List of violent spectator incidents in sports
Encyclopedia
On a number of occasions throughout history, notable sport
ing participants have been involved in violent confrontations with spectators during a competition. This list includes events in which a spectator at a sporting event was engaged in such a confrontation with an athlete, coach or game official, either through the spectator's intrusion upon the field of play, or (as a result of such an event) a participant entering the spectator seating area. Incidents of object or snow throwing are included when it results in injuries to a match participant or causes significant delays or cancellation of the event.
It does not include incidents of riot
s or other violence, often outside the event venue, which did not involve game participants.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
ing participants have been involved in violent confrontations with spectators during a competition. This list includes events in which a spectator at a sporting event was engaged in such a confrontation with an athlete, coach or game official, either through the spectator's intrusion upon the field of play, or (as a result of such an event) a participant entering the spectator seating area. Incidents of object or snow throwing are included when it results in injuries to a match participant or causes significant delays or cancellation of the event.
It does not include incidents of riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
s or other violence, often outside the event venue, which did not involve game participants.
1879
- February 7 - During the Sydney Riot of 1879Sydney Riot of 1879The Sydney Riot of 1879 was a civil disorder that occurred at an early international cricket match. It took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, at the Association Ground, Moore Park, now known as the Sydney Cricket Ground, during a match between a touring English team captained by Lord...
, up to 2,000 fans invaded the pitch and disrupted play after an umpiring dispute broke out between members of the visiting English cricket team and the New South Wales Cricket Association; two English players were assaulted, with three fans being arrested.
1902
- June 7 - At the end of a VFL match between CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
and FitzroyBrisbane LionsThe Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
at Princes Park, a group of drunk Carlton fans jostled and kicked field umpire Henry "Ivor" Crapp.
1904
- July 9 - After a drawn VFL match at Corio Oval between GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and Carlton, a Carlton fan punched field umpire Ivor Crapp in the face; Geelong secretary Charles BrownlowChas BrownlowCharles "Chas" Brownlow was an Australian rules football administrator in the Victorian Football League.He went to the Geelong College for his schooling....
ran onto the field and restrained the fan until police arrived.
1908
- May 2 - During a VFL match between FitzroyBrisbane LionsThe Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
and South MelbourneSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
at the Brunswick Street Oval, the field umpire was hit by a stone thrown by a Fitzroy fan.
- June 6 - At the end of a fiery VFL match between Fitzroy and EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
at the Brunswick Street Oval, a group of Fitzroy fans invaded the ground and assaulted Essendon players as they tried to leave the field, forcing Essendon fans to jump the fence in order to protect their players; a wild all-in brawl between players, rival fans and team officials ensued. Three players were suspended for four matches each by the VFL.
1909
- April 17- At the end of the drawn Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
Final replay between RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and CelticCeltic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
at Hampden ParkHampden ParkHampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, after it became clear there would be no extra time played, 6,000 fans invaded the pitch, resulting in a brawl between rival fans. Fans also brawled with and assaulted police and firefighters when they arrived, destroyed the goals and fencing, and lit numerous fires throughout the arena. It took authorities 2½ hours to break up the riots and bring the fires under control, by which time £1000 in damage had been done; 58 police officers and 60 other people were injured. The 1909 Scottish Cup and all medals were withheld.
- June 12 - At the end of a VFL match between Fitzroy and MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
at the Brunswick Street Oval, which was marred by numerous incidents of foul play, fans were involved in a large brawl on the field.
- July 17 - A brawl broke out between fans at the end of a VFL match between South Melbourne and Fitzroy at the Lake Oval.
- September 4 - During a VFL match between CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and Melbourne at Victoria Park, a Collingwood fan jumped the fence and punched a Melbourne player in the face. Melbourne Club Secretary J.A. Harper ran onto the field and made a citizens' arrest.
1910
- May 28 - During the last quarter of a VFL match at Princes Park between Carlton and South Melbourne, Carlton's George Topping king-hit South Melbourne's Bert Streckfuss behind the play, causing fans to jump the fence and participate in a wild all-in brawl with players and team officials. Topping had to be escorted from the ground under police protection; he was later suspended for the remainder of the season and all of 1911 (35 matches) for starting the brawl, while South Melbourne's Dick Casey was suspended for the remainder of the season (16 matches) for running into the brawl and striking Topping in retaliation.
- May 28 - At the end of a VFL match between Richmond and Fitzroy at Punt Road Oval, Fitzroy ruckman William Walker was abused and pelted with various objects by Richmond fans, and had to be escorted from the ground under police protection.
- May 28 - At the end of a VFL match between St. Kilda and Melbourne at the Junction Oval, which Melbourne won by three points after a late St. Kilda goal was ruled to have been touched, St. Kilda fans invaded the field and jostled the field umpire, who was escorted from the ground by St. Kilda officials.
1912
- May 15 – During a game between the New York HighlandersNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and the Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
at Hilltop ParkHilltop ParkHilltop Park was the nickname of a baseball park that formerly stood in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. It was the home of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball club during 1903-1912 when they were known more often as the "Highlanders"...
in New York, Tigers outfielder Ty CobbTy CobbTyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
ran into the stands and assaulted a handicapped fan, Claude Lueker, after Lueker had heckled him throughout the first three innings. Cobb was suspended indefinitely and fined $50 for the incident, and his teammates, though not fond of Cobb, went on strike to protest the suspension prior to the May 18 game against the Philadelphia A'sOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
; Detroit fielded a replacement team made up of college and sandlot ballplayers and two of their coaches and lost 24–2, much to the disgust of LeagueAmerican LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
president Ban JohnsonBan JohnsonByron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson , was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League ....
. The strike ended ten days later when Cobb paid his fine and urged his teammates to return to the field in exchange for his suspension being lifted.
- September 11 – Umpire Tom Connolly was struck in the mouth by a bottle thrown from the crowd while he was arguing with Ty Cobb, who had been called out for stepping across home plate after he had hit an RBI triple on the third pitch of what was to have been an intentional walk.
1913
- June 4 – Emily DavisonEmily DavisonEmily Wilding Davison was a militant women's suffrage activist who, on 4 June 1913, after a series of actions that were either self-destructive or violent, stepped in front of a horse running in the Epsom Derby, sustaining injuries that resulted in her death four days later.-Biography:Davison was...
, a women's suffrageWomen's suffrageWomen's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
activist, ran onto the track during the Epsom DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
race and was trampled to death by a horse.
1914
- May 2 - At the end of a VFL match between Carlton and St Kilda at Princes Park, a crowd of 2,000 angry Carlton fans mobbed the field umpire, who had to be escorted from the ground under police protection.
- June 6 - During the first quarter of a VFL match between Richmond and South Melbourne at Punt Road Oval, the field umpire was hit in the head by a stone.
- June 6 - At the end of a tense VFL match between Collingwood and Essendon at the Victoria Park, a large group of Essendon fans invaded the field and remonstrated with the field umpire.
- June 8 - At the end of a VFL match between St. Kilda and Geelong at the Junction Oval, a brawl broke out between fans and players of both teams.
- July 25 - During a VFL match between South Melbourne and Essendon at the Lake Oval, a South Melbourne fan invaded the field and punched Essendon captain Alan Belcher in the back of the head; Belcher then chased the fan and knocked him unconscious. Belcher was reported for assaulting the fan, but was cleared.
1915
- August 7 - During the last quarter of a tight VFL match at the MCG between Melbourne and South Melbourne, Melbourne's Len Incigneri king-hit South Melbourne's George Payne behind the play, causing 2000 fans to invade the field and participate in a wild 15 minute all-in brawl with players, team officials and police. Incigneri had to be escorted from the ground under police protection; he was later suspended for eight matches for starting the brawl.
1917
- May 12 - During a drawn VFL game between Fitzroy and Carlton at Brunswick Street Oval, Fitzroy fans assaulted a recruiting sergeant; recruiting officers visiting other VFL grounds were also abused.
1920
- September 11 - In the VFA Second Semi-Final between FootscrayWestern BulldogsThe Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
and North MelbourneNorth Melbourne Football ClubThe North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
at the Western Oval, hundreds of Footscray fans invaded the field as North Melbourne defender Bill Considine went back to take a kick after the bell with Footscray leading by four points. Umpires and police attempted to clear a path for Considine to take his kick, but Considine was eventually escorted from the ground under police protection. The VFA declared the Second Semi-Final a "no result" and ordered a replay at Brunswick. After only agreeing to play by the casting vote of their chairman, Footscray won the replay by four points, and went on to win the 1920 VFA premiership.
1922
- May – After being ejected from a game at The Polo Grounds for throwing dirt in the eyes of the umpire, Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
chased a heckler through the stands. When the fan ran out of reach, Ruth returned to the dugoutDugout (baseball)In baseball, the dugout is a team's bench area and is located in foul territory between home plate and either first or third base. There are two dugouts, one for the home team and one for the visiting team. In general, the dugout is occupied by all players not prescribed to be on the field at that...
roof and challenged any fan in attendance to fight him. Ruth was suspended for seven games and fined $200 for the incident.
1924
- May 18 - During the Olympic rugby unionRugby union at the 1924 Summer OlympicsRugby union was played at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Three teams entered – France, Romania and the United States. The United States was returning to defend their gold medal after they defeated the French at the 1920 Summer Olympics. Each country played two games...
final between and the at Colombes Stadium, French fans booed and hissed the American team for the remainder of the game after star player Adolphe JauréguyAdolphe JauréguyAdolphe Jauréguy was a French rugby union player who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics.He was born in Ostabat-Asme and died in Toulouse.In 1924 he won the silver medal as member of the French team....
was flattened by a hard tackle two minutes after the opening whistle, leaving him unconscious with blood pouring down his face and having to be carried off the field on a stretcher. In the second half, French fans threw bottles and rocks onto the field and at American players and officials, wild brawls broke out in the stands, U.S. reserve Gideon Nelson was knocked unconscious after being hit in the face by a walking stick, and French fans invaded the pitch at the final whistle, leaving the French team, aided by the police, to protect the Americans. At the medal ceremony, The Star Spangled Banner was drowned out by the booing and hissing of French fans, and the American team had to be escorted to their locker room under police protection.
