Marcus Smart Pushes Fan

This guy is most certainly a jerk and Texas Tech may want to look into moving his season tickets someplace else, but to argue that a physical assault is warranted in response to just about any verbal assault (other than threats where someone legitimately fears for their personal well-being) is just incorrect.

At the same time, this kind of activity is really a sit in the face to minority athletes of past generations who have stood firm in the face of MUCH worse verbal (and sometimes physical) abuse.

 
Since this is turning into a free speech debate, we may as well consider the exception for "fighting words":

Chaplinsky was charged and convicted under a city ordinance that prohibited people in public from calling others they encountered “any offensive or derisive name.” Chaplinsky claimed that the city law violated the First Amendment. The Supreme Court disagreed in its unanimous opinion in Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire. LINK
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I'm not sure exactly what the TT jacka$$ fan said. But if it's something that's considered "fighting words" then it is not protected speech. Whether or not that justified a shove from Smart is a different issue entirely.

 
Some fans are going to cross the line, and are wrong in doing so, but as someone on a stage like Smart is he just can not let that kind of behavior come out. Responding to them at all means that they have won, you know that old bigot just loves that Smart came to attack him.

 
Creighton Duke said:
This guy is most certainly a jerk and Texas Tech may want to look into moving his season tickets someplace else, but to argue that a physical assault is warranted in response to just about any verbal assault (other than threats where someone legitimately fears for their personal well-being) is just incorrect.
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Is anyone arguing that here?

 
Mavric said:
Creighton Duke said:
This guy is most certainly a jerk and Texas Tech may want to look into moving his season tickets someplace else, but to argue that a physical assault is warranted in response to just about any verbal assault (other than threats where someone legitimately fears for their personal well-being) is just incorrect.
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Is anyone arguing that here?
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The fan is way more at fault than Smart here.
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from tschu today

 
The guy is free to say whatever he wants. That's free speech. The venue is free to ban him for as long as they want, for ANY reason they want, including something he yelled at a player. Just like this board is free to ban people for their comments on here.
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fair enough...With that said, is there any video evidence that the fan called him a n I g ger? Because if there isn't, it's a case of he said/she said. Who knows what he really said? Maybe the player misheard him.

 
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It may be freedom of speech that makes ok to say something like that in terms of breaking a law or whatever, but that doent make it right or appropriate. it's a doosh move. But Novelist is most likely right on the fact that had it been a fan of another race, and a white player in this same situation, the player would not be receiving a fraction of the support, if any at all. That's just the way it is. Fire away.

 
Smart needs to get something like a game suspension and a stern warning that if there is another issue, the punishment will be much worse.

TT needs to talk to this bad guy, even if it is in private, and tell him that they will be watching and if there is anything inappropriate that he is doing or saying to players or officials, he will be removed from the building immediately and possible banning.

Both are specifically warned about future actions and they know where they stand. If anything else happens, they have been fairly warned.

Just because someone is a loyal fan doesn't mean that gives him a license to be a jack-off.

Honestly, last thursday when I was at the Nebraska game, there was an idiot right behind me that I almost asked officials to talk to and he was sitting one hell of a long way from the court.

The problem with this fan is, I'm sure he is friends with most sitting around him and I doubt if any will admit to officials what they heard him say to Smart. Now that they know there may be an issue, TT can easily sit an official fairly close to him to monitor his actions and words to players.

 
Yeah I was thinking about that. The fan can basically deny saying anything that may have been crossing the line. Who knows. I will say too that if this fan truly didn't say anything racist or what have you then Smart needs to learn how to cool his jets. Definitely should be suspended. If they deem that the fan did say something crossing the line then I think TT bans him for a while as they would look like idiots not to do so.

 
Mr. Accountability said:
But Novelist is most likely right on the fact that had it been a fan of another race, and a white player in this same situation, the player would not be receiving a fraction of the support, if any at all. That's just the way it is. Fire away.
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That's because being called 'cracker' or 'white boy' has about 1% the vitriol and established malice as being called the N word does.

 
I think both Smart and the fan should be punished.

Smart should be suspended for at least 5 games... I dont care if he was provoked(I believe he was) He wont be the first player who is told "Go back to Africa" as is being reported is what was said. Smart cant do what he did, no matter what was said.

The fan cant get away with such hateful things and should have his tickets moved and should be banned for the rest of the season.

 
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