Bad Fans

oppool · #1 (**permalink**) Fri Feb 16, 2001, 10:21pm

Tell me what or how you handle that just overbearing fan that believes they have the right to use profanity and yell unsportsmanlike conduct towards the other team usally you can start seeing the steam coming from the other team and want to prevent a ugly situation from happening.

A. Warn the fan directly
B. Warn the coach of the team the fan supposely rootin for
C. Just ignore

Thanks for the Replies

Don

Gulf Coast Blue · #2 (**permalink**) Fri Feb 16, 2001, 10:52pm

Don.......

I would think that it would depend on how your association is structured.

In ALL of our ASA associations......there is a league official on duty for all games.

If a fan gets out of hand (making disparaging remarks about a particular player by name, #, or position)....inform the home coach the have the league official take care of the problem......if the LO asks you......tell them what you heard and where it was coming from....have THEM poll the stands to decide what to do.

If the diatribe is directed at you......ignore it.......there is nothing a fan likes more than getting under blues skin.

If it is threatening......again, have a league official take care of it and suggest that they call the police if necessary.

Our leagues always have a LO present for all games......and it is understood that the local police force will be called with any problems that they cannot handle.......there is a few of the cities that pay to have police on site during all games to take care of any problems.

The only time I ever payed attention to a fan was when there were some teenage boys that were being extremely rude towards a 16U pitcher........I informed the home coach to summon a league official......and between half-innings told the LO what was going on and she took care of the problem....the fans in the stands were very grateful.

Joel

Steve M · #3 (**permalink**) Fri Feb 16, 2001, 11:08pm

My area is a whole lot different than Joel's. We almost never have a league official at the fields, 'course, these are men's games. If I need to take action, I will speak with the coach of the team the jerk is apparently cheering for. There is a phone at the snack bar and I won't hesitate to have the local cops called, but I've never had occassion to do that. I did have a tournament director available once and had him deal with the field's drunk. Unless this fan physically interupts the game by entering the field or threatens someone (you included), you do not deal with the jerk directly. If this jerk threatens someone on the field or enters the field, you give the order to clear the field of all game personnel. Keep theplayers off the field until this jerk is removed - by fellow fans, police, or his team's coach.
Mike will most likely have some addtional sugestions, whatever those suggestions are - take a good look at them, I suspect that they will be very useful. In addition to his umping, Mike has some administrative responsibility, knowledge, and authority. When he speaks, I'm gonna listen.

IRISHMAFIA · #4 (**permalink**) Sun Feb 18, 2001, 01:07pm

Control over fans is a tough field. All of the books we reference teach and instruct us how to handle the game inside the fence, but carries no jurisdiction over non-participants.

Many times you may be on public parkland were that "fan" actually has a civic right to be should s/he wish. Sometimes local coordinators have no problem taking their fee, but really do not want to get legally involved with something like this. Also, liability can come into play here and the police may be the only option.

However, unless your local league gives you some sort of jurisdiction over the fans (something that I don't want), the simplest way to handle an obnoxious fan is to call both managers together and explain to them the game stops until that fan is under control or gone. Even though the public may have a "right" to be near the field and express their opinions, there is no "civic right" to demand you umpire a game on that field.

Yes, refusing to umpire the game may default a contract, but there is no reason for your association not to back you up and address the local organization which is in control of the property and/or league. If they don't, it is not an organization of which I would desire to be a member.

GOS0170 · #5 (**permalink**) Mon Feb 19, 2001, 09:32am

Just a suggestion but it works fairly well. Go to the coach of the team the problem fan is cheering for and tell the coach "Do something about that fan beofre I have to. And if I have to do something about him/her you will be going with them." Virtually all associations have a rule about coaches being responsible for the conduct of their fans.

BenGilli · #6 (**permalink**) Tue Feb 27, 2001, 05:44am

I had a situation with one particular fan during a tourny that I umpired. This was before I was involved with the local chapter.. I was 15 at the time, anyways... i just happened to umpire for the same team the entire tourny, and whenever my call was not for this particular team this mom would be all over me.. finally the last game she was just plain nuts.. so I called time, walked over to her, and said, if you think you can do a better job at this then I am, I would gladly give up my equipment and let you do it, she just kinda looked at me, so I said, wanna give it a try.. well she didn't, so I told her the next out burst from her would lead to me ejecting her from the playing field... it worked, she never said another workd.

Steve M · #7 (**permalink**) Tue Feb 27, 2001, 11:36am

Ben,
I think you got very lucky with that response. An umpire dealing directly with problem fans is just like playing with fire - sooner or later you will get burnt very badly. I'll wager that the association you say you've hooked up with would also recommend not doing that.

BenGilli · #8 (**permalink**) Tue Feb 27, 2001, 12:05pm

Steve,
I could not agree more with you.. at the time of that situation, i was only 15, that was 6 years ago.. before i had the experiance that I now have.. I would not approach a fan anymore, it is definately playing with fire.. because even if that one fan stops that taunting.. the one next to them will feed off of it.. Thanks!

Ben

Triton · #9 (**permalink**) Wed Mar 14, 2001, 01:19am

I wonder if any of you have officiated in Johnston City, Illinois, probably the site of some of the worst fans I've ever encountered. We seem to deal with this every time I have to go over there. The umpire should never mix it up with a fan, but what he or she should do is just what was suggested above: go to the coach of the fan's team and tell them to take care of the problem.