Yes, I backdated this post. I mostly composed it last week, just didn't get to put it on the Moose-Blog (Thanksgiving and all). Plus, I wasn't sure it needed to be said.
See, I thought my feelings on the Pacers-Pistons would be a small voice whispering softly in the deep wilderness. One that had to be expressed forthwith, so as not to be lost in the cacophony of innuendo, accusation, and outrage. But that voice was louder than I foresaw. I got a surprise when I heard something I didn't expect, from someone I didn't know to expect it from. On the Best Damn Sports Show, Tom Arnold laid the blame for the incident on the fans.
To be fair, Chris, Tom-Tom (we Iowa boys go way back), Salley and Cox all agreed on this point to varying degrees (not that Chris comments on the issue so much as drops the conversational puck). None of them gave Ron Artest a pass; they all said he should have refrained from entering the stands (I agree). They all said Stephen Jackson was as culpable as Artest (I agree). They all agreed that Artest, Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal should get long suspensions, in the 25-30 game range (I agree).
But they also pointed out that if not for a cowardly act on the part of a Pistons Season-Ticket holder, this might have all gone for naught. John Green, the cup-thrower, is also the guy who got in the sucker punches on Artest while others were trying to restrain him. Interestingly, Green has the same thing Artest has, in the context of this fight; they both have reputations that precede them. The main difference is, as the video shows, Green started it.
He could have left well enough alone, but he didn't. Bryant Jackson (another reputable fellow) could have not thrown the chair, but he threw it. Charlie Haddad could have not gone on the court, but he did.
Those were my thoughts, too. But I don't blame them (here comes that voice from the wilderness). I really don't think Tom blames them either (at least, not completely). Now, Pappy always said it's better to fix the problem than to fix the blame, but the only one who can fix the problem, well, he's also the one to blame.
I blame David Stern.
You may have just bumped your jaw on the coffee table, maybe the floor, maybe your desk (please don't let it be your steering wheel). Though I cannot correct your mandibular alignment, let me explain my comment.
I don't think any of these guys had a choice. They were willingly sold on the image of spirited fans loudly driving their team to victory. They were sold on the idea that the fans make a difference; after all, it's not called neutral-field advantage. They were told that alcohol is part and parcel of the game experience (OK, that's bigger than Stern), and at the Palace, this means all four quarters (now that's something Stern could do something about). They did their civic duty (is there such a thing as "uncivic duty?"). Heck, Chris Ballard in the Nov. 29 Sports Illustrated points out that Artest is one of those guys who can go into a white rage, where he doesn't even recall what happened, sort of a Jeckyll & Hyde syndrome. They all just did what any behavioral expert could predict they would do. They don't chart their direction, they just go with the flow. Like an iceberg.
But the NBA, that course can be set, and Stern did so many years ago. When the league could have charted a course for quality product, Stern instead chose hype. Basketball is ultimately about scoring more points than your opponent. But NBA fans don't come for the scoring. They come for the dunking. The in-your-face, I-am-better-than-you pissing contest that is fueled by testosterone. Basketball is a team sport. But the NBA markets its individuals. It is all about Kobe, Shaq, Artest, T-Mac (there aren't as many one-namers in any other sport, or in the entertainment industry, for that matter). If it was about team, Jamaal Tinsley would be the #1 star in Indy, LeBron highlights would all be passes, John Stockton would be the guy with his own Nike clothing line and cologne. Like Captain Smith on the Titanic, Stern long ago boldly set the course for this "unsinkable" ship.
Want more evidence? Take early entry. Sure, LeBron is ready for the NBA at 18. But for every LeBron, there are a dozen guys who blow off a college education and a chance to develop in the college ranks because they were going straight to the pros (I can't think of any of their names, but that's the point; they're ghosts). Why are headcases so rare in the NFL, where testosterone and physicality are deliberately ramped up for performance? Because degree or not, every NFL player has demonstrated that he can at least enroll in college and pass 12 credit hours per semester, no matter how easy (it still takes discipline). Early entry allows boys into the NBA, not-yet-men emotionally and mentally.
Also, who is the market for Stern's NBA? Take a look at who is wearing the jerseys of their favorite players. Look at the sizes on the tags. If you're older than twelve, chances are you won't fit in them. The NBA wants you to buy the jersey for your kid, then take the kid to the game, and buy the $8 beers while you're there. They also want all of this activity instigated by the kid.
Sure, there are unruly fans in every professional sport, but those leagues have somehow realized that they are seating adults at the park, and that there need to be some proximity limits for the fans and the athletes. At NBA venues, it's like they expect 20,000 kids in the seats.
Not an iceberg.
And why is it that icebergs sink "unsinkable" ships? Funny you should ask. See, icebergs wreck ships below the waterline. Where they are invisible. Where 90% of an iceberg exists.
So, if the Detroit Scuffle is the iceberg we do see, what is the iceberg we don't see?
Captain Stern, to the lifeboats!
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