so those looking to relax with a beer and a dog can do so, so those of us who would like to take our children to a game don't have to sit in a special section." For his suggestions, see "The Sports Terrorists," Sam Donnellon, The Philadelphia Daily News, June 13, 2003. What does integrity go for? Reacting to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' bargain signing of shortstop Julio Lugo, accused by Houston police of assaulting his wife Mabel Lugo, sports columnist John Romano debates the Ray's integrity and team ethics. See "Signing Lugo not the best of values," John Romano, The St. Petersburg Times, May 16, 2003. Greater accountability needed to solve spectator aggression "Sports organizations," says sportswriter Robert Lipsyte, "should take more responsibility for the increase in bad fan behavior before the majority of average, silent customers are driven away from the game." Urging that sports team executives and the advertisers and media that support them create a climate of toleration—one that makes spectator aggression an accepted part of the game, Lipsyte quotes Christian End, a social psychologist at the University of Missouri-Rolla: "Teams encourage fans to get involved because it sells tickets and products. They refer to the football crowd as the '12th man.' They call for noisy support. By activating a higher level of identity among their fans, they also help make the other team and its fans the enemy. In such a setting, a small group of fans will take it to the next level of aggression." For what can be done, what should be done, and what will happen if we do nothing, see "Team owners bear some blame for unruly fans," Robert Lipsyte, USA TODAY, May 7, 2003. Booze, bad boys and ballparks In separate incidents at the same ballpark, four ruffians ran onto the field, with the last tackling an umpire. Everyone agrees, this lawlessness must stop, but what has to happen to end it depends on who—and what—are at fault and who has the power—and the will—to stop it. Until then, ending it will be a matter of luck, not a stroke of genius. ~ Ed. The most provocative story we found comes from Randy Jones, sports editor of North Carolina's New Bern Sun Journal. Jones thinks that looking for moral outrage where double standards dominate and folks profit — at least indirectly — from sports violence is a wild goose chase. See "Fans are copying players," Randy Jones, The New Bern Sun Journal, April 17, 2003. For who should be held accountable (the media, for instance?), see "Civic pride takes hit," Jay Mariotti, The Chicago Sun-Times, April 17, 2003. Also looking at the broadcast media's role, sports columnist Phil Mushnick writes: "ESPN's "SportsCenter," Tuesday night, solemnly reported the criminal behavior of the four young punks at that night's White Sox game. … Yet, that same day, ESPN anchor Dan Patrick appeared in a new promo with pro wrestling star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who portrays a beer-swilling, profane and insanely violent character for the enjoyment of the young male demographic. … In the ESPN promo, Patrick, who has also lent himself to Coors beer ads, is seen smashing Austin with a folding chair. How clever. Especially given that pro wrestling is not a sport, what is ESPN's intent here? How does ESPN make shame-shame at the incivility of the young men at Tuesday's White Sox game while attaching itself to Stone Cold, a character whose incivility, to the delight of young, male viewers, is his stock in trade?" See "Young, Male & Making Bail," Phil Mushnick, New York Post, April 18, 2003. The Chicago Sun-Times' Greg Couch doesn't lay the problem solely on, as New York Daily News' Lisa Olson artfully put it, there not being enough blood in the his alcohol stream. See "No stop sign in sight," Greg Couch, The Chicago Sun-Times, April 17, 2003. For more on the role of alcohol in these scraps, see "Alcohol puts a damper on fun and games," Ian O'Connor, USA Today, April 17, 2003. But if you think banning the sale of beer will solve the problem, forget it, says sports columnist Dale Robertson, who explains in green terms why that won't happen—and what should. See "Throw the book at hooligans," Dale Robertson, The Houston Chronicle, April 16, 2003. Sexual assault gets a free pass … sometimes When college athletes are accused of sexual assault, but aren't convicted, should they be allowed to retain their scholarships and to resume their sports? In her column about how differently sexual assaults by three mid-west college basketball players were handled Carol Slezak looks at some of the factors that seem to sway college administrators' thinking about the ethics of privilege, prestige and punishment. See "A matter of chance, Carol Slezak, The Chicago Sun-Times, February 19, 2003. Post-game violence warning Sports writer Mark Kram vividly depicts a hypothetical post-game celebration that starts out innocently but escalates into a melee. For insight as to what causes fan riots and how they might be curtailed, see "At a loss for answers," Mark Kram, Philadelphia Daily News, January 23, 2003. Speaking of football fan violence, sports columnist Les Carpenter revisits the stabbing and beating incident at the Chargers-Raiders game in San Diego on October 29, 2000. At that game a San Diego fan narrowly escaped death at the hands of a Raiders fan. See "San Diego prepares for lawless Raiders," Les Carpenter, The Seattle Times, January 22, 2003. Iraqi athletes allegedly tortured Sports writer Michael O'Keefe reports: "A Daily News investigation this month found that hundreds of athletes have been jailed, abused or killed because they failed to bring home medals or win important games, criticized Saddam Hussein's regime, or simply became too popular with fans." For more, see "IOC probes torture of athletes in Iraq," Michael O'Keeffe, Daily News, January 21, 2003. Recent violence mars college and professional football On celebrating college victories with violence, The New York Times quotes Kent State sociologist Jerry M. Lewis, who specializes in crowd behavior: "College sports riots usually break out in urban settings and after the home team wins a close game during a big championship. People identify so strongly with these football teams and the competition is getting so intense that fans feel violence is a skill and a way of showing loyalty. It's really all about showing you're part of the team." They're predictable, he says, when five factors come into play: a natural urban gathering place is available, there's easy access, a championship is at stake, it is a close game and the home team wins." For more insight, see "Colleges Pondering Prevention After the Latest 'Sports Riots'," Joe Drape, The New York Times, November 26, 2002, and "A Fall Tradition: Rooting and Rioting for the Home Team," Jeffrey Gettleman, The New York Times, December 1, 2002.
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