1925
- August 1 - At half-time in a spiteful VFL match at Arden Street between North Melbourne and Geelong, Fred Rutley of North Melbourne knocked Lloyd Hagger of Geelong to the ground with a round-arm action; Hagger's teammates, Arthur Coghlan and Stan Thomas, then remonstrated with Rutley, and the three exchanged punches, starting an all-in brawl which involved players and team officials. Coghlan was hit in the knee with a missile thrown from the crowd while receiving treatment, while Geelong captain Cliff Rankin and teammate Sid Hall were left unconscious and having to be carried from the field on stretchers. Geelong were also threatened and pelted with missiles by angry North Melbourne fans while leaving the field at the end of the match. Five players (including Rutley, Thomas and Coghlan) were suspended for a total of 149 matches by the VFL.
1926
- August 7 - During a VFL match between Geelong and St. Kilda at Corio Oval, a fan attacked players with a fence picket.
1927
- July 2 - At the end of a VFL match between Carlton and Melbourne at Princes Park, the field umpire was assaulted, pelted with fruit and stones, and had a bucket of water poured over him as he left the ground, while a police officer was punched in the mouth trying to break up a brawl between fans. One fan was arrested for offensive behaviour.
1936
- August 8 – With five minutes remaining in extra time in an Olympic football match between PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, a group of Peruvian fans, one brandishing a revolver, invaded the pitch and assaulted Austrian players, officials and stadium security; during the ensuing chaos, Peru scored two goals and won the match 4–2. The IOC and FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
declared the match null and void, and ordered that a replay take place two days later behind closed doorsBehind closed doors (football)The term "Behind Closed Doors" is used in several sports, primarily association football, to describe matches played where spectators are not allowed in the stadium to watch...
, but Peru refused to play and withdrew from the Games. Austria, declared winners on default, went on to win the silver medal.
1940
- September 16 – A Brooklyn DodgersHistory of the Brooklyn Dodgers-Early Brooklyn baseball:Brooklyn was home to numerous baseball clubs in the mid-1850s. Eight of 16 participants in the first convention were from Brooklyn, including the Atlantic, Eckford, and Excelsior clubs that combined to dominate play for most of the 1860s...
fan jumped on the field to attack umpire George Magerkurth so that the fan's pickpocket partner could work the stands.
1943
- May 8 - During a spiteful VFL match between EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and South MelbourneSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
at Windy Hill, South Melbourne's Jack 'Basher' Williams felled Ted LeehaneTed LeehaneTed Leehane is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League .He was a member of the great Essendon premiership teams in 1942, 1949 and 1950.Leehane captain-coached Mansfield from 1951 to 1956....
in retribution for Leehane's similar action against Williams in the previous year's Preliminary Final, starting a wild brawl which involved a dozen players, team officials, trainers, fans, and police. Williams received an eight match suspension on four striking charges, while 1940 Brownlow MedalBrownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
winner Herbie MatthewsHerbie MatthewsHerbie Matthews was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League. He was recruited from suburban Fairfield under the League's "father and son" rule. His father, 'Butcher' Matthews, partnered the great Roy Cazaly in South Melbourne's ruck...
and Bushby were suspended for four and two matches respectively on striking charges.
1945
- October 3 - During the VFL Grand Final1945 VFL Grand FinalThe 1945 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the South Melbourne Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at Princes Park in Melbourne on 29 September 1945. It was the 49th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...
between South MelbourneSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
and CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
, brawls broke out in the stands, bottles were thrown onto the field and at players, and fans jumped the fence to join in the numerous bench-clearing brawls, many of which were broken up by the umpires, first aid personnel, team officials and the police. South Melbourne were also booed and pelted with various objects upon leaving the field at half-time. During a final quarter brawl, Carlton player Fred Fitzgibbon, despite serving a four match suspension from the preliminary final for having king-hit Collingwood forward Len Hustler, ran onto the field and exchanged punches with South Melbourne wingman Ted Whitfield before being ejected from the arena. Seven players (including Fitzgibbon and Whitfield) were suspended for a total of 69 matches by the VFL.
1949
- August 21 - During a National LeagueNational LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
game between the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, New York was ahead 3-2 with one out in the top of the ninth inning of the second game of a doubleheader when umpire George Barr ruled that Richie AshburnRichie AshburnDon Richard "Richie" Ashburn , also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska...
had missed a diving catch of a ball off the bat of Joe Lafata, scoring Willard MarshallWillard MarshallWillard Warren Marshall was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1942 through 1955, Marshall played for the New York Giants , Boston Braves , Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox...
with the fourth run. The Philadelphia players complained, but when the call was not reversed, Philadelphia fans threw glass bottles onto the field, and the barrage continued despite pleas over the loudspeaker system; umpire Lee Ballanfant was hit in the mouth by a bottle and umpire Al BarlickAl BarlickAlbert Joseph Barlick was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League for 28 seasons . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in .-Biography:...
was hit in the back of the head by a tomato. After waiting for 15 minutes, Barlick ruled the game a forfeit to the Giants.
1955
- January 22 – During a game between the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and the Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
at Maple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
, Red Wings forward Ted LindsayTed LindsayRobert Blake Theodore Lindsay is a former professional ice hockey player, a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League . He scored over 800 points in his Hockey Hall of Fame career, won the Art Ross Trophy in 1950, and won the Stanley Cup four times...
leaned over the glass and struck a drunk Maple Leafs fan with his stick after the fan had scuffled with and spilled beer over teammate Gordie HoweGordie HoweGordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...
. Lindsay was given a match penalty and suspended for five games for the incident.
- March 10 – At the end of a scoreless tie game between the Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
and the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Montreal Forum, fans threw garbage onto the ice and at Leafs players and officials to protest Toronto's defensive style. A new ice cleaner and resurfacer, the ZamboniIce resurfacerAn ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle or smaller device used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949 in the city of Paramount, California...
, was used for the first time in this game.
- March 17 – Midway into the first period of a game at the Montreal ForumMontreal ForumThe Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...
between the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings, Canadiens fans, outraged at the remainder of the season suspension handed to superstar Maurice "Rocket" Richard for knocking out linesman Cliff Thompson during a fight in a March 13 game, pelted Red Wings players, officials, and NHL President Clarence CampbellClarence CampbellClarence Sutherland Campbell OBE, QC was the third president of the National Hockey League from 1946 to 1977.-Early life and career:...
and his fiancee with debris as the Red Wings built up a 4–1 lead. After police set off a tear gas bomb inside the Forum and ordered a total evacuation, a furious and bloodied Campbell ruled the game a forfeit to the Red Wings.
1961
- September 10 - In the first half of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
outfielder Jimmy PiersallJimmy PiersallJames Anthony Piersall is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. Between 1950 and 1967, he played for the Boston Red Sox , Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , New York Mets , and Los Angeles/California Angels .While he had a fairly good professional career as a center...
was attacked by two Yankee fans who ran onto the field. Piersall quickly dispatched the first fan with a single punch then chased after the other, who was intercepted and pummeled by Indian teammates Johnny TempleJohnny TempleJohn Ellis Temple was a Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Redlegs/Reds ; Cleveland Indians , Baltimore Orioles and Houston Colt .45s . Temple was born in Lexington, North Carolina. He batted and threw right-handed.Temple was a career .284 hitter with 22 home runs and 395 RBI...
and Walt BondWalt BondWalter Franklin Bond was an American professional baseball player who appeared in six Major League Baseball seasons between and for the Cleveland Indians, Houston Colt .45s/Astros and Minnesota Twins...
.
1967
- September 30 - In the Tasmanian State Premiership Grand Final1967 Tasmanian State Premiership FinalThe 1967 Tasmanian State Premiership Final was an Australian rules football match played between the Wynyard Cats and the North Hobart Robins on Saturday 30 September 1967 at West Park Oval, Burnie, to decide the winner of the 1967 Tasmanian State Premiership...
between WynyardWynyard Football ClubThe Wynyard Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Wynyard, Tasmania.-Club history:The Wynyard Football Club was believed to be formed in 1885 as Table Cape and adopted the name of Wynyard in 1890....
and North Hobart at West Park in Burnie, hundreds of Wynyard fans invaded the field and tore down the goalposts as North Hobart full-forward David Collins went back to take a kick after the siren with Wynyard leading by one point. Umpires, players, team officials and police attempted to clear a path for Collins to take his kick, but Collins was eventually escorted from the ground under police protection, taking the match ball with him as a souvenir, while teammate Barry Styles was left unconsious with broken fingers and had to be carried from the field on a stretcher. The Tasmanian Football League declared the Grand Final a "no result" and withheld the 1967 State Premiership.
1968
- May 18 - In the final quarter of a VFL match between Essendon and Collingwood at Windy Hill, a drunk Essendon fan jumped the fence and punched field umpire Ray Sleeth in the face.
- October 26 – In the Olympic football final, Bulgarian fans threw various objects onto the field in the 44th minute with HungaryHungary national football teamThe Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
leading 2–1 to protest the officiating after three BulgarianBulgaria national football teamThe FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
players, Tzevan Dimtriov, captain Kiril Ivkov and Atanas Christov were ejected, causing a 15 minute delay. Dimtriov was ejected for a dangerous tackle on Hungarian striker Antal Dunai while he was taking a shot at goal, as was Ivkov immediately after for arguing with the referee. As Dimitriov and Ivkov, who had been booked before the match for a brawl in the tunnel with Hungarian players, were making their way off the pitch, Christov picked up the ball and drop-kicked it towards the referee in protest, and was promptly ejected. With Bulgaria down to eight men for the second half, Hungary won the match and the gold medal 4–1.
1970
- November 8 - During a bench-clearing brawl with the Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
and the Boston BruinsBoston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
at the Boston GardenBoston GardenThe Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
, fans behind the Montreal bench got involved into altercations with the players, coaching staff and trainers. Boston police were forced to step in to restore order.
1971
- February 13 – During the second day of the seventh Ashes Test between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground, beer cans were thrown onto the field and English fast bowler John SnowJohn Snow (cricketer)John Augustine Snow played cricket for Sussex and England in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite being the son of a country vicar and publishing two volumes of poetry Snow was England's most formidable fast bowler between Fred Trueman and Bob Willis and played Test Matches with both of them at either end...
manhandled by a drunk and drug-affected fan when Australian Terry Jenner was forced to retire hurt after having accidentally ducked into a bouncer from Snow. English captain Ray Illingworth pulled his team from the field, and the English team only returned seven minutes later after umpires Tom Brooks and Lou Rowan warned Illingworth that the match and the Ashes would be awarded to Australia. During a further seven-minute delay to clear the field, a ground staff member was knocked unconscious by a beer can thrown from the crowd and had to be removed from the arena on a stretcher. 14 fans were arrested for offensive behaviour and a further 190 were ejected.
