15 Times Sports Crowds Were the Worst
The crowd at a game isn't called the "12th Man" because they make it a habit of undermining the home team's effort, or being generally disruptive and crazy (unless they're soccer fans.) For sports fans, the idea that a 'few bad apples spoil the bunch' resonates rather personally, because they rarely make the news unless they do something awful.
Thankfully, most crowds are awesome and make the experience more than worthwhile. And teams value their fans, because they are the heart and soul of the franchise.
But...there are occasions when all that passion, loyalty and spirit transform normally sane fans into a mob of bottle-tossing, fire-setting misanthropes.
This is 15 times sports crowds were the WORST.
Habs Fans Prematurely Riot
1 of 15
Right or wrong, fans rioting following a championship is something we’ve come to expect in North America. Celebratory arson and devastation riots aren’t necessarily condoned as acceptable behavior, but considered understandable by many fellow fanatics.
That is, of course, only when a championship is on the line. When Canadiens fans decided to loot Montreal after beating the Penguins in Game 7 of the conference semifinals in 2010, it’s safe to say the rioting felt a wee bit premature—even for a No. 8 seed.
It took police in Montreal hours to regain control of the streets. They used tear gas to disperse the crowds, arresting 41 people in the process. The whole spectacle was ridiculous, but it looked even more ridiculous when the Habs were easily bested by the Flyers 4-1 in the conference finals.
Tim Tebow Fans Press the Issue in Denver
2 of 15
In September 2011, Broncos fans ventured into unchartered waters in Denver, when a group of them pitched in for billboard advertising. Their goal was to convince (then) coach John Fox that backup quarterback Tim Tebow should get the nod over (then) starter Kyle Orton.
Though it’s hard to tell just how much influence the public plea had on the franchise, the fact that Tebow was ultimately named the Broncos starter didn’t do much to deter the efforts of his faithful. Tebow himself didn’t do much to deter the efforts either, which is something he was fined for late in the season.
By the following March, many fans in Denver seemed to be under the impression that the Broncos’ quarterback position was a democracy. After signing Peyton Manning, the same group used another billboard to put Manning vs. Tebow to a public vote.
Proving, once and for all, the limitations of democracy. There is a reason not everything in this country is put to a public vote.
Flyers Fan Boo Standing Up Against Cancer
3 of 15
As cross-state foes, the Flyers and the Penguins have one of the uglier rivalries in the NHL. Which makes sense, considering Philadelphia has a well-earned reputation as one of the worst fan bases in America.
Eagles and Phillies fans tend to take most of the heat in this department, but in October 2011, Flyers fans stepped into that realm, when their indiscriminate boos seemed to extend well beyond the game on the ice.
It happened between periods, when several “Hockey Fights Cancer” videos played on the jumbotron. Fans in Philadelphia instantly descended into boos when Pens’ center Sidney Crosby appeared, just as he urged them to “join the fight against cancer.”
Obviously Flyers fans weren’t actually booing anything to do with cancer, but the whole misunderstanding didn’t do much to dispel the widespread notions that already exist about fans in Philly.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Pistons Fans Incite Brawl
4 of 15
In November 2004, one of the most infamous brawls in sports history took place in Detroit during a Pistons game against the Pacers. ‘Malice at the Palace’ resulted in the suspension of nine players from both teams for a total of 146 games.
There is absolutely no excuse for the actions of those NBA employees involved in the melee, but it’s worth noting that the whole thing was actually incited by confrontational Pistons fans.
Their verbal taunts eventually gave way to more aggressive behavior, with one finally crossing the line of demarcation by pouring a beer on Ron Artest. There wasn’t even enough time for all the beer to exit that cup before Artest retaliated, causing widespread chaos.
Seahawks Fans Care Not for NaVorro Bowman
5 of 15
It wasn’t long ago that NFC West was the most hapless and pathetic divisions in the NFL. But these days it’s one of the league’s most competitive, thanks in large part to the success and growing blood feud between the Seahawks and 49ers.
Ugliness between the two teams may have reached a peak in January 2014, when fans in Seattle cheered and chucked garbage on San Francisco linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who was carted off the field during a contentious loss to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.
Seattle’s superstar cornerback Richard Sherman was quick to condemn his home fans for behaving like absolute ghouls. Though it’s hard to believe we’ve seen the worst of what will unfold between these two fan bases during their respective Renaissance’s.
Braves Fans Bottle Protest
6 of 15
Controversial calls are a fact of life for fans all teams in all sports. How home fans deal with such calls often depends on the circumstances—like how egregious the supposed injustice is or the significance of the game.
There are few single games with more significance than MLB’s one-game Wild Card playoffs. Which is why the proper implementation of a very bad rule sparked so much anger in Atlanta back in 2012, when the Cardinals defeated the Braves.
While there is no question the Braves had legit beef with the infield fly rule and how it was applied, there is also no question that fans littering Turner Field with their debris in protest was excessive.
Panthers Fans Cheer Johnny Manziel Injury
7 of 15
Listen, if hating Johnny Manziel was a crime, then 98 percent of us would stand convicted. But it doesn’t matter how much an athlete is hated, there are still lines that should not be crossed. In December 2014, Panthers fans crossed one of them when they loudly cheered an injury sustained by Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Not everyone in the Carolina stands was guilty, but a chain is only as likable as its most unlikable links. Or something like that. To his credit, Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton took fans to task for their behavior, calling them out publicly as “classless.”
