PT Cruiser 9ROC
Bench
Changes that should be made to the NBA experience as a result
As has been said many times, the thing that makes the NBA different from any other professional sport is the level of intimacy between the fans and the game. As we all saw, this intimacy was crippled on Friday night. So the question needs to be answered-- what changes should be made to ensure that something like this never happens again?
Here's my idea: The NBA should implement a Fan Registration System. As it is right now, every team has a database containing information about season ticket holders that tells them where they live, how to reach them, and where they sit during games. I propose that we expand this to include ALL fans that attend games. When someone purchases a ticket to a game, their information should be recorded so that the appropriate authorities can know who, where and when someone went to a particular game. If this kind of system were in place before, I personally believe that the search for the fans responsible for the melee that took place would be more specific, if not easier. There is footage of the fan that threw the cup at Artest, and had the police had this information at hand, he would be in custoday right now.
And the system wouldn't just be useful for purposes after-the-fact, but it would also be a preventitive measure as well. Would fans be as unruly as they are today if they knew they could be pinpointed and isolated if they were caught doing something wrong? If the situation ever presented itself and I ever considered throwing something on the court or something (which I would never ever consider, mind you), I would immediately ask myself, "hey, they have all my information. What if they caught me doing this? I could go to jail, that's for sure. " I'm not saying it would be totally effective for this purpose, but it would have an effect for sure.
Through this system, it would also be easier to address complaints from fans. For example, if some Laker fan (or any other fan, I just went the easy route) were at the game harassing others, and someone didn't want to be confrontational, they could go to security after the game and write a complaint, leaving the offender's seat number and section, etc. The team could then keep tabs on that person if they attend another game, or even keep tabs on repeat offenders.
"What happens if I give away tickets to someone else?," you ask. Simple. If someone were to sub-in for you at a game, and they were caught doing something illegal, the police or any other authorities could just go to the original ticket owner and create a link from there.
Anyway, it's not a perfect idea, but I'd really like to see this put into effect. It doesn't hurt anyone except for wrong-doers, and it wouldn't take much to implement either. Just keep a game by game log of every seat in the arena. The team doesn't stand to profit much by this, but just think about the potential profits they could lose if fans are ever afraid of attending a game because of security concerns. As David Stern said, the NBA has a responsibility to ensure that fans and players are safe. I believe this is a step in that direction. "With great power comes great responsibility."
As has been said many times, the thing that makes the NBA different from any other professional sport is the level of intimacy between the fans and the game. As we all saw, this intimacy was crippled on Friday night. So the question needs to be answered-- what changes should be made to ensure that something like this never happens again?
Here's my idea: The NBA should implement a Fan Registration System. As it is right now, every team has a database containing information about season ticket holders that tells them where they live, how to reach them, and where they sit during games. I propose that we expand this to include ALL fans that attend games. When someone purchases a ticket to a game, their information should be recorded so that the appropriate authorities can know who, where and when someone went to a particular game. If this kind of system were in place before, I personally believe that the search for the fans responsible for the melee that took place would be more specific, if not easier. There is footage of the fan that threw the cup at Artest, and had the police had this information at hand, he would be in custoday right now.
And the system wouldn't just be useful for purposes after-the-fact, but it would also be a preventitive measure as well. Would fans be as unruly as they are today if they knew they could be pinpointed and isolated if they were caught doing something wrong? If the situation ever presented itself and I ever considered throwing something on the court or something (which I would never ever consider, mind you), I would immediately ask myself, "hey, they have all my information. What if they caught me doing this? I could go to jail, that's for sure. " I'm not saying it would be totally effective for this purpose, but it would have an effect for sure.
Through this system, it would also be easier to address complaints from fans. For example, if some Laker fan (or any other fan, I just went the easy route) were at the game harassing others, and someone didn't want to be confrontational, they could go to security after the game and write a complaint, leaving the offender's seat number and section, etc. The team could then keep tabs on that person if they attend another game, or even keep tabs on repeat offenders.
"What happens if I give away tickets to someone else?," you ask. Simple. If someone were to sub-in for you at a game, and they were caught doing something illegal, the police or any other authorities could just go to the original ticket owner and create a link from there.
Anyway, it's not a perfect idea, but I'd really like to see this put into effect. It doesn't hurt anyone except for wrong-doers, and it wouldn't take much to implement either. Just keep a game by game log of every seat in the arena. The team doesn't stand to profit much by this, but just think about the potential profits they could lose if fans are ever afraid of attending a game because of security concerns. As David Stern said, the NBA has a responsibility to ensure that fans and players are safe. I believe this is a step in that direction. "With great power comes great responsibility."
Last edited: