Plenty of Blame to Go Around

By Ray Ratto
Special to ESPN.com

Never mind all the apologies and acts of contrition you will hear over the next few days in the wake of Friday's Pacers-Pistons riot. They'll all be lies, every one of them.

The fact is, every person involved in the horrendous brawl at The Palace at Auburn Hills is secretly proud of himself for not taking any stuff – from Ron Artest clocking the one fan in a Pistons jersey, to the louts who drenched Jermaine O'Neal on his way off the floor with every liquid item from the concession stands.

They're all telling their friends what great people they are, and how many valuable lessons they imparted to all those other stupid people, whoever they might be. They all think this was a rite of passage, a test of manhood, and they all think they passed with flying colors.

They are going to spend the next few days defending themselves for their behavior, and delegating blame left and right, everywhere but themselves.

It's the players. No, it's the fans. No, it's lax security. And the one unifying theme is, "Hey, it wasn't me. I was just defending myself."

And all of it is nonsense. Nothing's going to happen, not until someone gets shot, or stabbed, or crippled.

Yes, we will all wring our hands and decry the looming end of civility in sports, but let us remind you that when Texas Rangers pitcher Frank Francisco threw a chair into the stands in Oakland, his suspension was brief and potential felony charges were not filed.

And the same will happen here. Everyone will talk a good game, but in the end, the only thing the players, the league office, the Detroit management and the town in general will want is for it all to go away, and hope people will forget.

Which, of course, they will. This makes for swell television, and fabulous round-table discussions, but in the end, it is an embarrassment that will be handled like most embarrassing situations – with as little talking and as much sleight of hand as needed to get people on to the next topic.

What ought to happen is simple, and comprehensive. The Pacers involved get real suspensions – long, staggered and without pay. The Pistons get fined several million dollars for their security lapses, even though this was your basic unforeseeable situation. The teams play their next game in an empty arena, while paying all arena personnel as though they had worked that day, and then make sizable contributions to anti-violence charitable groups in their towns. And the fans involved are identified, found, stripped of their season tickets (if applicable) and charged with as much as the law will allow.

Now guess how many of those will happen.

Or better yet, let us answer that for you. Almost none of them.

And while you're at it, guess which two other things won't happen.

Beer sales will not be curtailed because the markup for beer is one of the great arena cash cows of all time. Beer at an arena has been elevated to a God-given right, and given that fans will cheerfully pay up to $12 for a bottle of imported, that's a God the league and its members recognize and worship devoutly.

And the other is those courtside seats. They all seemed to bother the fellows on the NBA Shootaround studio so much, and yet, they aren't going anywhere either. They may be bolted down now, but like the beer, they generate way too much money from way too many high rollers to do anything but stay right where they are.

Over the next few days, you will hear outrage, and disgust, and demands for retribution. Hey, they serve their purpose because they let everyone position themselves as victims and moralists. It's good anaerobic exercise, and everyone comes away feeling better for the experience.

But don't buy the apologies, and don't buy the vows of punishment, or remedies. This, too, will pass because too many people want it to pass.

And when nobody's looking, the Pacers and the fans will all be very proud of themselves for standing up to each other, for eagerly crossing the line that should never be crossed.

Some day, though, someone will end up dead at courtside, or rinkside, or the sideline, or in the tunnel, and then we'll all wonder how it could have come to such a horrible end.

And we'll remember this night, and how the worst riot in recent NBA history was "someone else's fault."

Good read. No one is blameless in this.

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This makes for swell television, and fabulous round-table discussions

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Sounds like an emergency roundtable is being called for.

:smokin

Yep, great column.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Sounds like an emergency roundtable is being called for.

:smokin

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When should I show up? :lol

I can come off the bench again if needed! :spin

http://home.insightbb.com/~araxen/ohshit.jpg

Only a Pacer fan should show up for that roundtable....and that's me. No Spurs fan cause they would hang Artest, Jax, and JO immediately ;)

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Originally Posted by pooh

Only a Pacer fan should show up for that roundtable....and that's me. No Spurs fan cause they would hang Artest, Jax, and JO immediately ;)

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You know - for reasons other than the fact that they actually deserve it, right?

Overreaction.

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Originally Posted by Johnny_Blaze_47

You know - for reasons other than the fact that they actually deserve it, right?

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They deserve it...I wouldn't lower some 60 game suspension...maybe 10 each and fined a load of cash.

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Originally Posted by pooh

maybe 10 each and fined a load of cash.

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You really believe this is less punishable than Vernon Maxwell going into the stands?

well as they were saying on NBA Shootaround, they said that if there is any kind of large suspension, the players association would file some kind of greviance. I think probably anything of at least 15 games each and fined heavily would suffice.

they're playing the audio from WIBC Radio right now on Fox Sports Radio. it's interesting.

"in the end, it is an embarrassment that will be handled like most embarrassing situations – with as little talking and as much sleight of hand as needed to get people on to the next topic."
NBA.com even watered this down. On their front page they mention the fight but the main story and main picture is Dwayne Wade running triumphantly down the court. While that may be the correct PR move, I think it's cowardly of the NBA to avoid this issue like that.