- June 5 - During a VFL match between Hawthorn and Collingwood at Glenferrie OvalGlenferrie OvalGlenferrie Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is the historic home of and is synonymous with the Hawthorn Football Club, who played there from 1903 and as a VFL/AFL club from 1925–1973, and retained the ground as an...
, Hawthorn forward Peter HudsonPeter HudsonPeter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....
was hit in the face by a rock thrown from the crowd.
- September 30 – During the bottom of the ninth inning of the final game of the Washington SenatorsTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
in Washington before their move to Texas, hundreds of disgruntled Senators fans rushed the field and vandalized RFK Memorial Stadium, forcing the Senators, who were leading the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
7–5, to forfeit the contest 9–0. Three men were arrested for disorderly conduct. Major League Baseball would not return to the U.S. capital until 20052005 Major League Baseball seasonClick on any series score to link to that series' page.Higher seed had home field advantage during Division Series and League Championship Series.The American League champion had home field advantage during the World Series as a result of the AL victory in the 2005 All-Star...
, when the Montréal ExposMontreal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
moved south to become the Washington NationalsWashington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
.
1972
- January 6 – St. Louis BluesSt. Louis BluesThe St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
coach Al ArbourAl ArbourAlger Joseph "Radar" Arbour is a retired Canadian ice hockey player and a coach and executive in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
and several players entered the stands to fight fans at the Spectrum in PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
after Arbour was showered with debris.
- September 16 - At the end of the drawn VFL First Semi-Final between Richmond and Carlton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, angry fans invaded the field, and field umpire Ian Coates was assaulted. One fan was arrested.
- December 29 – Players from the Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia FlyersThe Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
entered the stands at the Pacific ColiseumPacific ColiseumPacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
after a fan reached over the glass and pulled the hair of Don SaleskiDon SaleskiDonald Patrick "Big Bird" Saleski is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado Rockies.-Playing career:...
.
1973
- April 28 - During a VFL match between FootscrayWestern BulldogsThe Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
and Essendon at the Western Oval, beer cans were thrown onto the field after Essendon ruckman Don MacKenzie clashed with Footscray ruckman Barry Round.
1974
- May 18 - "The Battle Of Windy Hill" - During a VFL match between Essendon and Richmond at Windy Hill, Richmond's Mal BrownMal BrownMalcolm "Mal" Brown is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League and West Australian National Football League....
clashed with Essendon's badly out of form Graeme JenkinGraeme JenkinGraeme 'Jerker' Jenkin is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and Essendon in the VFL during the 1960s and 1970s....
as the teams moved towards the locker rooms at the half-time siren; after Essendon runner Laurie Ashley went out of his way to confront and abuse Brown, Brown struck Ashley, starting a 15 minute bench-clearing brawl that involved players, team officials, trainers, fans, and police. Richmond's Brian Roberts was left with a broken nose, while Essendon trainer Jim Bradley and a fan were both knocked unconscious and had to be carried from the arena on stretchers. Six players and team officials (including Ashley and Brown) were suspended for a total of 40 matches by the VFL.
- June 4 – "Ten Cent Beer NightTen Cent Beer NightTen Cent Beer Night was a promotion held by Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians during a game against the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on June 4, 1974....
" – For a game between the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
at the Cleveland Municipal Stadium, fans were served as many 10-ounce cups of beerBeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
as they wanted for 10¢Dime (United States coin)The dime is a coin 10 cents, one tenth of a United States dollar, labeled formally as "one dime". The denomination was first authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792. The dime is the smallest in diameter and is the thinnest of all U.S...
each. After numerous instances of drunk fans being involved in debris throwing, running onto the field or streakingStreakingStreaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
, the situation boiled over in the 9th inning when a fan ran onto the field and snatched Rangers outfielder Jeff BurroughsJeff BurroughsJeffrey Alan Burroughs is a former player in Major League Baseball. From through , he played for the Washington Senators , Texas Rangers , Atlanta Braves , Seattle Mariners , Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays . Burroughs batted and threw right-handed...
' cap and glove. Burroughs' teammates charged out to his aid, followed by hundreds of Cleveland fans who poured onto the field; in the ensuing chaos, Indians manager Ken AspromonteKen AspromonteKenneth Joseph Aspromonte is a former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who had a seven-year career from 1957 to 1963. He played for the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Los Angeles Angels of the American League, and the Milwaukee Braves and Chicago...
ordered his players to grab bats and protect the Rangers from their own fans, Rangers manager Billy MartinBilly MartinAlfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
grabbed a bat and ran into the crowd, Rangers pitcher Tom HilgendorfTom HilgendorfThomas Eugene Hilgendorf is a retired American professional baseball player. He was a Major League relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies in 1969–1970 and 1972–1975....
was hit in the back of the head with a metal chair, and chief umpire Nestor ChylakNestor ChylakNestor George Chylak, Jr. was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1954 to 1978.He was born in Olyphant, Pennsylvania of Ukrainian descent, and attended the University of Scranton, where he studied engineering...
was hit in the head with a chair thrown from the stands. Nine people were arrested, and the game was forfeited to Texas.
1975
- December 28 – In Bloomington, MinnesotaBloomington, MinnesotaBloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
, the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
led the Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
14–10 when Dallas quarterback Roger StaubachRoger StaubachRoger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
threw what would become known as the "Hail Mary passHail Mary passA Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
" to wide receiver Drew PearsonDrew Pearson (American football)Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:...
for what would be the winning touchdown and a final score of 17–14. The Vikings protested, but field judge Armen TerzianArmen TerzianArmen Terzian was a U.S. American football official in the NFL from 1961 to 1981. He was a field judge and wore uniform number 23, which was later worn by two African-American referees: Johnny Grier and, currently, Jerome Boger...
ruled the catch and touchdown legal, and assessed Vikings defensive tackle Alan PageAlan PageAlan Cedric Page is a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1963, received his B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1967, and received his J.D. from the University of...
a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing with officials. After the kickoff, with 14 seconds left to play, a whiskey bottle thrown by a fan hit Terzian in the head, creating a forehead gash requiring 11 stitches. See Hail Mary pass#Origins for details.
1976
- April 25 – Two fans, William Thomas and his 11-year-old son, ran into the outfield at Dodger StadiumDodger StadiumDodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
and attempted to set fire to an American flag with matches and lighter fluid before Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
outfielder Rick MondayRick MondayRobert James "Rick" Monday, Jr. is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball and is currently a broadcast announcer. From 1966 through 1984, Monday, a center fielder for most of his career, played for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics , Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers...
ran over, grabbed the flag and carried it away to a standing ovation; seeing what was going on, Dodger third base coach Tommy LasordaTommy LasordaThomas Charles Lasorda is a former Major League baseball player and manager. marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully...
ran out to center field and launched a profanity-filled tirade at the protestors. Monday handed the flag to Los Angeles pitcher Doug RauDoug RauDouglas James Rau , is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1972-1981...
, after which Thomas and his son were arrested.
- June 4 - After a John HavlicekJohn HavlicekJohn J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
drive and leaning one-hander in traffic put Boston in front 111-110 as time expired in the second overtime of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
and the Phoenix SunsPhoenix SunsThe Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
at Boston GardenBoston GardenThe Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
, fans invaded the court to celebrate Boston's victory and the Celtics returned to their locker room before CBS analyst Rick BarryRick BarryRichard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
loudly pointed out that the ball had gone through the hoop with two seconds left on the clock. Officials agreed with Barry and ordered the Celtics back onto the floor, but during the ensuing pandemonium, a drunk fan attacked referee Richie PowersRichie PowersRichard F. "Richie" Powers was a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association from 1956 to 1979. He worked 25 NBA Finals games, including the triple-overtime Game 5 contest in the 1976 NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and the Boston Celtics, considered "The Greatest...
and other fans turned over one of the scorer's tables. After a ten minute delay to clear the court and get the Celtics back on the floor, the officials put one second back on the clock, and Boston won 128-126 in triple overtime. The fan who attacked Powers was arrested, and the fans who overturned the scorer's table were ejected.
- July 23 - With 1:22 remaining in the third quarter of the Chicago College All-Star Game at Soldier FieldSoldier FieldSoldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
, Chicago, the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
led the College All-Stars 24-0 when a torrential rainstorm hit the field which made play impossible. After officials called for a delay, drunk and unruly fans invaded the field and tore down the goalposts. Officials, security and police attempted to clear the field, but twelve minutes later, NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Commissioner Pete RozellePete RozelleAlvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....
and the sponsoring Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
announced that the game had been called, which was greeted with jeers, and numerous brawls broke out on the flooded field before order was finally restored.
1978
- During a Central Hockey LeagueCentral Hockey LeagueThe Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
game between the Fort Worth TexansFort Worth TexansThe Fort Worth Texans were a professional ice hockey team based in Fort Worth, Texas. They started play in 1967 as the Fort Worth Wings, a minor league affiliate for the Detroit Red Wings. They were part of the Central Hockey League and played their home games at Will Rogers Coliseum...
and Dallas Black HawksDallas Black HawksThe Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, Texas. They were a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum....
at the Will Rogers Coliseum, during a "ten cent beer night" promotion, a bench-clearing brawl resulted in further altercations involving brawls between rival fans in the stands. Five fans were injured and ten arrested. As a result of this incident, significant discount alcohol promotions were banned and tighter regulation of other alcohol promotional sales introduced.
1979
- July 12 – Disco Demolition NightDisco Demolition NightDisco Demolition Night was a promotional event that took place on Thursday, July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, during which a crate filled with disco records was blown up on the field. It was held during the twi-night doubleheader baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and...
– In a promotion conceived by Chicago DJDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Steve DahlSteve DahlSteven Robert Dahl has been an American radio personality and humorist for more than thirty years. He is currently podcasting, and releases the podcasts for download daily from his own website as well as the iTunes store...
