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New Orleans fires the security that allowed a kid to run on court
A generation or two ago, it would have acted as an “aw, shucks” gem for the ages. A young Carmelo Anthony fan, in the waning moments of Anthony’s lone trip to New Orleans on the year, couldn’t help himself as he ran on the court to greet the All-Star. Without incident, the young man was shooed off the court, as the game carried on apace.
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At the risk of dealing in Andy Rooney terms, though, times have changed. Sports arenas, happily, aren’t exactly rife with spectators rushing into the proceedings uninvited, but basketball arenas are a little more prone than other event centers.
This is probably why, sadly, in the wake of the event officials at New Orleans’ home arena decided to fire both the security guard and police officer in residence at that particular part of the court on Saturday night. From John Reid at the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
''Then, there is a police officer stationed in that general area also, and he was not doing his job,'' [arena general manager Alan] Freeman said. ''So essentially what happened there is that you get two people who were not doing their responsibilities and that led to a black eye for us as the building operator.
''So what we have done since then is first of all, we obviously replaced those two people who failed to do their jobs - the usher and the police officer.''
''When you think about it, you have all these fans that have courtside seats, the expectation is that they are going to behave themselves but they can jump out of their seats at any point and time and run on the floor. These two new officers that we have hired with the blessing of the NBA security are now tasked with making sure that doesn't happen.''
As innocent and as cute as the back and forth went with Anthony, the realization is a bit unnerving.
Basketball fans are RIGHT THERE. This isn’t just in reference to those rattling their jewelry on the front row, either. If motivated, just about any participant could find a way to barrel past staff either dedicated or indifferent on their way to the floor. The NBA is a league that used to celebrate each championship with fans storming the court en masse, and it’s incredible that it has precious few incidents to its name along these lines in the years since things have gotten a little tighter.
Ushers and police officers don’t have it easy – this is a job, and not a day at the races.
They have to usually sit or stand with back to the action, often risking injury should a player twice their size stumble at full speed off of the hardwood. Officers on duty are often there on the back end of a second shift, and turning to scan a crowd for three hours with thousands of faces staring right back at you can’t be the most comfortable gig in the world.
What happened in New Orleans can’t be considered “cute,” though, and we’re hoping nobody takes to the Carmelo fan in the same way that LeBron James and the Cavaliers decided to offer 1.5 seconds of internet fame to a fan that decided to storm the court at one of their games because, I dunno, got to support the team.
The issue is that not everyone is supporting the team. Basketball is a team sport, but a striking individual can rule all. One player, one star, matters. This permeates endless manifestations of fan culture.
A fan could lash out – storm out – because they’re not happy that a player is working a certain way. That he’s not passing enough. That he’s appeared to relax following a contract extension. That he’s taking away from the brilliance of another great teammate. That he just missed a game-deciding shot, in the final seconds.
What complicates these things are not related to sports. Betting and fantasy sports, though tangentially related to sports, having nothing to do with what your favorite shooting guard does but often everything to do with the weight of your wallet. Drinking prior to and during a game, despite the efforts of arena staff, can turn someone into a monster.
This isn’t to shame anyone that decides to reasonably bet, switch out their weekly lineup, or enjoy a $12 beer at any NBA game. These are legal pursuits (or, at least, they should be … save for that beer price) that add to the fan experience. At the end of the day, it’s fun to think you have a hunch on the Rockets game, to slip in a free agent pickup of Devin Booker for your fantasy team, and to … well, buying a $12 beer is never fun.
What adds to this, scarily, is America’s ongoing issues with combating mental illness, and America’s issue with being associated – however briefly – with stardom.
That should be the frightening part. Not the punter had a few too many and lost $40 because the Thunder won by nine instead of 12. That someone thinks it their star turn in front of the klieg lights. Or, worse, that someone thinks they have a relationship with a player just because they’ve followed his every professional move for years.
This is why Alan Freeman, working out of New Orleans, made his staff re-watch Monica Selas’ stabbing from 1993. An assault that seemed like the work of one mentally ill outlier, but also one that could have been perpetrated by just about anyone at Roland Garris on that afternoon.
We’re not accusing the NBA of allowing as much. This is a league full of dedicated staffs working alongside intelligent and diligent security instructors. And, in the end, it was just a kid that ran on the floor. Say it ain’t so, ‘Melo.
It’s just … we have to watch out for these things, in order to sustain the semblance of intimacy that made us fans of this league in the first place. And while it’s very, very unfortunate that one person lost a full-time job and another lost a part-time gig, we have to remind ourselves of how intimate things actually are in NBA arenas.
Not because we’re looking out for superstars like Carmelo Anthony. It’s because we’re looking out for other people. Including the ones – the adults –whose brains tell them that it’s OK to do this.
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is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
