Metta World Peace might be the most entertaining character in professional sports. This isn't the first time I've written about the athlete formerly known as Ron Artest, and it sure as hell won't be my last. Metta is the perfect combination of crazy and funny. Watching Metta on a daily basis is like watching Wile E. Coyote walk on a tightrope over a dynamite-filled chasm while holding an extremely sensitive tank of nitroglycerin. You know a disaster is imminent because something has to explode, but you're laughing the entire time because the buildup to the calamity is captivating and wildly entertaining.
This week, Metta landed himself in the news (again) by continually tweeting about New York Knicks point guard/media sensation Jeremy Lin. For the better part of the past three days, Metta has blessed the digital world with amazing insights such as, "Are you Lin sane? Can u Lin me a dollar? Is there a LINiear eclipse tonight? I might wear LINing tonight," and "Make sure yal buy the AIR LIN'S ... I want to sign with air Lin. I'll b the defense shoe." My personal favorite is, "Jeremy aka Mr. New York' Lin will be purchasing half the empire state building. No autographs until after season; sorry for the inconvience."
My other favorite Metta moments include his admitting to drinking Hennessy at halftime, his thanking his psychiatrist after the Lakers won the 2010 NBA championship and his telling the world the importance of permanent teeth after he was asked about his name change.
While these antics all qualify as fun and games, there's nothing funny about what happened on Nov. 19, 2004, the night that will come to define Metta's life. On that fateful night in Detroit, Metta and former Indiana Pacer Stephen Jackson stormed the stands and proceeded to beat the living hell out of any Detroit Pistons fan that was unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thankfully, no athlete or spectator was seriously injured during the altercation, but the Malice at the Palace will always serve as a chilling reminder of what can happen when spectators try too hard to be an integral part of the game they love.
We love sports because they manipulate our emotions. The passion and emotion we exude during sporting events provides a therapeutic escape from our otherwise dull and mundane everyday lives. When playing or watching sports, we're released from most of the shackles that limit us in the real world. We have a free pass to show our emotions we're allowed to celebrate (within reason) our victories or display the pain of defeat.
Being a sports fan is frustrating. We invest so much emotion in the game, but we're powerless to change the outcome. Most fans are able to cope with this fact and simply moan and groan when their teams lose. A select few, on the other hand, cross the boundary and take fan interaction too far.
We cannot alter the game. We're allowed to cheer and be loud, but we should never interfere with play. I would never pay $60 to watch my fat neighbors play basketball, so I don't want to see them run onto the court or try to affect the pros with projectiles. It's perfectly fine to boo and heckle the other team as long as the insults only relate to the sport. Any words that attack his personal life, ethnicity or family members have no place in sports.
This year, we've witnessed a number of spectator tragedies. In Egypt, a riot broke out during a heated soccer game, leaving 79 dead. A similar incident happened this week when an ugly brawl broke out after a boxing match in Argentina. LeBron James recently lashed out at a Detroit fan who made some derogatory remarks about his mother.
Because of the flashing lights and cameras, we often forget that professional athletes are people, too. Although the television screen normally separates athletes from the rest of us, we eat, breathe and sleep just like they do. If someone said the same remarks about my mother, you can bet your life that I'd have a few choice words to say back.
Why are we criticizing LeBron for his response? He has a right to defend himself and his family. Although I don't ever support an athlete invading the stands and assaulting a fan like Metta World Peace did, I believe that they all have the right to let fans know when they've brought innocent trash talking too far.
Instead of blaming the athlete, we should take a step back and analyze the current system. Spectating has rules too, and it's our duty to hold each other accountable.
