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sports Diabierna 15 OctOber 2021

With fans back, NBA reiterates need for appropriate behavior

(AP) — At Miami’s first
preseason game of the
year, something caught
Heat coach Erik Spoels-
tra’s attention as he stood
in his customary spot be-
tween his team’s bench
and the scorer’s table.

Fans, he noticed, were just a
couple feet away again.
“Front-row seats that were
filled,” Spoelstra said. “We
haven’t had that for a year
and a half.”

It’s a welcome sign toward
a return to normalcy. The
NBA is welcoming their fans
back -- with hopes everyone
plays by the rules again.

The league is expecting full
arenas when the season starts “Certainly, deterrence is a last season started with emp- there rooting for their team.
next week, and keeping ev- goal,” said Elizabeth Mar- ty buildings, and most cities “Fans have got to grow up But when it crosses the line
eryone — fans, players and inger, a senior vice president didn’t have anything close to at some point,” Brooklyn’s and becomes a criminal of-
coaches — safe remains an and assistant general counsel full arenas for games again Kevin Durant said after the fense, that changes the dy-
utmost priority. Mindful of for the NBA. “It absolutely until the playoffs last spring bottle was thrown at Irving. namic ... so to be able to put
high-profile incidents of un- is a goal. It’s why we have and summer. It was during “I know that being in the the NBA in contact with the
ruly fan behavior in recent signage, it’s why we post our the playoffs when Irving was house for a year and a half right people in each jurisdic-
years, the league has part- fan code of conduct, it’s why struck and someone spit to- with the pandemic has got a tion, I think is very important
nered with the National Dis- we make public-address an- ward Young. lot of people on edge, has got and you need that ground-
trict Attorneys Association nouncements about behav- a lot of people stressed out. work done before an incident
to connect franchises with ior. We want to discourage “Imagine if a stranger showed But when you come to these happens.”
prosecutors who can serve as anyone who’s thinking of up at your job and threw a games you’ve got to realize:
points of contact with teams doing something from doing water bottle at your head,” These men are human. We’re The ongoing pandemic has
when misconduct occurs. it, particularly if it’s going to Suffolk County District At- not animals. We’re not in the added an extra layer of com-
cross the line into criminal torney Rachael Rollins said circus.” plexity to the safety and be-
The hope is simple, that any behavior.” when charges were brought havior issue, in that some
fan who decides to be unruly against Cole Buckley, who The NDAA has partnered arenas are requiring fans to
understands that, if caught, The NBA met with players allegedly threw the bottle at with sports organizations in be vaccinated or show proof
consequences will be swift in the summer of 2019 and Irving. “We have mandated the past. The group’s presi- of negative tests — and the
and severe, as was the case emerged from those talks civility and sportsmanship in dent, Billy West, knows all NBA, in all arenas, is requir-
in last season’s playoffs when with a renewed focus on en- all youth sports, yet condone about how fans can be pas- ing face coverings for those
Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving had suring safety after incidents profanity-laced chants and a sionate; he went to North fans in sections within close
a bottle thrown at his head such as Russell Westbrook ‘Shut Up and Dribble’ men- Carolina State, where he proximity to the court ex-
in Boston and Atlanta’s Trae being subjected to racist tality for certain professional played golf and got to experi- cept when actively eating or
Young was spit at in New taunts in Salt Lake City — he sports and athletes? There ence first-hand how raucous drinking. Some arenas are
York. In both cases, the of- also had popcorn dumped on is a growing and disturbing basketball arenas can be in also mandating that all fans,
fending fan was found and him in Philadelphia last sea- trend in the NBA of players the Atlantic Coast Confer- no matter where they’re seat-
banned from those respective son — and Kyle Lowry be- being physically and verbally ence. ed, wear masks.
arenas; charges were filed in ing shoved during an NBA assaulted with profanity and
the Boston case as well. And Finals game at Golden State blatantly racist statements. “I’m from the home of col- Spoelstra said it hasn’t been
those weren’t the only cases by a minority partner in the That behavior is completely lege basketball and I’m very awkward having fans back in
last spring, either. Warriors’ ownership group. unacceptable.” passionate, but there is a their old spots.
line that doesn’t need to be
With fans back, NBA reiter- The pandemic hit a few Players have been echoing crossed,” West said. “We’re “It felt the way it used to feel,
ates need for appropriate be- months later. The 2019-20 that sentiment for some time not looking to try to prose- even with people looking in
havior. season resumed with no fans, now. cute the passionate fan that is on the huddle,” he said. “It’s

Cardinals fire Mike Shildt over ‘philosophical differences’

(AP) - The Cardinals fired “philosophical differences.” year, and advanced to the NL
manager Mike Shildt over He did point out that Shildt Championship Series before
philosophical differences was heading into the final getting swept by the Nation-
within the organization year of his contract but that als.
Thursday, just one week it wasn’t the sole reason for
after St. Louis lost to the parting ways. The Cardinals went 30-28
Los Angeles Dodgers in during the pandemic-short-
the National League wild- Shildt replaced current Roy- ened 2020 season, losing the
card game. als manager Mike Matheny wild-card game, before using
on an interim basis in Au- a franchise-record 17-game
Cardinals president John gust 2018, then took over the winning streak to reach the
Mozeliak said the firing was permanent job the following wild-card game again this
“something that popped up season. The Cardinals won season.
recently,” but he declined 91 games that season, earning
to expand on what he called Shildt the NL manager of the