Sunday, August 9, 1998

Fans, heal yourselves

Sports fans complain to the point of exhaustion about overpaid players, greedy owners and other supposed abuses of their loyalty, but, as a Scripps Howard News Service series that appears in today's Sports section, beginning on Page 1D, makes clear, they are more nearly part of the problem than they are of the solution.

The fans may resent it that a star athlete has won himself a multi-million dollar contract despite a decided lack of dedication, but many resent something else more, and that's an owner whose financial restraint costs his team talent and victories.

The fans may be furious, too, about overpriced tickets. They still buy the tickets. Or they may not think it a good idea for taxpayers to pay for stadiums. They still vote that way.

Or they may not like it that some hotshot football player beats up his girlfriend on weekends. They still want the guy on the team and cheer when he scores his touchdowns.

The point is, fans have a vote. It's mainly the way they spend their dollars. If they flock to see teams whose players, managers and owners routinely take advantage of them, they are inviting the very practices they swear they oppose.

Reform of sports excesses in this land depends mainly on whether large numbers of the fans can ever give their wisest sensibilities precedence over their sports enthusiasm. Until they do, their complaints will get them nowhere.