‘Shame Them…Arrest Them and PUT THEM IN JAIL!’ Stephen A. Smith Calls on Media and NBA to Protect Players from Insidious Fans

Arenas and stadiums packed with fans again means the return of electric environments for sporting events. But it also means the return of unruly fans who are willing to disparage a professional athlete with physical conduct, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith won’t stand for it.

“The primary reason they feel that way is because they don’t have to worry about any repercussions any ramifications, for literally throwing something on another player, figuratively speaking putting your hands on them because that’s essentially what you did by throwing something on them,” Smith said Thursday morning on First Take.

Smith’s rant against spectators comes the day after Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on him, and a Knicks fan spit toward Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young.

Fans who are willing to exceed booing the opposition with creative chants and banter feel a sense of confidence, because they know an athlete won’t respond. Not unlike social media trolls who feel the protection of typing something behind a screen, but would never repeat what they write without their digital shield.

“The NBA needs to come down heavily on them, but I think the media can also get involved in policing this kind of situation,” Smith said. “Put the person’s name on television, put their face on television. Treat it like a mugshot. Put them on the jumbotron at the game, make sure you…publicize who the hell they are.”

If the roles were reversed, and a player egregiously threw something or spit on a spectator, the public response to that athlete would damage their brand to a point of no recovery. Smith says the same should happen to a fan who belittles an athlete with any sort of inappropriate physical contact.

“Publicize them, humiliate them, embarrass them, shame them, and in some cases – arrest them and PUT THEM IN JAIL!”

Watch above via, ESPN