Canadiens Fans Protest Speaking English
8 of 15
Canadiens fans have a history of misbehaving, but their protest in January 2012 was so uniquely Montreal that it was almost funny. Or at least it would have been if their cause wasn’t so alienating and offensive!
According to CBC News, “several hundred Quebec nationalists, handing out miniature Quebec flats and chanting ‘Montreal, en francais,’ held a rally directly in front of the building.” The organization must have done something mighty egregious to inspire that kind of effort!
And what were they protesting, exactly? Turns out, it was the franchise’s decision to promote an English-speaking assistant to head coach after firing Jacques Martin. It was the first time in 40 years the Habs coach didn’t speak French.
Absurd as it was, their bellyaching worked—six months later Randy Cunneyworth was fired and Michel Therrien hired.
Browns Fans Menace Young Jets Fan
9 of 15
Watching an NFL game on the road is always an eventful experience, and not necessarily a good one. Though the vast majority of football fans, home or away, are decent and respectful human beings, there’s a vocal minority that tend to make the rest of us look bad.
That’s exactly what happened in November 2010, when fans at Cleveland Browns Stadium reportedly heckled an eight-year-old Jets fan and his father throughout a game that ended in a New York OT win. As if that wasn’t bad enough, in the parking lot following the game, the boy was actually tackled by a drunken Browns fan.
That seriously happened! While there is huge difference between heckling opposing fans and crossing the line into something physical, such distinctions don’t matter when little kids are involved—it’s all unacceptable.
Going the Racist Route
10 of 15
There’s nothing wrong with sports fans being passionate about the teams and players they love, so long as their hate for the opposition doesn’t cross the line.
Unfortunately, that line is crossed far too often, never with uglier results than when fans forgo any semblance of something sports related, opting instead for the hurling of racial epithets or similarly themed props.
Jets Fans Boo at the Draft
11 of 15
Although it will take place in Chicago in 2015, the NFL Draft had previously been held in New York City every year since 1965. Not that you have to be an NFL historian to know that—you don’t even have to be a big fan.
The throngs of booing Jets fans on-hand annually are a dead giveaway to the event’s location. On one hand, their moaning and groaning is obnoxious and predictable. On the other hand, can you really blame them?
Historically, Gang Green’s first round draft picks read largely like a who’s who of human garbage. Which is why Jets fans why Jets fans should be used to draft day disappointment by now.
Rutgers Gets Nasty with Navy
12 of 15
There’s no doubt that college football boasts one of the most passionate and irrationally angry fan bases in all of sports. That intensity makes for fascinating rivalries, but also means that many fans misbehave in unforgivable ways, often times without even realizing it.
Such was the case when Rutgers blew out Navy 41-24 in 2007. Had the Scarlet Knights bested any Big East opponent in the same fashion, their crude and curse-heavy taunts probably wouldn’t have even registered as particularly offensive to the opposition. That sort of behavior is commonplace in college football.
The issue with these specific Rutgers taunts is that they were directed at Navy, which isn’t exactly Pitt or Syracuse. We’re talking about a military institution that competes against traditional Division 1 football schools, despite having absolutely none of the same scholarship and recruiting benefits.
Philadelphia Fans Throwing Things
13 of 15
Philadelphia fans always think they’re being picked on, but if that were really the case, they would probably occupy 50 percent of the spaces on this list with various high-profile instances of chucking things at opposing fans and/or players.
There was the time Eagles fans threw snowballs at and booed Santa Claus. There was the time Phillies fans threw garbage and batteries at J.D. Drew. There was also that time Eagles fans threw cheesesteak innards at a Redskins player who was ejected for a hit.
Fact is, fans in Philly like to hurl much more than insults at opposing players.
Fans Leaving Anything (and Everything) Early
14 of 15
There are few things worse for fans of non-playoff teams than seeing ungrateful fans of playoff teams—especially those of perennial contenders—filing out of a stadium well before game action has actually ceased.
It happens all the time, though sometimes with more severe consequences than others. Like when Orioles fans bailed during the first two games against the Royals in the 2014 ALCS—it was crappy, but ultimately they didn’t miss anything good.
Unlike the Heat fans who left early during Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, and then tried desperately to get back in the building. Let that be a lesson to everyone who makes a habit of bailing before the outcome is decided.
Partizan Fans Burning in Belgrade
15 of 15
Soccer fans have a reputation as arson-loving hooligans, something that was further cemented during a recent showdown in Serbia’s “Eternal Derby.” The semi-annual match between Red Star and Partizan in Belgrade dates back to 1947 and is always eventful, but things really escalated during Red Star’s 1-0 win in November 2013.
Red Star took an early 1-0 lead in the match, much to the dismay of the many opposing fans on hand—with both fan bases being conveniently located in and around Serbia’s capital city. Partizan fans lit bonfires in the stands at Rajko Mitić Stadium and threw lit flares onto the pitch.
The match needed to be stopped at some, as emergency personnel made their way to the field in order to extinguish the flames. Eventually play resumed, with Red Star able to hang onto their lead and win the game.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