, fans got admission to a Comiskey ParkComiskey ParkComiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
doubleheaderDoubleheader (baseball)A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
for 98¢ between the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
and Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in exchange for bringing in a discoDiscoDisco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
record to be blown up between games. In the first game, fans threw their records, as well as fireworksFireworksFireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
and beer, onto the field. The between-games explosion tore a large hole into the field and was followed by thousands of fans pouring in from the stands onto the field. Thirty-seven fans were arrested, and the second game of the doubleheader was forfeited to the Tigers.
- December 23 – At the end of a game between the New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and the Boston BruinsBoston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
at Madison Square GardenMadison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, Bruins players climbed into the stands to fight with Rangers fans after Stan JonathanStan JonathanStanley Carl "Bulldog" Jonathan is a retired native ice hockey left winger.Jonathan started his National Hockey League career with the Boston Bruins with one game in the 1975-76 season. He continued to play for the Bruins from 1976-1983...
was hit across the face with a rolled up program and Terry O'ReillyTerry O'ReillyTerence Joseph James O'Reilly is a retired ice hockey right winger, who played for the NHL's Boston Bruins, and one of the most effective enforcers in NHL history....
's stick was stolen. This incident was made infamous by Mike MilburyMike MilburyMichael Milbury is an American sportscaster currently working as an ice hockey analyst for the New England Sports Network , Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL on NBC. He played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League , all of them as a defenseman for the Boston Bruins...
removing a fan's shoe and beating him with it. Four Rangers fans were arrested, with O'Reilly suspended for eight games and Milbury and Peter McNab for six games by NHL president John Ziegler; all three players were also fined $500. This incident resulted in the installation of higher glass panels enclosing rinks in hockey arenas.
1980
- January 19 – During a bench-clearing brawl involving the Edmonton OilersEdmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
and the Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
, drunk Pittsburgh fans behind the Edmonton bench threw beer at Edmonton head coach Glen SatherGlen SatherGlen Cameron "Slats" Sather is the President and general manager of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He has also served as the head coach of the Rangers, as well as General Manager and coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association and later NHL...
, who attempted to attack the fans when the plexi-glass collapsed.
- May 10 - At the end of the Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
Final between CelticCeltic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
at Hampden Park which Celtic won 1-0 after extra time, celebrating Celtic fans invaded the pitch; after a group of drunk Rangers fans did the same, a brawl between rival fans ensued, with mounted police being called in to break up the battling fans. This incident led to the banning of alcohol from Scottish football grounds until 1994.
1981
- September 24 – During a game between the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
and the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
at Candlestick ParkMonster ParkCandlestick Park is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in San Francisco, California, in the Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally built as the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until moving into Pacific Bell Park in 2000...
, Dodgers outfielderOutfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Reggie SmithReggie SmithCarl Reginald Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and front office executive. During a 17-year big league career , Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest...
jumped into the stands after Giants fan Michael Dooley threw a helmetBatting helmetA batting helmet is the protective headgear worn by batters in the game of baseball or softball. It is meant to protect the batter's head from errant pitches thrown by the pitcher...
at him. Smith was ejected, and eight fans received citations.
1982
- March 20 – With 49 seconds remaining in a 3–3 tie game between the Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
and the Quebec NordiquesQuebec NordiquesThe Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
, a Nordiques fan reached over the plexiglass and punched Tiger WilliamsTiger WilliamsDavid James "Tiger" Williams is a former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1974–75 to 1987–88. He is the NHL's career leader in penalty minutes.-NHL career:...
of the Canucks when he was in an altercation with Peter StastnyPeter StastnyPeter Šťastný , also known colloquially as "Peter the Great" and "Stosh", is a retired Slovak professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1980 to 1995. During his time with the Quebec Nordiques, Stastny became a Canadian citizen. Since 2004, he has also served as a...
. Some Canucks players charged towards the stands, but were restrained by Quebec police and security. The fan was ejected from the arena.
- November 13 – During the second day of the first Ashes test between Australia and England at the WACA, a group of drunk and drug-affected English fans invaded the pitch after England had passed 400 in its first innings. One fan, 19-year-old Gary Donnison, hit Australian fast bowler Terry AldermanTerry AldermanTerence Michael Alderman is a former Australian cricketer.He began his first-class career in 1974 with Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and came to international prominence when he was chosen for the Australian national team to tour England in 1981...
in the face, and Alderman chased Donnison before trying to tackle him, leaving Alderman with a dislocated shoulder and having to be carried off on a stretcher; teammates Dennis LilleeDennis LilleeDennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
and Allan BorderAllan BorderAllan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
tripped up Donnison and pinned him to the ground until police and security arrived. Donnison and another 25 fans were arrested and a further 150 were ejected.
- At the Dutch Open, Ilie NăstaseIlie NastaseIlie Nastase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 and 1974 . He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles . He was inducted into the...
was so outraged with a linesman's call, he grabbed a vendor's load of ice cream cones and threw them at the linesman, hitting some fans.
1984
- May 19 – An Edmonton OilersEdmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
fan threw a beer cup into the penalty box when Duane SutterDuane SutterDuane Calvin Sutter is a Canadian former forward player and former head coach in the National Hockey League. He is one of the famed six Sutter brothers to play in the NHL. As of August 22, 2011, he is a pro scout for the Edmonton Oilers....
of the New York IslandersNew York IslandersThe New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
was in there. Sutter squirted the fan back with a water bottle, but a second Oilers fan retaliated with a Dixie cup. The second fan was ejected from the arena hours before the Oilers won their first Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
.
- August 12 – In a beanballBeanball"Beanball" is a colloquialism used in baseball, for a ball thrown at an opposing player with the intention of striking him such as to cause harm, often connoting a throw at the player's head...
war between the Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
and San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
in Atlanta where both managers and 12 players were ejected, fans got into the act late in the game, and one slammed a beer mug on Padre Kurt BevacquaKurt BevacquaKurt Bevacqua is a former Major League Baseball player. He was chosen in the 12th round of the 1967 draft by the Cincinnati Reds and debuted in the big leagues in 1971 with the Cleveland Indians, ultimately playing for six different teams during his career. His final appearance was in with the...
's head; Bevacqua gave chase but was restrained by security and police. Another fan invaded the field and attempted to souvenir a loose helmet near third base before being tackled by Braves Chris ChamblissChris ChamblissCarroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...
and Jerry RoysterJerry RoysterJeron Kennis Royster was a third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, and the New York Yankees, as well as a former manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and of the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization.-Career:He was signed by the Dodgers...
. Seven fans were arrested, five after participating in a bench-clearing brawl, the fan who slammed the beer mug on Bevacqua's head was charged with assault and battery, and Padres manager Dick WilliamsDick WilliamsRichard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967–69 and 1971–88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National...
was suspended for nine games and fined $10,000 for instigating the incident. The game ended with riot police on top of both dugouts in an attempt to keep fans away from the players.
1985
- January 5 – In an FA Cup fifth-round match between Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and Burton AlbionBurton Albion F.C.Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
, drunk City fans threw beer cups from the terraces, one of which knocked Albion's goalkeeper unconscious and left him having to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher. With no substitutes left for Albion, City easily won 6–1; however, The English FA declared the match null and void, and ordered a replay at a neutral venue behind closed doors. After only agreeing to play by the casting vote of their manager, City won the replay 1–0 on January 16 at Coventry's Highfield Road.
- March 23 - Before a HibernianHibernian F.C.Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
versus AberdeenAberdeen F.C.Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
match, the Capital City ServiceCapital City ServiceThe Capital City Service is a Scottish football hooligan firm associated with Hibernian and active from 1984 when the casual hooligan subculture took off in Scotland. Their roots were in the previous incarnations of hooligans attached to the club and also the wider Edinburgh and surrounding areas...
and the Aberdeen Soccer Casuals clashed on Easter Road resulting in one Hibs boy being seriously assaulted and taken to hospital in a comatose state. At halftime, it was rumoured he had died, and the atmosphere at the game quickly soured. During the second half Aberdeen fans and players were subject to a barrage of missiles such as bottles, stones, coins, iron bolts and golf balls; Aberdeen goalkeeper Jim Leighton was hit on the neck with an iron bolt, team mate Alex McLeish was struck by a coin and a linesman was hit on the head with a lump of concrete, leading the referee to stop the match until order was restored. He was quoted as saying the scenes in the ground were "the worst I've ever witnessed".
- May 4 - During a VFL reserves match at Princes Park between Collingwood and the Sydney Swans, Collingwood full-back John Bourke kicked Swans ruckman Patrick Foy in the groin in reaction to Foy tagging him throughout the game. When field umpire Phil Waight went to report Burke for the incident, Bourke pushed and kicked Waight, struck the Collingwood runner, and ran into the stands to assault a Swans fan who Bourke claimed had taunted him. Bourke was suspended for ten years plus 16 games and fined $2,000.
- May 29 - Heysel Stadium disasterHeysel Stadium disasterThe Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
: A major brawl erupted before the European Cup Final1985 European Cup FinalThe 1985 European Cup Final was a football match played between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium on 29 May 1985....
between Liverpool F.C.Liverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Juventus F.C.Juventus F.C.Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
; 39 fans died (34 Italian) and 600 were injured after being smashed against the security wall before the start of the match. Despite this, the match was played. British teams were banned from playing in continental competitions for five years and Liverpool were banned for 10 years.
1986
- February 12 – With 58 seconds remaining in an NHL game between the New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and the Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
at Madison Square GardenMadison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, hecklers poured beer and soft drink over the Canucks' bench, causing a five-minute delay. Craig CoxeCraig CoxeCraig R. Coxe is a retired professional ice hockey player. In addition to playing in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, and the San Jose Sharks...
attempted to retaliate, but was restrained by his teammates and security. One fan, Patrick Nugent, was arrested and another six fans were ejected.
- August 26 – A fan threw a Bowie hunting knifeBowie knifeA Bowie knife is a pattern of fixed-blade fighting knife first popularized by Colonel James "Jim" Bowie in the early 19th Century. Since the first incarnation was created by James Black, the Bowie knife has come to incorporate several recognizable and characteristic design features, although its...
at California Angels rookie Wally JoynerWally JoynerWallace Keith "Wally" Joyner is a former first baseman and hitting coach in Major League Baseball. He played for four major league teams during a 16-year career, most notably for the California Angels, for whom he was an All-Star...
at Yankee Stadium. Joyner was hit on his left arm by the butt end of the knife, escaping injury.
