We Were Robbed Of A Potentially All-Time Player vs Fan Fight In The National Lacrosse League
Mike Milbury going up into the stands at Madison Square Garden and beating a Rangers fan with his own shoe. A Flyers fan jumping into the penalty box to fight Tie Domi. The Malice at the Palace.
Some of the most memorable moments in sports have come in the form of player vs fan violence. It's moments like that which will last a lifetime. While some may consider these moments to be a blemish on the history of a league, they are integral to the growth and development of those leagues. It shows that both the players and fans are engaged. That this shit really means something to them.
And we almost got one of those moments in the NLL over the weekend as Halifax Thunder player David Brock was heading up into the stands at MVP Arena in Albany. What's interesting is that David Brock played his college lacrosse at the University of Albany. Could this be a conflict that was 15 years in the making? Is this just some drunk FireWolves fan who was running his mouth all night and David Brock was taking it upon himself to shut it? Unfortunately we'll never know because it was shut down before it ever got a chance to even get started. It would have gotten so many more people talking about the NLL, and that's just a fact.
But now is a great time to start up the conversation again about creating a rule where professional athletes are allowed to fight one (1) fan per year. It would quickly put an end to any issues with fans getting just a little too big for their britches at games. There's such a wild sense of entitlement from the fans that they can say whatever they want just because they bought a ticket. They think that finding the cheapest ticket on a 3rd party site gives them the right to say or do whatever they want at games. All it takes is for one of those fans to get their shit rocked and for the leagues to be okay with it. Once you realize you can get put to sleep at a game without the player risking any sort of discipline from the league? It's over. You'll have nothing but the most respectful and supportive fans you could ever ask for. Until the end of the season rolls around and the entire team has already used up their fight for the year. Then the fans have the green light to unload.