Whatever happened to sportsmanship? A recent "basketbrawl" made NBA players and fans look bad. Is violence ruining sports?

There was less than a minute left in the November game when the trouble started. The Detroit Pistons were hosting the Indiana Pacers at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Pacers forward Ron Artest fouled Piston Ben Wallace on a drive to the basket. Wallace then shoved Artest, setting off a minor scuffle. After referees, teammates, and coaches pulled the players from each other, Artest retreated to the scorer's table and lay atop it. A fan then tossed a cup from the stands, hitting the player on the chest. Suddenly, Artest stormed into the stands, wildly throwing punches as he climbed over seats. Several teammates followed him. Within moments, players and fans were going at it. Debris went flying.

National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner David Stern would later call the scene "disgusting." But Alex Battaglia, a ninth-grader from Buffalo, New York, wasn't shocked. To Alex, who has seen endless reruns of the brawl on television, the violence wasn't unexpected. "Sportsmanship is pretty much gone from sports," says Alex, 14, who referees soccer games for first-graders. "I don't expect athletes to behave well. You see a lot more sportsmanship from kids than from pros."

No Longer Role Models

As a result of the brawl, Artest faces a possible season-long suspension--and could lose $5 million of his $6.2 million annual salary. Meanwhile, five members of the Pacers and seven Pistons fans face criminal charges. Two fans have already been banned from the Palace.

To many observers, the brawl meant something more than just a few hotheads losing their cool. It left people asking: Why do players and fans get so angry? Whatever happened to sportsmanship?

"Sports have changed," says Todd M. Kay, a sports psychologist who works with professional soccer players. "They are not about healthy competition anymore. They're about beating your opponent at all costs."

Examples of this behavior can be found everywhere. A day after the Pacers-Pistons brawl, a fight broke out between Clemson and South Carolina football players. Police, coaches, referees, and teammates struggled to end a fight that stretched nearly 60 yards along the field.

Last year, Texas Rangers pitcher Frank Francisco tossed a metal chair into the stands during a brawl, breaking a woman's nose. And in 2001, Tie Domi of the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs wrestled with a fan during a game.

Why can't fans and players get along? Most experts see a gulf growing between the two. To fans, players can seem like pampered multimillionaires. Their huge salaries and off-the-field problems--from criminal charges to drug abuse to the current controversy over steroid use--make it difficult for fans to relate to sports stars. Fewer kids today look to players as role models. "They may love what they do on the court," says Kay, "but they don't revere them as heroes."

To players, fans can look like angry savages when they taunt them from the stands. Fan language can be so rough that the NBA's Commissioner Stern would like to see spectators ejected from arenas for swearing.

"No One Wants This"

Kids have learned at least one lesson from players, Kay says. But it is the wrong one. When players are celebrated for their aggression, kids learn that it's more important to play tough than to play fair. "We tell them if they want the fame and the money, they have to play with a chip on their shoulder," Kay says.

And when fans cheer aggression on the field, players can let the violence and bad behavior become a normal part of the game. "Some players--kids and professionals--can't tell when it's OK to be aggressive, ant when to turn it off," Kay told JS. Coaches--even parents--may let bad behavior slide as long as the team wins and the athletes play well.

What's the answer? Professional sports leagues are considering tougher security measures, longer suspensions, and bigger fines. Meanwhile, kids' leagues must set acceptable standards for players and fans, says Greg Buell, a sports psychologist at Wichita State University in Kansas. "I put my faith in young people," Buell told JS. "No one wants this. It's no fun. Kids know sports can be better than this."

Your Turn

What can be done to make sporting events safer and more enjoyable for players and fans?

NEWS SPECIAL: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SPORTSMANSHIP?, PAGES 6-7

* Decide whether each sentence is true, false, or an opinion. Rewrite a correct version of any false sentence on a separate sheet of paper.

--1. Violence and poor sportsmanship are problems in professional and amateur sports.

--2. Only players, but not fans, who participated in the Auburn Hills brawl face criminal charges.

--3. The salaries of professional athletes today are too high.

--4. Some say a "win at all costs" attitude is partly to blame for the aggressive behavior of some athletes and fans.

--5. Some fans resent the pampered lifestyles of many amateur athletes.

--6. The fans involved in the brawl deserve as much blame as the players for causing the fight.

--7. The NBA would like fans who use foul language to be ejected from arenas.

--8. Experts say fewer kids today look to athletes as role models.

--9. Last November's brawl was the first incident ever to involve fans and professional athletes.

--10. Players and fans who cannot control their tempers should seek counseling.

1. True

2. False; Fans also face charges.

3. Opinion

4. True

5. False; Some fans resent the pampered lifestyles of many multimillionaire professional athletes.

6. Opinion

7. True

8. True

9. False; Baseball and ice hockey are other sports that have had violent incidents among their players and fans.

10. Opinion