1987
- During Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
and Detroit PistonsDetroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
at the Pontiac SilverdomePontiac SilverdomeThe Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
, fans began throwing ice and beer cups onto the court after Larry BirdLarry BirdLarry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
was ejected for responding to a hard foul by Bill LaimbeerBill LaimbeerWilliam "Bill" Laimbeer, Jr. is a retired National Basketball Association player for the Detroit Pistons. Playing at center, the 6'11" Laimbeer was a four-time All-Star and integral part of the Pistons teams that won two championships...
by throwing at least two punches and the basketball at Laimbeer's head. Fans continued to throw debris at Bird as he walked back to the locker room.
1989
- October 1 — During a game between the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Cleveland StadiumCleveland StadiumCleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
, officials had the teams switch end zones in the fourth quarter to protect Denver players from batteries and other objects being thrown from the Dawg PoundDawg PoundThe Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium, the home field of the Cleveland Browns. It is known for its extremely zealous fan base.-Formation:...
. The switch put the wind at the Browns' back, and the Browns wound up winning on a field goal that barely cleared the crossbar.
- December 10 — Week 14 of the 1989 NFL season1989 NFL seasonThe 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
saw two notable fan incidents occur almost simultaneously. During Bounty Bowl II at Veterans StadiumVeterans StadiumPhiladelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
, Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
fans threw snowballs, chunks of ice, and various other objects at Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
players and officials as revenge against accusations by Cowboys coach Jimmy JohnsonJimmy Johnson (American football coach)James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
that Eagles coach Buddy RyanBuddy RyanJames David "Buddy" Ryan is a former American NFL football coach.-Early years:Ryan was born and reared in a small, agricultural-based community "just outside of Frederick, Oklahoma." Ryan played college football for Oklahoma A&M University where he earned four letters as a guard between 1952 and...
had placed a "bounty" on the head of Cowboys placekickerPlacekickerPlacekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Luis ZendejasLuis ZendejasLuis Fernando Zendejas is a Mexican former placekicker in American football. He played college football for Arizona State University, and was the all-time career leading scorer in the NCAA when he left Arizona State...
during the teams' previous meetingBounty BowlThe Bounty Bowl was the name given to two notorious NFL games held in 1989 between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. The first, the 1989 Thanksgiving Classic game in Dallas was most noted for allegations that the Philadelphia Eagles put a $200 bounty on Dallas Cowboys kicker Luis...
. Back judge Al Jury and Cowboys punter Mike SaxonMike SaxonMichael Eric Saxon is a retired American football player. He had a 11-year career in the National Football League from 1985 to 1995 as a punter. He played in Super Bowl XXVII as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Saxon was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 11th round of the 1984 draft but never...
were both knocked to the ground by a barrage of snowballs, CBS broadcasters Verne LundquistVerne LundquistMerton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
and Terry BradshawTerry BradshawTerry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
had to dodge snowballs aimed at the broadcast booth (at one point, with the cameras focused on them, Bradshaw took took one and threw it against the wall so viewers could see just how dangerous the snowballs were, while at the end of the game Lundquist claimed on-air that a recent root canal surgery had been less unpleasant than broadcasting the Eagles), and Johnson was booed, pelted with various objects and subject to beer pouring as he was escorted from the field by Philadelphia Police officers as the game ended. The Eagles upgraded security at the arena and banned beer sales for their last home game of the season. Meanwhile, 500 miles west of Philadelphia, Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
fans, angered by what they perceived as a bad call, threw beer bottles and various objects at officials and Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
players. After the Seahawks, who were backed up deep in their own territory, refused to play until the field was cleared, Bengals coach Sam WycheSam WycheSamuel David "Sam" Wyche is a former American football player and head coach, who is best known as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL...
addressed the crowd; alluding to the boorish reputation of their in-state rivals, he angrily reminded Bengals fans that "You don't live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!".
1990
- March 24 – During a WHLWestern Hockey LeagueThe Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
playoff game between the Seattle ThunderbirdsSeattle ThunderbirdsThe Seattle Thunderbirds are a junior ice hockey team based in Kent, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League, and play in the ShoWare Center...
and the Tri-City AmericansTri-City AmericansThe Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center...
at a packed Seattle Center Coliseum, Americans players (including future Vezina TrophyVezina TrophyThe Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the 30 General Managers of the teams in the National Hockey League vote to determine the goaltender who was the most valuable to his team...
winner Olaf KolzigOlaf KölzigOlaf Kölzig is a retired German professional ice hockey goaltender and associate goalie coach for the Washington Capitals. With the exception of 8 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he played his entire 14 year career with the Capitals...
) responded to heckling and beer throwing from Thunderbirds fans by swinging sticks at them behind the bench; fans were able to gain control of several players' sticks. The Americans coach, Rick Kozuback, and Americans players Terry Virtue, Steve Jacques and Jeff Fancy were given game misconduct penalties and suspended for their role in the melee. A police officer and an Americans fan were injured, with four fans being arrested and another five being ejected.
1991
- May 11 – During a game between the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and the California AngelsLos Angeles Angels of AnaheimThe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
at Cleveland StadiumCleveland StadiumCleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
, Indians outfielder Albert BelleAlbert BelleAlbert Jojuan Belle is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles...
threw a ball into the stands that hit a heckler, Jeff Pillar, in the chest. Belle was suspended for six games and fined $50,000 by Major League Baseball.
1992
- April 14 – During an NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
game between the Buffalo SabresBuffalo SabresThe Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
and the Québec NordiquesQuebec NordiquesThe Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
at Le ColiséeColisée PepsiColisée Pepsi , formerly the Colisée de Québec , is a multi-purpose arena in Quebec City, Quebec.It was the home of the WHA and NHL Quebec Nordiques from 1972–1995, and is currently the home of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League...
, a drunk Nordiques fan jumped onto the ice and charged at the Sabres bench. Rob RayRob RayRobert John Ray, nicknamed Rayzor is a Canadian sports broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player. He was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy by the National Hockey League in 1999 for leadership and humanitarianism....
and Colin Patterson KOed the fan and police quickly arrested him.
- November 16 - During a FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
first round replay between Peterborough UnitedPeterborough United F.C.Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
and KingstonianKingstonian F.C.Kingstonian Football Club are an English, semi-professional football club that are playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2011–12 season. The club has played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames since 1989, after leaving their traditional Richmond Road ground...
, a Peterborough fan threw a missile which knocked Kingstonian's goalkeeper unconscious and left him having to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher. With no substitute goalkeeper available, Peterbrough was able to win easily, with a final score of 9–1; however, the Football Association declared the match null and void, and ordered a rematch with no fans present. Peterbrough won the replay 1–0 on November 21.
1993
- April 28 – Fans threw beer cups and garbage onto the ice with 8:31 left in the deciding Game 6 of the 1993 Patrick Division Semifinals between the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders after the Capitals' Dale HunterDale HunterDale Robert Hunter is a former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League.-NHL career:...
deliberately hit and badly injured the Islanders' Pierre TurgeonPierre TurgeonPierre Turgeon is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche...
after Turgeon had stolen the puck from Hunter and scored, putting the game out of the Capitals' reach. Hunter was given a match penalty and suspended for the first 21 games of the 1993–94 season. - April 30 – During a changeover in a tennis match in Hamburg, Germany, tennis star Monica SelesMonica SelesMonica Seles is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Serbia, former Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007...
was stabbed in the back by Steffi GrafSteffi GrafSteffi Graf is a former World No. 1 German tennis player.In total, Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court's 24...
fan Günter Parche.
1995
- January 25 – After French Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
player Eric CantonaEric CantonaEric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
had been ejected for kicking an opponent during a game against Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, Palace fan Matthew Simmons left his seat and came down to the touchline shouting racist abuse at Cantona as he walked off the pitch; in response, Cantona ran over and launched a chest high kick at Simmons and landed several punches before police and security separated them, with Cantona being given a second red card. Cantona was banned for the remainder of the FA Premier LeagueFA Premier LeagueThe Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
season and fined ₤50,000; he was also convicted of assault and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service. Simmons was sentenced to one day in jail and fined ₤200 for offensive behaviour.
- February 6 – During a timeout in an NBA game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets at Portland Memorial Coliseum, Houston Rockets guard Vernon MaxwellVernon MaxwellVernon Maxwell is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association for thirteen seasons from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Maxwell played college basketball for the University of Florida, and led the Florida Gators...
ran a dozen rows into the stands and punched a fan, Steve George, in the face after George had allegedly heckled him over his wife's recent miscarriageMiscarriageMiscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
. George suffered a broken jaw, while Maxwell was ejected, suspended for 10 games and fined $20,000 by the NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
- August 10 – The Los Angeles Dodgers gave out baseballs to paying customers as they entered the Dodger StadiumDodger StadiumDodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
gates for a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were leading the game 2–1 as the Dodgers came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning. The first batter, Raúl Mondesí, was called out on strikes and promptly ejected by home plate umpire Jim Quick for arguing, as was Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda immediately after. Dodger fans, fuelled by a series of close calls and a few rounds of alcohol, immediately began throwing the baseballs onto the field. The Cardinals left the field due to safety concerns and the umpires forfeited the game to St. Louis 15 minutes later. Following this incident, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
mandated that should baseballs or any throwable object be given away as a promotional item, the giveaway would follow the game.
- September 28 – Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
pitcher Randy MyersRandy MyersRandall Kirk Myers is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During a 14-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-1998 for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays.-Career:Myers first began his major league career with...
was attacked on the mound by a fan, John Murray, at Wrigley FieldWrigley FieldWrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
after giving up a home run; Myers, well known for his martial arts skills, easily subdued his attacker and held him on the ground until authorities arrested him. Murray was charged with assault and disorderly conduct; Cubs shortstop Shawon DunstonShawon DunstonShawon Donnell Dunston is a former shortstop and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball. He resides in Fremont, CA. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, and played for the Cubs , San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , Cleveland Indians , St...
, the first person on the scene, told the AP that he feared for Murray's life.
