Our View: Conduct of rival sports fans was not normal

May 09, 2008 11:51 am

— It’s a mystery how a disagreement between fans of two rival baseball teams could come to blows, but that’s what happened earlier this week in Normal.
The two fans were at a Domino’s Pizza restaurant — one supporting the Chicago White Sox and another supporting the Chicago Cubs. The Sox fan admitted to police he had been drinking when he entered into a conversation with the Cubs fan that culminated with the Cubs fan being pushed into a window of the restaurant. The Cubs fan was treated at a nearby hospital for lacerations and released, according to the Associated Press.
Sometimes parents get excited at a local sports event, and it has happened more than once that a fan has been ejected from a game. But for two complete strangers to enter into an argument about a national sports team rivalry and the ensuing disagreement leading to the physical harm of one is uncalled for.
Sportsmanship should be alive and well. The many local coaches and parents encourage good sportsmanship in the players. Only by setting an example and reinforcing what being a good loser — and a good winner — is all about do we put the brakes on behavior such as that exhibited in Normal.