And yes, definately cause for an emergency round table. How does one get on that thing?

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Only a Pacer fan should show up for that roundtable....and that's me. No Spurs fan cause they would hang Artest, Jax, and JO immediately

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Yeah because a Pacer fan would be fair and balanced. :rolleyes

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What ought to happen is simple, and comprehensive. The Pacers involved get real suspensions – long, staggered and without pay. The Pistons get fined several million dollars for their security lapses, even though this was your basic unforeseeable situation. The teams play their next game in an empty arena, while paying all arena personnel as though they had worked that day, and then make sizable contributions to anti-violence charitable groups in their towns. And the fans involved are identified, found, stripped of their season tickets (if applicable) and charged with as much as the law will allow.

Now guess how many of those will happen.

Or better yet, let us answer that for you. Almost none of them.

And while you're at it, guess which two other things won't happen.

Beer sales will not be curtailed because the markup for beer is one of the great arena cash cows of all time. Beer at an arena has been elevated to a God-given right, and given that fans will cheerfully pay up to $12 for a bottle of imported, that's a God the league and its members recognize and worship devoutly.

And the other is those courtside seats. They all seemed to bother the fellows on the NBA Shootaround studio so much, and yet, they aren't going anywhere either. They may be bolted down now, but like the beer, they generate way too much money from way too many high rollers to do anything but stay right where they are.

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This sums it up pretty well, I think.

No, there isn't plenty of blame to go around. This begins and ends with Ron Artest. It's a given that there are asshole fans. That's part of what these pro athletes have to put up with in exchange for the opportunity to enjoy millions of dollars in income annually. Artest has repeatedly shown himself incapable of handling himself professionally and in the NBA, it's quite an accomplishment to distinguish yourself in such a manner. The last player to approach Artest's level was Rodman, but with Rodman most of his antics were geared towards generating publicity and were generally harmless. One look at what Artest has done in his career and you think 'damn, this guy is stone cold nuts.'

I hate this notion that everyone is to blame because that is not the case. That ruckus began and ended with Ron Artest being Ron Artest.

i agree with bryant. the fan who threw the beer deserved an ass beating, but that doesnt mean NBA players are empowered to give it. as fans we pay their mulltimillion dollar contracts through ticket sales, merchandise, and TV ratings. Im tired of Artest not being held accountable for his antics, and I would like to see somethting comparable to what they did to Spree done to him and Jax... suspend them both for the rest of the season. Players need to remember who their real daddy is next time they want to fuck with fans.

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The Pacers involved get real suspensions – long, staggered and without pay.

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This is bullshit. There is no excuse for the players going into the stands. Forget the staggered suspension, give them each 25 games. Yeah, they'll probably end up missing the playoffs, but they deserve it for being such idiots.

if pacers make the playoffs this year it will show you how weak the east really is

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

No, there isn't plenty of blame to go around. This begins and ends with Ron Artest. It's a given that there are asshole fans. That's part of what these pro athletes have to put up with in exchange for the opportunity to enjoy millions of dollars in income annually. Artest has repeatedly shown himself incapable of handling himself professionally and in the NBA, it's quite an accomplishment to distinguish yourself in such a manner. The last player to approach Artest's level was Rodman, but with Rodman most of his antics were geared towards generating publicity and were generally harmless. One look at what Artest has done in his career and you think 'damn, this guy is stone cold nuts.'

I hate this notion that everyone is to blame because that is not the case. That ruckus began and ended with Ron Artest being Ron Artest.

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This post is right on and anyone who can not see that is either in denial or a Pacer Homer. Ron Artest is a complete psyco.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

No, there isn't plenty of blame to go around. This begins and ends with Ron Artest. It's a given that there are asshole fans. That's part of what these pro athletes have to put up with in exchange for the opportunity to enjoy millions of dollars in income annually. Artest has repeatedly shown himself incapable of handling himself professionally and in the NBA, it's quite an accomplishment to distinguish yourself in such a manner. The last player to approach Artest's level was Rodman, but with Rodman most of his antics were geared towards generating publicity and were generally harmless. One look at what Artest has done in his career and you think 'damn, this guy is stone cold nuts.'

I hate this notion that everyone is to blame because that is not the case. That ruckus began and ended with Ron Artest being Ron Artest.

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I'm not a Ron Artest apologist by any means. In fact, I've made many arguments against those who think it was all the fans to blame. But I am in the camp that says EVERYBODY involved is guilty. You guys who are blaming 1 side or the other are turning this into a black and white issue and any impartial observer can see that it is far from one. What if there were security guards to tackle Artest before he was allowed to get into the stands? What if Wallace had never overreacted? What if the FREAKIN JACKHOLE had never thrown the cup? Artest was the one who blew up the building but it doesn't come to that point if the moron doesn't lay out the explosives in the first place.

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Originally Posted by Hook Dem

Ron Artest is a complete psyco.

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Right. And of course you're unbiased against Artest. If this was Duncan, I guarantee you would be blaming the fan.

Nobody likes Artest.

The path of least resistance is to blame everything on the guy nobody likes.

It serves as positive reinforcement for the initial hate, and saves having to spend some actual thought on complicated issues

Orwell realized this more than a half-century ago.