- December 17 – Knowing that they would lose their team to BaltimoreCleveland Browns relocation controversyThe Cleveland Browns relocation controversy was the decision by then Browns owner Art Modell to move the National Football League team from its longtime home of Cleveland, Ohio to Baltimore, Maryland for the 1996 NFL season...
for the next year1996 NFL seasonThe 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
, fans of the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, especially those in the Dawg PoundDawg PoundThe Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium, the home field of the Cleveland Browns. It is known for its extremely zealous fan base.-Formation:...
area of Cleveland Municipal StadiumCleveland StadiumCleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
, were so hostile during the team's final home game against the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
that game play coming toward the Dawg Pound had to be directed towards the opposite end of the stadium. There was extensive damage to the stadium, as empty seats were torn and thrown onto the field, fires were set in the bleachers, sinks and stalls were torn from the bathrooms, and stadium security were also attacked.
- December 23 – With the San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
leading 27-17 during the fourth quarter of a game between the New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Chargers at Giants StadiumGiants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, intoxicated Giants fans threw hundreds of snowballs and chunks of ice at Chargers players and team officials, injuring fifteen people; Chargers equipment manager Sid Brooks was knocked unconscious and had to be removed from the arena on a stretcher. 15 people were arrested and a further 175 were ejected, with 75 fans having their season tickets revoked. Following this incident, the NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
mandated that seating areas be cleared of all snow and ice prior to the opening of the stadium gates.
1996
- March 9 - During the World Cup1996 Cricket World CupThe 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
quarter-final at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India between India and Pakistan, an Indian fan threw a plastic bottle at Aamir Sohail hitting him on the head.
- March 13 – During the World Cup1996 Cricket World CupThe 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
semi-final at Eden GardensEden GardensEden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
, KolkataKolkataKolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
between India and Sri Lanka, Indian fans began to throw fruit and plastic bottles onto the pitch in the 35th over to protest India's collapse from 1/98 to 8/120 chasing a target of 252. The players left the field for 20 minutes in an attempt to quiet the crowd, but the Indian fans rioted, throwing more fruit and bottles onto the pitch, and lighting fires in the stands. Match referee Clive LloydClive LloydClive Hubert Lloyd CBE AO is a former West Indies cricketer. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation, a position that was only relinquished in the latter half of the 1990s...
, seeing India's hopeless situation, awarded the match to Sri Lanka, the first ever default in a TestTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
or One Day International.
- June 8 - During a night AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
match at Waverley ParkWaverley ParkWaverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...
in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
between EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and St Kilda, a pitch invasionPitch invasionA pitch invasion or field invasion, known as rushing the field in the United States, occurs when a crowd of people who are watching a sports game run onto the field, to celebrate or protest about an incident...
occurred when the lights went out during the third quarter. Initially, a serious car crash into power lines in the nearby area was reported to have caused the blackoutPower outageA power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
, although it was later confirmed to be a major electrical fault. In the midst of the chaos, fans rioted and stormed the ground, some lighting bonfires in the centre square, and removing two of the behind posts. The incidents were filmed on Network Seven, and the remaining quarter and a half was played three nights later.
- July 31 - During the gold medal match in the women's table tennis between China's Deng Yaping and Taiwan's Chen Jing at the 1996 Summer Olympics1996 Summer OlympicsThe 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, Chen Kun Chung unfurled a Taiwanese flag, in contravention of IOC rules (the Taiwan flag is the only national flag prohibited at the Olympics, per IOC regulations). While police attempted to remove Chen and confiscate the flag, a second fan, Lee Chien Hsing, punched an officer in the mouth and pulled the officer down over some seats before he and Chen were arrested. Chen was charged with disorderly conduct and fined $100 after pleading no contest, while Lee was charged with one count each of simple battery and felony obstruction of an officer.
- November 26 – In an NHL game between the Calgary FlamesCalgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
and the Edmonton OilersEdmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
at Northlands ColiseumRexall PlaceRexall Place is an indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada situated on the north side of Northlands. It is currently the home to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League and the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL...
, Flames forward Sasha LakovicSasha LakovicSasha "The Basha, Pitbull" Lakovic is a retired professional ice hockey player who played for 17 different professional teams during his career...
attempted to climb the glass behind the players bench to get back at a drunk Oilers fan who had spilled beer over assistant coach Guy LapointeGuy LapointeGuy Gerard "Pointu" Lapointe is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League...
. Lakovic was restrained by his teammates, received a misconduct penalty and was suspended for two games, and the NHL fined the Oilers $20,000 for having inadequate security. The fan was ejected from the arena. The incident was broadcast on The CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
.
1997
- During a cricket match between India and Pakistan in TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, an Indian fan repeatedly called Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-HaqInzamam-ul-HaqInzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
a "potato" over a megaphone as he fielded on the boundary. Inzamam grabbed a batCricket batA cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batsmen in the sport of cricket to hit the ball. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624....
and ran into the stands while swinging it before being restrained; no-one was hit.
1999
- May 2 – During the deciding match of the Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
season, between CelticCeltic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
at Celtic ParkCeltic ParkCeltic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
, which Rangers won 3-0, referee Hugh DallasHugh DallasHugh Dallas MBE is a Scottish former football referee. He officiated at two FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 1998 and 2002; he was appointed fourth official for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final...
was struck in the head with a missile, causing him to need attention for a cut, and a drunk Celtic fan who abused and attempted to remonstrate with Dallas from the upper tier fell over the balcony to the lower tier. Rangers players were also booed, pelted with various objects and subject to beer pouring and taunting by Celtic fans while leaving the pitch at the end of the bad-tempered Final which saw three players shown a red card ( ejected ). Four drunk and drug-affected Celtic fans also invaded the pitch during the Final and attempted to attack Dallas and Rangers players; they were arrested and banned from Celtic Park for life. The match was shown live on Sky SportsSky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
.
- August 10 – During a game between the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
at Veterans StadiumVeterans StadiumPhiladelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
in Philadelphia, two D-Cell batteries were thrown at Cardinals outfielder J.D. Drew. Drew had been drafted by the Phillies a few years earlier, but expressed disappointment with the franchise and held out in order to avoid playing with them; he re-entered the draft and was chosen by St. Louis.
- September 24 – During a game between the Houston AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
at Milwaukee County StadiumMilwaukee County StadiumMilwaukee County Stadium was a ballpark in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1953 to 2000. It was primarily used as a baseball stadium for the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers, but was also used for football games, ice skating, religious services, concerts and other large events...
, Astros outfielder Billy Spiers was attacked by a drunk fan, Berley W. Visgar, while standing in right field. Spiers suffered slight injuries, and Visgar was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
- November 22 – After having been pelted with snowballs throughout the second half of a game against the Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Charles WoodsonCharles WoodsonCharles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
of the Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
retaliated by throwing a snowball back into the crowd which hit a woman in the face. An arrest warrant was later issued for Woodson. Raiders tackle Lincoln KennedyLincoln KennedyTamerlane Lincoln Kennedy Jr. is a former American football offensive tackle and currently is a broadcaster for Fox Sports and Premiere Radio Networks.-High school career:...
later ran into the stands and punched a drunk Broncos fan, who had thrown a snowball at him, in the face. The fan was ejected from the arena.
2000
- March 26 – 17 Hull F.C. fans were arrested after they invaded the pitch and tore down the posts after Hull were knocked out of the 2000 Challenge Cup2000 Challenge CupThe 2000 Challenge Cup Final was held on Saturday 29 April 2000, at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, UK. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinos.Referee: Steve Presley Attendance: 67,247...
. In spite of the fact that the match was held on a neutral ground, Hull were fined ₤25,000 by the Rugby Football LeagueRugby Football LeagueThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
for having inadequate security, and an additional ₤10,000 two days later after a club official described the League's decision as "absolutely disgraceful" and threatened to withdraw Hull from the 2001 Challenge Cup.
- May 16 – During a game between the Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
at Wrigley FieldWrigley FieldWrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
in Chicago, a drunk Cubs fan grabbed the capBaseball capA baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,...
off the head of the Dodgers' Chad KreuterChad KreuterChadden Michael "Chad" Kreuter is a former catcher in Major League Baseball and the former head coach of the USC Trojans baseball team....
, starting a bench-clearing brawl in which Dodgers players entered the stands to fight with Cubs fans. Sixteen players and three coaches were ejected and suspended for a total of 76 games.
2001
- March 29 – During a game between the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and the Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia FlyersThe Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
at the First Union Center, a drunk Flyers fan, Chris Falcone, leaned over the glass which separated fans from the penalty boxPenalty boxThe penalty box is the area in ice hockey, rugby league, rugby union and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offense not severe enough to merit outright expulsion from the contest...
to confront Leafs player Tie DomiTie DomiTahir "Tie" Domi is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. During a sixteen-year NHL career when he was known for his role as an enforcer, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets....
after Domi had shot water at a heckler. A scuffle ensued after the glass panel came loose, and Falcone's momentum carried him into the box where Domi had been seated. Domi was restrained by officials and fined $1,000 by the NHL for the incident, while Falcone was ejected from the arena, received a police citation and was fined $150.
- April 17 - Near the end of a one-day international between England and Pakistan at Headingley, hundreds of fans invaded the pitch, and a steward was kicked and hit repeatedly while attempting to protect the stumps; he was left with broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder and had to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher. English captain Alec StewartAlec StewartAlec James Stewart OBE is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team...
conceded the game on safety grounds 15 minutes later with Pakistan still two runs short of their target of 157. Several arrests were made.
- September 1 – During an AFL match between GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
at Optus Oval, Geelong's Darren Milburn executed a very late and illegal bump on Carlton's Steven Silvagni, collecting Silvagni's head with his hip, knocking Silvagni unconscious and leaving him having to be carried from the field by trainers. Milburn then proceeded to clap towards the crowd after being substituted, further igniting the situation; Carlton fans threatened Milburn, attempted to enter the interchange box to assault him, and attempted to attack Milburn's police escort in the car park after the match. Milburn was suspended for three matches for the incident.
- December 16 – During an NFL game between the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Browns fans angered by the overturning via instant replay of a referee's call with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter threw beer bottles, cups and garbage on to the field, with officials as well as players on both teams being hit, resulting in a thirty-minute delay. Initially the game was called, with CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
announcers Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (sportscaster)Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
and Boomer EsiasonBoomer EsiasonNorman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
highly critical of the fans' conduct and the officials' handling of the incident. At least three Browns fans who attempted to run onto the field to remonstrate with officials were arrested, a number of Browns fans were ejected, and Commissioner Paul Tagliabue later ordered the final 48 seconds to be played.
