A very belated rookie of the year watch detailing Stephen Curry’s outstanding performance Saturday against the Raptors is coming soon. Before I get to that, I wanted to put something out there for reader commentary.
Setting the scene: I took a vacation day on Thursday to take my eight-year-old son to the Warriors-Blazers game at Oracle Arena. It was my son’s first time going to an NBA game and he had a great time. But there was one aspect of the game that frustrated me.
My son and I had pretty good seats with a great view, but there were two fans behind us who as the night progressed, became more and more vocal in their frustration with various aspects of the game, mostly about the officials. I didn’t notice them until about midway through the second quarter, when they started to get louder and more profane, including use of the f-word. My son and I decided to leave the game near the end of the third quarter because he was really tired and I didn’t want to force him to stay longer than he wanted since it was his first game. I wanted it to be a good experience for him. The behavior of the two fans seated behind us didn’t factor into my decision to leave, but as I drove home and listened on the radio as the Warriors blew their double-digit lead, I was glad we left when we did. I can only imagine that as the Warriors’ lead slipped away in the fourth quarter, the two fans behind us would have become ever louder and more profane. I had already subjected my son to enough of that and can’t imagine how I would have reacted if it had become worse.
So, my questions to you are the following:
Where do you draw the line as a fan? I understand getting into the game, being animated and voicing your frustration. But do fans have a social responsibility to monitor their language or behavior?
Is it a fan’s responsibility to notice who is sitting nearby (particularly young children) and filter themselves accordingly?
Was I wrong to feel frustration about these two fans’ language and behavior in front of my young son? Should I have said something?
Post your thoughts below.
