SPORTS January 3, 2005 Issue

It's just a game

By Eric Nager

A FEW WEEKS AGO, fights broke out on the field and in the stands at some United States sporting events, making it hard to remember that these games are supposed to be a form of entertainment.

On the professional level, National Basketball Association (NBA) stars exchanged punches with fans in Detroit on and off the court. On the amateur level, college football players from Clemson and South Carolina fought each other during a game.

In both cases, the governing bodies made firm and swift responses to deter future incidents. NBA commissioner David Stern handed down lengthy suspensions for the players involved. In the case of the two colleges, each university self-imposed a post-season ban, which will cost both institutions hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue from corporate sponsors.