| Pistons-Pacers Brawl Sets Background For ‘Law & Order’ Episode Authored by Tommie De Riemaecker/Off The High Glass - February 17, 2005 - 1:45 am
The NBC court drama “Law & Order” ripped the Pistons-Pacers Nov. 19 fracas from the headlines in its episode airing Feb. 16 by depicting a professional basketball brawl as part of the background of a fan’s murder committed by an opposing team’s star player.
Although much of the initial public outrage surrounding the severity of the Pistons-Pacers brawl has calmed and cooler heads have prevailed, the episode raised important questions about how far is too far for fans and players to take sports, as well as created a grim scenario to remind everyone that the “worst brawl sports in North America has ever seen” could have been much worse.
In the episode, Philadelphia Cannons forward Silas Inwood was found guilty of murdering New York Empires fan Ira Winderman after a series of incidents in which Winderman harassed and stalked the player over a period of years. Winderman was quoted by a prosecution’s witness as saying that Inwood’s child had shoes and clothes because of people like Winderman and, as such, people like Inwood were to be considered “public property.” Winderman’s character also took on the role of Royal Oak resident John Green by throwing a beer at Inwood, the character based on Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest, as he lay on the scorer’s table during a scuffle on the floor.
It’s frightening and surreal to see the point clearly illustrated that professional sports are viewed as an extension of white collar and blue collar people alike to live vicariously through their favorite sports teams. As mentioned in the episode, team staffs want their fans getting pumped up and boozed up so as to be more rowdy and feel more a part of the action. When blatantly described like this, the act of fandom and the extent to which some people take it is downright disturbing. Late night phone calls to visiting teams’ hotels by hometown fans to annoy players are a signal of obsession, not a badge of honor in the name of loyalty to the home team. Likewise, the extent at which adrenaline and pride can cause athletes to take things personally also can lead to more serious situations, like the famous punch thrown by Los Angeles Lakers forward Kermit Washington at Houston Rockets forward Rudy Tomjanovich that nearly killed him during his playing days.
In a day and age when it seems tempers are always flaring, sports and entertainment need to be placed into perspective as simply an enjoyable activity. At the Palace of Auburn Hills, nobody was seriously hurt and nobody was killed. But it could have happened with either party.
Ushers have no control over athletes much bigger than them, nor can they be expected to. They also can’t block an object thrown from the stands because their arms aren’t 20 feet long. The brawl was a black eye for both organizations and for professional sports in general, but more importantly, it was a warning sign – there’s more to life than an eye for an eye and defending your honor at any cost. Most of the time, it really is best to shake your head and walk away. To the NBA’s credit, its players seem to have learned that lesson since Nov. 19. It’s finally appropriate to stop placing the blame on Artest, Green, or any other party because it’s the condition of society that was the cause.
While an NBA title or Super Bowl victory or World Series win are nice and entertaining, they don’t reflect the true character of a city and its people and they aren’t going to make or break anybody’s life, including the athletes’. It’s just entertainment.
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