Salt Lake City — (KUTV) On Monday, a Utah Jazz fan apparently shined some sort of light at the court. The players were mad. The fan was ejected and told not to come back for a year -- accused of interference.
But, as one 2News viewer pointed out, professional basketball is a game with lots of fan interference. Fans are encouraged to, "get loud," and even given balloons and other things by the arenas that are seemingly designed for the fans to try and interfere with opposing players' concentration.
Where exactly is the line drawn between what is okay, and what is not?
When asked if there was a specific list of what prohibited, an NBA spokesperson pointed to the league's "Fan Code of Conduct."
The code does spell out a few specifics but it's also pretty ambiguous. For example, the code says no "disruptive behavior" will be tolerated which includes, "foul or abusive language and obscene gestures." The code does not specifically say what else may be considered disruptive behavior.
A few other specifics outlined as being against the rules are, "fighting, throwing objects or attempting to enter the court." Other than that, the code simple says arena staff will, "intervene when necessary," and that fans should, "report any inappropriate behavior." Beyond cursing, throwing things or fighting, the code of conduct seems to leave what's inappropriate to the discretion of the fans, or in the case of Monday's game, the players who didn't appreciate the light.
Official game rules do talk about fan interference but, again, it seems to be largely a judgment call. The refs have the power to eject a fan if, "in the opinion of the game officials," the fan is interfering.
The rules also allow officials to stop a game for what the rules call an "unusual circ*mstance."
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