A Modest Proposal
Some have characterized Ron Artest as disturbed, others as misunderstood. It seems to be one of those rare times when opposing sides of an argument enjoy equal merit. Whichever side of the disturbed/misunderstood debate you find yourself on, it is difficult to deny the impact he’s had on the National Basketball Association’s development over the past year. This influence stems from his involvement in a brawl at Detroit’s Palace at Auburn Hills on November 19th 2004 in which, Artest, having been dowsed in beer thrown by a fan, went into the stands to begin indiscriminately punching people. The fans fought back with an onslaught of beverages and pretzels, resulting in Artest’s teammates joining him in a melee of potshots, sucker punches and sopping shirts.
When the dust finally settled Oakland County prosecutors handed out charges of misdemeanor assault and battery or felony assault to ten people (five players and five fans). The NBA suspended three players for a total of 128 games (the remainder of the season for Artest) and collected over $12 million in fines. There are no figures available for dry cleaning costs and loss of beverages, however experts say the numbers would be staggering.
As bad as the brawl was for everyone involved, the NBA stood to lose a great deal more. David Stern, the NBA commissioner, looked into his crystal (basket)ball and saw a bleak future of low ratings and plummeting attendance records that would make the National Hockey League blush (sorry Canada but its time to face the facts).
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