When do you stop ignoring fans?

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by CelticNHBlue

I need to contradict some other's here who have said "never". For full disclosure, I happened to eject a fan Tuesday night. In my situation, adult women's fastpitch, the fan started complaining about calls in the first game of a double-header. This I can ignore all day. However, in game two she became exceedingly loud and boisterous. I observed the tone of both teams and the other handful of fans as a couple innings passed. It was clear to me that she was embarrassing her own team and entertaining the opposition and their fans. So long as this was the case, I have no problem. The end of her night came when she questioned my integrity as an umpire. That was when I informed her coach, loud enough so she and other fans could hear that she had one minute to vacate or the game was to be forfeited.

There is a line for players, a line for coaches, and a line for spectators. When the line is crossed, they have to go. In my case, it was through the coach, in college it is the on-site administrator, in HS it is a school representative, in the pros it is a host team staff member. There is always an avenue but you can not bluff your way through it. When it is time, you have to commit to your actions or you will lose all credibility and respect on the field.

I have a very difficult time believing anyone who says "never" when it comes to fans. We're human, and we can only tune out so much. Some are better at it than others, but we all have our trigger points. However, once that line is crossed, there's an appropriate way to handle it, and it's rarely ever a direct route.