2002
- March 17 – A brawl broke out in the stands between Leigh CenturionsLeigh CenturionsLeigh Centurions is an English professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester who play in the Co-operative Championship.The club was founded in 1878 as Leigh Rugby Football Club and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in...
and Wigan WarriorsWigan WarriorsWigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
fans at Hilton ParkHilton Park (stadium)Hilton Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. It was the home of Leigh Centurions rugby league club and Leigh Genesis F.C. association football club...
, and bottles were thrown on to the pitch, causing a ten-minute delay.
- June 15 – After an AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
match between CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
and the West Coast EaglesWest Coast EaglesThe West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
at Optus Oval which the Eagles won by one point, field umpiresUmpire (Australian rules football)An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.-Origins:Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Australian Football, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an...
were abused by Carlton fans and a beer bottle was thrown, forcing the league to upgrade security at the arena.
- August 10 – During a rugby union Tri-Nations match in Durban between and , a drunk South African fan, Pieter van Zyl, scaled a perimeter fence, ran onto the pitch and tackled the referee, David McHughDavid McHughDavid McHugh is an international Rugby Union Test referee. Born in Limerick, Ireland, McHugh has refereed matches at the 1995, 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cups, as well as refereeing the finals of the 1996 and 2001 Heineken Cup...
of Ireland, leaving McHugh with a dislocated shoulder and having to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher. All Blacks flanker Richie McCawRichie McCawRichard Hugh "Richie" McCaw is a New Zealand rugby union player, and is the current test captain. He plays in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams...
promptly punched van Zyl in the face and wrestled him to the ground until police and security arrested him. van Zyl was convicted of trespassing and assault, and was sentenced to three months in jail, fined $275, and banned for life from attending rugby matches in South Africa.
- August 18 – At the end of an AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
match between RichmondRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
and HawthornHawthorn Football ClubThe Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
, a female stalkerStalkingStalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
of five years on a restraining order ran onto the field to approach Richmond's Greg StaffordGreg Stafford (footballer)Gregory "Greg" Stafford is a retired Australian professional Australian rules football player who played for the Sydney Swans and the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League.-Sydney career:...
and tried to embrace him before he pushed her away and summoned security and police, who ejected the woman from the arena. The incident sparked much media attention as Stafford raised the issue of player security.
- September 10 – 10 minutes before kickoff in a Worthington CupWorthington cupWorthington Cup may refer to:* The Football League Cup, an English professional football trophy, known by this name when sponsored by the Worthington brand of beer between 1998 and 2003.* The Worthington Trophy, a Canadian military award....
match between Luton TownLuton Town F.C.Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
and WatfordWatford F.C.Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
at Vicarage RoadVicarage RoadVicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
, Luton fans invaded the pitch; after Watford fans did the same, a brawl broke out on the pitch between the two sets of supporters, with one fan being knocked unconscious and having to be taken from the field on a stretcher before riot police restored order. Two fans were arrested and another 50 were ejected.
- September 16 – A fight broke out amongst fans at FedEx Field during a Monday Night FootballMonday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
game between the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
with six and a half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Police broke up the fight by using pepper sprayPepper sprayPepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
, but the mist hit air blowers near the Eagles bench which affected the players, resulting in an eight minute delay of the game.
- September 19 – During a game between the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
and the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
at Comiskey ParkU.S. Cellular FieldU.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...
in Chicago, Royals first base coach Tom GamboaTom GamboaThomas Harold "Tom" Gamboa is a coach in Major League Baseball.Gamboa was born in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the Kansas City Royals first base coach who was attacked on the field by two fans, William Ligue Jr. and son, during a game against the Chicago White Sox on September 19,...
was violently assaulted by 34-year-old William Ligue Jr. and his 15-year-old son, William Ligue III.
- November 23 – As tensions between the two teams built throughout a penalty-filled college football game between HawaiiHawaii Warriors footballThe Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
and University of CincinnatiCincinnati Bearcats footballThe Cincinnati Bearcats football program represents the University of Cincinnati in a college football. They compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as members of the Big East Conference. The Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as...
at Aloha StadiumAloha StadiumAloha Stadium is a stadium located in the Halawa CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Currently Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaii Warriors football team...
in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, HawaiiHonolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, a controversial late hit on the already injured Hawaii quarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Timmy ChangTimmy ChangTimothy Kealii'okaaina Awa Chang is a retired American football player. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
caused a bench-clearing brawl which also involved both team's mascots. Cincinnati's athletic directorAthletic directorAn athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
Bob GoinBob GoinBob Goin is a retired college sports administrator who served as Athletic Director at the University of Cincinnati and Florida State University....
accused Hawaii fans of threatening Cincinnati players, coaches, and cheerleaders, and police used pepper sprayPepper sprayPepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
on fans who threw beer cups and garbage at Cincinnati players after the game.
- December 14 – After a controversial call gave the Sacramento KingsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
a win over the Utah JazzUtah JazzThe Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
at Delta CenterEnergySolutions ArenaEnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, owned by Jazz Basketball Investors, Inc., the estate of Larry H. Miller...
in Salt Lake City, fans littered officials and Kings' players and officials with beer cups and other debris as they left the court, forcing the officials to cover their heads with their jackets to avoid being hit.
2003
- April 15 – During a game between the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
and the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in Chicago, a fan ran on to the field (mid-play) and tried to tackle umpire Laz DiazLaz DíazLazaro Antonio Díaz is an umpire in Major League Baseball. He joined the American League's full-time staff in 1999, and has worked in both major leagues since 2000....
; Diaz, who was a former United States MarineUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, threw the fan to the ground.
- April 26 - During a League One match between Queens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
and CreweCrewe Alexandra F.C.Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
at Loftus RoadLoftus RoadLoftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
, a beer can was thrown at the referee, Andy Hall; at the end of the match, which ended in a 0-0 draw that ensured Crewe's promotion and saw two QPR players ejected, a pitch invasion occurred, with a QPR fan running onto the pitch to remonstrate with and abuse Hall before being ejected from the arena. Queen's Park Rangers were fined ₤50,000 by the English FA for having inadequate security.
- July 9 – During the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
' Sausage Race, PittsburghPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
's Randall SimonRandall SimonRandall Carlito Simon is a professional baseball first baseman. He has played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball and one in Nippon Professional Baseball between 1997 and 2006. Simon's debut season came with the Atlanta Braves in 1997, for whom he played until 1999...
leaned over the dugout and hit one of the racers, Mandy Block, with a bat. Block suffered a very minor injury, and Simon was later arrested and fined. Block forgave Simon, who said he did it "all in clean fun".
- October 11 – A grounds crew member at Fenway ParkFenway ParkFenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, Paul Williams, got into a fight with New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
relief pitcherRelief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Jeff NelsonJeff Nelson (baseball player)Jeffrey Allan Nelson is an American former baseball relief pitcher who played 15 years in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. Nelson retired on January 12, 2007, the same day he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees...
, which resulted in Nelson and Yankees right fielder Karim GarciaKarim GarcíaGustavo Karim García Aguayo is an outfielder with the Hanhwa Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization. García bats and throws left-handed, and has been nicknamed "The Latino Bambino."-Early years:...
jumping Williams. Nelson and Garcia were ejected, and all three were charged with assault and battery.
- October 11 – At the end of a college football game between the Nebraska CornhuskersNebraska CornhuskersThe Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
and the Missouri TigersMissouri TigersThe Missouri Tigers athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of the University of Missouri, located in Columbia, Missouri, United States...
in Columbia, MissouriColumbia, MissouriColumbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, celebrating Missouri fans invaded the field, and Nebraska cornerback Kellen Huston punched a Missouri fan, Matthew Scott, in the face, knocking Scott unconscious and leaving him having to be carried from the field on a stretcher; Scott also required surgery for a broken nose. Huston was suspended for one game and fined $500 in court after pleading guilty to a Class B misdemeanor charge of public disturbance of fighting.
- November 1 - In the late stages of a pool match in the 2003 Rugby World Cup2003 Rugby World CupThe 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
between South Africa and Samoa at Suncorp StadiumSuncorp StadiumLang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
in Brisbane, a drunk Samoan fan ran onto the pitch and attempted to tackle Springbok Louis KoenLouis Koen (rugby player)Louis Johannes Koen is a South-African rugby union player who played for the Springboks, up until 2003, when he moved abroad following the World Cup....
around the legs as he was kicking a goal. Koen kicked the goal, and inadvertently knocked the fan unconscious with a kick to the head.
2004
- March 8 – During a National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
game between the Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
and the Colorado AvalancheColorado AvalancheThe Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
at General Motors PlaceGeneral Motors PlaceRogers Arena Rogers Arena Rogers Arena (nicknamed "The Phone Booth" and "The Cable Box" and also "The Garage" (when it was called GM Place) is an indoor sports arena located at 800 Griffiths Way in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
, Avalanche forward Peter WorrellPeter WorrellPeter Worrell , is a retired professional ice hockey player. Worrell played seven seasons in the National Hockey League for the Florida Panthers and the Colorado Avalanche. During that time he was considered one of the most feared enforcers in the game.-Junior career:Worrell was a member of the...
was struck in the head by a beer cup while on the bench. It was during this game the Avalanche's Steve MooreSteve MooreSteven Dean Moore is a former Canadian professional ice hockey center, best known for receiving what turned out to be a career-ending injury as a result of an illegal hit by then Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi....
was driven head-first into the ice by the Canucks' Todd BertuzziTodd BertuzziTodd Bertuzzi is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...
.
- March 26 – During an NRL game between the Canterbury BulldogsCanterbury BulldogsThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
and the Sydney RoostersSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
at Aussie Stadium, Roosters player Brett FinchBrett FinchBrett Finch is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wigan Warriors of the Super League...
threw a full drink bottle back into the crowd after being pelted with missiles by Bulldogs fans. One fan was subsequently banned from attending NRL matches for life on video evidence, while Finch was ejected and suspended for three games.
