Philadelphia Phillies Fan Who Threw Beer Bottle at Ryan Howard Cited
The enraged fan who threw a beer bottle at the Philadelphia Phillies’ once beloved superstar Ryan Howard has come forward and turned himself in.
While the performance of long-time Philadelphia Phillies first basemen Ryan Howard hasn’t exactly warranted him being showered with cheers this season, it by no means calls for him to be the target of a presumably intoxicated loon’s beer bottle either.
Howard may feel a little bit better about the incident now, after it was reported that the suspect accused of throwing a beer bottle in the direction of Howard in a June 4th game against the Milwaukee Brewers turned himself in over the weekend and is expected to face charges for disorderly conduct.
In regards to the suspect, who we are now learning is Sidney Smith, a 21-year-old Delaware resident, Philadelphia police spokeswoman Tanya Little stated that “Smith was issued a summary citation for disorderly conduct and released. He will appear before a judge Tuesday and could face a fine.”
It goes without saying that Philadelphia sports fanatics are certainly passionate about their teams. However, there is a fine line between being passionate and presenting yourself as what comes off as deranged. Ryan Howard now joins the likes of J.D. Drew, the entire Capitals and Flyers hockey teams and even Santa Claus on the list of those who have had projectiles launched their way at the hands of the accommodating Philadelphia faithful.
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Of course the Philly fans aren’t the only fanbase to ever catapult objects on the field, or worse, at players, but they certainly are what society might deem a “repeated offender.” That is not the case or point. The point is, in a time of heightened security, should an athlete from any sport really have to take the field actually worrying about getting belted across the head with some foreign object? Most sane individuals would probably conclude probably not.
So while yes, Mr. Smith will likely be required to pay a fine, as well as potentially doing some community service as a result of his extreme lapse of judgement, one may ponder if that is enough to prevent this behavior from continuing to happen. This is by no mean an endorsement that a 21-year-old face capital punishment for throwing a beer bottle, but in an incentive driven society, what sanction could possibly be put in place across stadium policies nationwide to deter those from engaging in such immature behavior?
With the agitators in this case being sports fans, I’m sure a lifetime ban from entering all sporting events would certainly create that incentive to act accordingly. Or how about a fine that would not only cut into their luxury funds to purchase items such as sports tickets, but also make it difficult for one to pay their bills that month. I’m sure the fields would remain spotless if that was the case. I know I would advocate for policies like this, Ryan Howard most likely wouldn’t oppose it, Santa Claus would be on board, and one could assume the overwhelming majority wouldn’t have a problem with it either.
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It’s unfortunate this is still even a topic in the sports world. 99 percent of sports fan are good people, who even if they are displeased with a given outcome, can control themselves from acting like an idiot. Unfortunately for Ryan Howard, he ran into one of those in the one percent on June 4th.