Los Angeles sports, government and law enforcement officials and the L.A. Sports Council announced Tuesday, that they would enact a uniform Southern California Fan Code of Conduct that provides guidelines for good fan behavior…The L.A. Sports Council describes itself as an”outgrowth of the success of the 1984 Olympic Games.”
The 10-point code, will be adopted to “promote fans’ enjoyment and safety and will be applied at every major pro and college venue in SoCal, i.e. the Staples Center, Rose Bowl and Dodger Stadium.
Since every major professional sports league already has a fan code of conduct and teams are allowed to have their own policies on the matter, there is really no point to the fan code of conduct. Plus, many of the points are actually offenses and punishable by law. The list is as follows:
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1 |
Profanity or other offensive language, whether spoken or appearing on apparel. |
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2 |
Smoking (except in designated smoking areas). |
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3 |
Intoxication or excessive alcohol consumption. |
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4 |
Bringing prohibited items into the venue. |
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5 |
Throwing of items or liquids. |
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6 |
Entering the playing field or court at any time. |
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7 |
Fighting or other threatening behavior. |
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8 |
Failure to retain ticket and/or present it to event staff if requested to do so. |
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9 |
Resale of tickets at the venue. |
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10 |
Violation of state or local laws. |
It is likely that the code will be broadcasted to fans via, “signs displayed at arenas and stadiums, with audio and video messages played over loudspeakers and scoreboards.”
What they will actually do if and when people wear offensive appeal to events is unknown.
Ironically, earlier the same day, the Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, settled a seven year-old assault case with a fan who didn’t have any notion of sporting event norms. The assault occurred on November 14, 2005, when an insurance agent named Bill Geeslin was sitting court-side at a Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies game. During play, Bryant and other player, chased a ball out of bounds and collided with Geeslin. Something that happens regularly between NBA players and court side attendees.
The Black Mamba’s forearm hit Geeslin’s chest. He would later clam that Bryant intentionally hit him and caused a bruise to his lung. Geeslin filed an assault lawsuit and and asked for $75,000 in compensation. Geeslin has since died, due to an unrelated cause. Yes, Kobe settled with a dead guy. No word on what he paid out.