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If this was Duncan

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The point is, it never would be. Duncan doesn't trash $100K HDTV cameras or any of the other shit that Artest does.

Artest is a genuine, dyed in the wool nutjob.

I don't particularly care for Ben Wallace. Artest I am pretty ambivalent about but it is clear the man really needs some help. If he hadn't lept into the seats then things would not have gotten out of control last night.

Duncan wouldn't be involved in something like this. Now, he'd let Massenberg take care of it for him, or our whiteboy thug Danny Ferry would come out of the stands and take care of biz.

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Originally Posted by exstatic

The point is, it never would be. Duncan doesn't trash $100K HDTV cameras or any of the other shit that Artest does.

Artest is a genuine, dyed in the wool nutjob.

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Again, I'd like to bring up my clever analogy about Artest blowing up the building and the fan laying the explosives. It doesn't have to come to Artest if the fan doesn't throw the cup. Artest is a troubled man, no doubt about it. But does that mean fans deserve to target him and throw stuff at him? Since this is Artest, its almost as if people have the obligation to openly provoke and in the end, throw things at him, which is deplorable. And don't bring up the whole "hey, fans throw things at players all the time" excuse. Kinda like the "boys will be boys" excuse. Its almost like you're excusing the fans just because it seems normal.

Precisely, myhc. The Pistons fans, more than anyone else, should be "punished" in this situation. As a stadium and organization, it's their responsibility to keep the fans under control. And they should be punished accordingly. Artest, JO, and Stephen Jackson should definitely be punished heavily for what happened, perhaps a similar punishment that Vernon Maxwell received many years ago. But the NBA should definitely lay the smackdown on the Pistons more than anything else. Closed stadium games for the next 5 games would be an excellent solution.

Actually, it was one Piston fan who caused this. Ban him from games or whatever, but punishing the Pistons for the fact that Artest and friends cannot handle themselves is ridiculous.

Hmmm..what about the two knuckleheads who confronted Artest ON THE FLOOR?

Simply put it's easier to control the players than the fans and not as detrimental to the league. Start telling the fans how to act too much and you might get a big fuck you from them in return.

The league needs the fans a lot more than they need Artest...that's the truth. If Artest can't handle the responsibilities of the job then he should quit.

Remember, the fans pay for this league, not the other way around. You may not like the fact that it is that way, but that's the way it is nontheless.

Artest should not have gone up into the stands, he should have let security take care of that guy, like they do every other time something like this occurs( unless dumbass Artest is involved. )...

And yes Artest is a victim of his own past stupidity...the fans know he is always a hairsbreadth away from total fucking meltdown and enemy fans are likely to try and help their team out by getting him to do something stupid. All is fair...players get cup chunked at them all the time...even our Spurs.

Instead of trying to regulate and control 20,000 anonymous fans...how about Artest smarten up and realize the only people he hurts by being agressive are his team and it's fans. The Pacers got hurt by this a lot worse than Detroit or it's fans....basically Artest got mentally owned by some middle class non athletic drunk PistonFan. He's a true dumbass...no matter how much money he makes or how good at basketball he is. He needs to stay the fuck out of the stands or not play pro sports.

OK, so we have possibly 3 fans out of 18,000 or so. You know what a pro does in that situation? Walks away.

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Its almost like you're excusing the fans just because it seems normal.

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It's almost like you're excusing Artest because it seems normal.

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Originally Posted by exstatic

It's almost like you're excusing Artest because it seems normal.

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I'm with you 100 percent on this one Ex.

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Originally Posted by exstatic

It's almost like you're excusing Artest because it seems normal.

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*tries to recuperate from vicious attack, contemplates attacking exstatic but restrains self*

i'm not excusing anyone from this because no one should be. I've blamed Artest in other threads but I still say all parties involved are to be blamed. Those of you saying Artest is the only one to blame just because he's had a history of problems seem to be missing the point that the fan ignited this whole thing by throwing a bottle at Artest. To place total blame on Artest is just being short sighted.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

It's a given that there are asshole fans. That's part of what these pro athletes have to put up with in exchange for the opportunity to enjoy millions of dollars in income annually. .

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I agree, fans have the right to insult and talk shit about players because that's part of the game. But when fans start to throw things, no matter how harmless it may be, you have crossed the line. You guys are so tuned in on how much of a headcase Artest is, you don't even look at the fans as part of the equation. Artest didn't suddenly snap and jump into the stands because someone called his momma fat. Yea it was JUST water, but people in the past have also thrown batteries, full water bottles etc. Where do you draw the line? If someone gets hit in the eye and loses his vision?

I believe ARtest was absolutely wrong and should be suspended for a long time, maybe the season. But it takes two to tango. The fanS, with a capital S because there were people THROWING CHAIRS and others beating this one Pacer player who was trying to break things up, are just as culpable as Artest.

Exactly, but the NBA will be too scared to lay a punishment on the Pistons and their fans. A bunch of pussies in my book. What they have basically said is that it's open season on the players, and the fans can do whatever they want, just because they paid for their seats.

Thank god soccer over in Europe doesn't stand for this shit.