An interesting column...

[Jim Johnson]

What rule says a fan must be obnoxious?

By Sue Carlton, Times columnist

Is it possible to be against security patdowns at sporting events but also for the Tasing of unruly fans?

I'm kidding, of course.

Mostly.

Recently I was lucky enough to cheer on both the Tampa Bay Rays and the University of South Florida Bulls at their respective venues. (I might have made it a trifecta with a Bucs game, but I figure Hillsborough Commissioner Jim Norman and his ilk have that covered with their butts permanently imprinted in those luxury box seats like their own living room La-Z-Boys. Hey, Commish, hoist a Heineken up there for us taxpayers, will ya?)

But I'm being disagreeable. And fans being disagreeable is exactly the point.

Rules to curb the long-held sports tradition of fan obnoxiousness are kicking in at RayJay: among them, no more parking lot keggers, and you can report the loudmouth drunk burbling epithets in the next row via text message without ever getting out of your seat.

Is it that uncivilized out there?

The Rays were playing the Red Sox the night I was there, the same game that generated the, pardon the expression, shocking photo of a Sox fan being subdued, a police Taser to his head.

While I do not make light of the danger of Tasers — police policy forbids discharging them at someone's face, head, neck or groin "for obvious reasons," as a spokesman put it — it's probably a good thing one wasn't handy in our section.

Near us was a Yankees fan, with no allegiance to anyone on the field, there only to scream insults, whistle shrilly, block the view and pick a fight with anyone who dared to wear anything Bosox. In his New York accent, he made a suggestion to a silver-haired man sitting with his wife involving hand gestures and ending with "and your old lady." A little girl seated behind this guy took it all in.

Even the most civilized of us had to be thinking: Tase him, bro. Please.

But then came the cavalry in the form of security, with Yankeeman whining "WhudIdo whudIdo?" as they politely but firmly ushered him out. The last thing we heard the security woman say was, "And don't call me honey."

As for the Bulls, I've watched with pride as my team built itself and its fan base. Unfortunately, to some, becoming a fledgling fan means learning to act just as stupid as some big-time ones.

In the dustbowl parking lot that used to be Tampa Bay Center, we were told in profanity-laced terms by a kid I swear was just out of middle school we could not park in the empty space beside his because he was saving it for a friend, dude. We could have stood on principle. We could also have returned to one creatively keyed car.

Once we did park, we saw a young man nearby had been taken ill. Undeniably, vocally, visually ill. Maybe it was a bad hot dog, but for the record, a (now-verboten) keg was in evidence. The young man's friends put down their beers long enough to lay him out on the tailgate and, helpfully, pull down his pants. Passersby stopped to laugh and point and snap pictures on their cell phones. Ah, youth.

So in conclusion, as an enthusiastic fan, I say: Go security! Go toughed-up rules to make this more civilized for the more civilized! Go Rays! Go Bulls!

And Mr. Norman, would you mind yelling Go Bucs for the rest of us down here? Thanks, dude!

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article827482.ece