U.S. fans walking decency tightrope

PARIS – We are not this bad yet, but U.S. sports officials and fans need to take a serious look at what has happened in European soccer (football, if you are in Europe).

Last month, the death of a police officer at a soccer match in Italy was the straw that emptied the stadiums. He died trying to control an unruly mob of fans.

Fan violence at soccer matches has exponentially increased over the past decade. Roving packs of deviants travel from one country to another following their favorite soccer team, drinking heavily and looking for trouble.

Sound familiar, baseball, football, and basketball fans?

The death of the police officer resulted in the closing of 12 Italian stadiums to fans. Matches were actually played in the silence of fans dressed as empty seats.

Many of those stadiums immediately updated their security requirements to meet mandated standards and were reopened. No sooner was this done than violence erupted in Lens, France, where Manchester United of England came to play with its usual entourage of fueled fanatics.

By the time that match ended on Tuesday, players had been bloodied by thrown objects, fans had stormed the field, and tear gas filled the air.

European soccer is big business, as evidenced by the fact more and more American businessmen, including Tom Hicks, who owns the NHL’s Dallas Stars, have invested in soccer clubs.

A large part of that business’s success has come from the fervent adulation of teams and players by those who buy the tickets and all the other paraphernalia. Sound familiar?

There seems to be no ticket price too high nor no jersey of a favorite player too expensive for fans who live their sports dreams vicariously through their team or “hero” player.

Sound familiar?

No, we as fans in the U.S. have not dropped to the level of soccer fans in Europe. That does not mean we can’t.

As in Europe, drinking and sports attendance have become one all too often. Gambling has brought another less-than-desired element to sport. Check out the NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas (what a bad idea that was) and the problems that occurred there.

Credit is due to many team owners in this country who have taken the lead and eject fans who become unruly, particularly when drinking.

There has been a growing cry in the U.S. from those who want to bring their kids to games that they do not have to suffer through spilled beer on their heads nor the crude and vulgar language of obnoxious fans.

That cry has been heard to some degree, and ushers and stadium security react when called on to stop or remove such miscreants.

That effort needs to continue. Only if they feel they cannot get away with such acts will such persons conform to decent behavior. European soccer fans have long been allowed to cross those decency lines and the price is now being paid.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.