This ESPN web site has another list of games, where fans and players exchanged more than words.
Rivalry...... the life of the game, but do some fans take it too far?
When it seemed as though the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry could get no worse, the fans had to get involved.
In an April 14 game between the two rivals, Jason Varitek hit a fair ball down the right field line and a fan, as they commonly do on foul balls, reached over the wall to try and touch the ball as it rolled.
One Red Sox fan, Chris House, reached over the three foot high wall and his arm came in contact with Gary Sheffield's head, prompting Sheffield to push the fan away and then throw the ball back towards the infield.
Sheffield then turned his attention back to the fan and proceeded to get into a shouting match with House before security stepped in.
After the Yankees cleared their bench and we were treated to a bunch of two hundred pound athletes rumbling down the field to their teammates "aid," House was ejected from the stadium.
The Red Sox organization announced Wednesday that House would have his season tickets revoked for the remainder of this year.
However, House was not banned from Fenway Park altogether and the Red Sox will have the opportunity to reinstate his season tickets for next year.
So what does this mean? That House will just have to move to the other side of the ball park?
Heck, maybe another Sox fan will have so much respect for House for being the guy that "armed" Sheffield that he'll have a seat with them for the rest of the year and go to the games for free.
The fact of the matter is this, while his contact with Sheffield was minimal, his arm shouldn't have been over that wall to begin with.
That ball was live and shouldn't be touched by fans. Foul ball? Sure reach over and grab it.
Italy Soccer Riot
Police officers carry the coffin of their slain comrade Filippo Raciti into the cathedral for his funeral in Catania February 5, 2007. A soccer-mad nation which only seven months ago celebrated a World Cup victory was stunned by the outcome of riots at a derby between rival Sicilian teams Catania and Palermo on Friday, in which the policeman died and over 70 people were injured. [Reuters]
Comments (1)
Yvette Frazier said
at 5:47 pm on Sep 28, 2007
I believe every sport has it fare share of fans taking it to far, as well as athletes crossing the line. However, the first time I remember fan on fan violence was a news article I read concerning a soccer game in Argentina. Apparently one fan was upset at the end of the game because their team lost and killed another fan from the opposing team. It wasn’t long after that a fan was upset about the out-come of a soccer game and killed the goalie as he was leaving the stadium. The fan felt the goalie was at fault.
I don’t ever think I could be that passionate about a game, but for some people a sports team represents more than just a hobby or entertainment.
Because of the recent push for promoting soccer in the U.S., I wonder if games would ever turn violent in the U.S. like they do in Europe and Latin America?
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