- April 2 – After an AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
Friday Night Football match between Adelaide and St. Kilda at AAMI Stadium which St. Kilda won by 32 points, field umpires were booed and abused by Adelaide fans, and a drink bottle was thrown which hit a 12-year-old St. Kilda fan. One fan was ejected and banned for one year from the arena.
- April 22 – At Docklands StadiumTelstra DomeDocklands Stadium is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
during an AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
match between RichmondRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
and Adelaide, a Richmond fan spat on team coach Danny FrawleyDanny FrawleyDanny Frawley is a former Australian rules footballer and coach and a current football commentator with Fox Sports.He is the nephew of Collingwood player Des Tuddenham and the uncle of current Melbourne Football Club player James Frawley.- Football career :Recruited from Ballarat, after attending...
and other club officials. The controversial incident was captured on AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n national television; the fan was identified and later questioned.
- April 26 – In the NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Nextel CupNEXTEL CupThe NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
race at Talladega SuperspeedwayTalladega SuperspeedwayTalladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, Jeff GordonJeff GordonJeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
won in a controversial ending where he passed NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the race ended under caution, causing fans to throw garbage onto the racetrack; Gordon then defiantly performed a victory "doughnut"Doughnut (driving)A doughnut or donut is a maneuver performed while driving a vehicle. Performing this maneuver entails rotating the rear or front of the vehicle around the opposite set of wheels in a continuous motion, creating a circular skid-mark pattern of rubber on a roadway and possibly even cause the tires...
over the garbage. The finish to the race caused NASCAR to institute the green-white-checker finishGreen-white-checker finishThe green-white-checker finish is a rule implemented into many levels of automobile racing in the United States. When the race would otherwise end during a yellow-flag caution condition , this rule gives the field an attempt to finish the race under a green-flag, racing condition...
.
- August 29 – During the men's marathon event at the 2004 Summer Olympics2004 Summer OlympicsThe 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, defrocked IrishIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
priest Neil HoranNeil HoranCornelius "Neil" Horan, sometimes referred to as The Grand Prix Priest or The Dancing Priest , is a laicized Irish Roman Catholic clergyman who is noted for his interference with the running of the 2003 British Grand Prix and the 2004 Summer Olympics men's marathon in order to promote his religious...
burst out of the crowd to accost race leader Vanderlei de LimaVanderlei de LimaVanderlei Cordeiro de Lima is a former long-distance runner who specialised in marathons. He received international renown after a spectator, a laicized Irish priest, attacked him at the 2004 Summer Olympics marathon while he was leading the race at 35 km...
, an action which may have cost de Lima the gold medalGold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, although many observers have noted that he was losing ground to Stefano BaldiniStefano BaldiniStefano Baldini is a retired Italian athlete and the 2004 Olympic and former European champion in the marathon....
of ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Mebrahtom KeflezighiMebrahtom KeflezighiMebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi is an American athlete, specializing in long distance running. He and his family were refugees from Eritrea via Italy to the United States, when he was age 12...
of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
even before the attack, and they likely would have caught him anyway. De Lima ultimately placed third in the race behind Baldini and Keflezighi. De Lima later declined to protest the result, for which the IOC compensated him with the De Coubertin medal. Fellow Brazilian and Olympic beach volleyball player Emanuel Rego, who won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, was so impressed with de Lima's sportsmanship that gave his gold medal to de Lima on television on July 1, 2005. A deeply and visibly touched Vanderlei returned it, saying that "I can't accept Emanuel's medal. I'm happy with mine, it's bronze but means gold". His attitude of sportsmanship continues to inspire.
- September 13 – During a game between the Oakland AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
and the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
at Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, Rangers pitcher Frank FranciscoFrank FranciscoFranklin Thomas Francisco is a relief pitcher.-Baseball career:Francisco was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox. He was traded by the Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox on July 31, , along with Byeong Hak An in exchange for reliever Bob Howry...
was ejected, arrested, and charged with assault and battery after he threw a metal chair into the stands that hit a fan, Jennifer Bueno, breaking her nose and causing a gash which required stitches. Francisco was released on $15,000 bail and suspended for the remainder of the season by MLB. He pleaded no contest to the charges, and was sentenced to anger management classes and a work program; in 2007, he settled a civil suit brought by Bueno.
- September 18 - In the AFL CairnsAFL CairnsThe Australian Football League Cairns is a semi-professional Australian rules football league that includes clubs from the Cairns region in Queensland, Australia...
Grand Final between the North Cairns Tigers and the Port Douglas Crocs at Cazaly's StadiumCazaly's StadiumCazaly's Stadium, also known by its sponsorship name as Bundaberg Rum Stadium, is a sports stadium in Cairns, Australia, that is named after former VFL legend Roy Cazaly....
, a wild and violent 15 minute bench-clearing brawl erupted after Tigers players charged at the Crocs pre-match huddle at the end of the national anthem, and escalated when fans and team officials became involved. One fan was arrested and another five were ejected, while three Crocs players and a Crocs runner were left unconscious and having to be carried from the arena on stretchers. After a lengthy AFL investigation, the instigator, North Cairns Tigers coach and former VFL/AFL player Jason Love, was suspended for eight years, and the 22 North Cairns players were suspended for a total of 400 matches (suspensions ranging from 10 matches to five years) on a string of charges in relation to starting the brawl; the Tigers were forced to forfeit their first match of 2005 as a result of these suspensions. AFL Cairns declared the Grand Final a "no result" and withheld the 2004 premiership.
- September 29 – After a fan threw a plastic beer bottle onto the field during a home game against the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and the Colorado RockiesColorado RockiesThe Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
, Milton Bradley of the Dodgers threw it back into the front row. As Bradley walked to the Dodgers' dugout after being ejected, he took his jersey and hat off, and with the crowd behind the dugout booing, Bradley gestured with palms up, urging the fans on. Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
suspended Bradley for five games.
- November 19 – Pacers–Pistons brawl: one of American sports' most infamous incidents. Near the end of an NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
game between the Indiana PacersIndiana PacersThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
and the Detroit PistonsDetroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
at The Palace of Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...
, a fight broke out between players on the court and Pacers player Ron ArtestRon ArtestMetta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
was hit with a drink thrown by a fan. Artest then ran into the stands, as did his teammates (most prominently Stephen JacksonStephen JacksonStephen Jesse Jackson is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. Jackson is a 6'8" guard-forward.-Early life, high school, and college:Jackson was born in Houston and grew up in Port Arthur, Texas...
and Jermaine O'NealJermaine O'NealJermaine Lee O'Neal is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics. The 6 ft 11 in , 255 lb forward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school...
) and they began fighting with fans. Some fans spilled onto the court to avoid the altercation, leading to additional fights with Pacers players when they returned from the stands. The remaining 45 seconds were called off and the Pacers, who led by 15 points at the time, were awarded the win. Pacers players and coaching personnel were pelted with beverages and garbage as they raced into the locker rooms. Nine players received a total of 146 games worth of suspensions, and two fans were banned from attending Palace Sports and EntertainmentPalace Sports and EntertainmentPalace Sports & Entertainment ' is a sports and entertainment company owned by Tom Gores.The company owns the Detroit Pistons of the NBA...
events for life. Five Indiana players and five fans were charged with assault and battery.
2005
- February 24 – a group of Widnes VikingsWidnes VikingsWidnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
fans let off a distress flare during a match with St Helens RLFC at Knowsley RoadKnowsley RoadKnowsley Road was a stadium located in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It was the home of St Helens RLFC from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hosted Liverpool FC Reserves...
.
- April 12 – In the 74th minute of a UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
match between crosstown rivals Inter MilanF.C. Internazionale MilanoFootball Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, A.C. MilanA.C. MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
goalkeeper Dida was hit in the shoulder with a flare thrown from the Inter fans to protest the disallowing of an Esteban CambiassoEsteban CambiassoEsteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau , nicknamed "Cuchu" , is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Italian Serie A club Internazionale....
equaliser. Dida suffered only minor burns, but was unable to continue the match. After burning flares were cleared from the pitch, causing a 30 minute delay, the match was briefly restarted before another round of debris-throwing forced the abandonment of the match. AC Milan's 1–0 lead was allowed to stand and they progressed.
- April 14 – A fan at Fenway ParkFenway ParkFenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
took a swing at Yankees right fielder Gary SheffieldGary SheffieldGary Antonian Sheffield , nicknamed "Sheff", is an American retired Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for eight major league ball clubs from 1988 to 2009, primarily as an outfielder.-Biography:...
as he was fielding a ball in play, prompting Sheffield to take a swing at the fan. While this was happening, another fan threw beer at Sheffield, then jumped back tripping over the fan next to him. After throwing the ball back into the field of play, Sheffield approached the fan who threw a punch at him, before security intervened. The fan was ejected from the stadium and had his season tickets revoked.
- April 26 – Philadelphia 76ersPhiladelphia 76ersThe Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
guard Allen IversonAllen IversonAllen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...
was struck by a coin that was thrown by a Detroit PistonsDetroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
fan while Iverson was on the bench. The suspect was arrested with the help of witnesses who saw the incident.
- November 30 – During the first ODI in the Chappell-Hadlee Series between Australia and New Zealand at Eden ParkEden ParkEden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand fans threw fruit, beer bottles, tennis balls and golf balls at Australian players. Five fans and five streakers were arrested and another 40 were ejected.
2006
- January 20 - During a tri-series one-day international between Australia and South Africa at Telstra Stadium, an Australian fan was ejected after they allegedly punched an ICC official in the face.
- March 20 – During an NRL game between CanterburyCanterbury BulldogsThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
and the Wests TigersWests TigersThe Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
at Telstra StadiumTelstra StadiumStadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...
, a brawl broke out in the grandstand with 20 minutes left, and another brawl broke out between a group of Bulldogs fans and Tigers fans in the carpark of the venue after the game. Six fans were arrested and another 10 were ejected.
- May 28 - During an AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
match between North MelbourneNorth Melbourne Football ClubThe North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
and St Kilda, a North Melbourne fan had a provocative confrontation with coach Dean LaidleyDean LaidleyDean Laidley is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League from 1987 to 1997, including in North Melbourne's 1996 premiership side. He served as coach of North Melbourne from 2003 to 2009...
, to which Laidley responded with a verbal barrage, inviting the fan to the club rooms to see how badly the players were feeling due to their consistently poor on-field performance. The incident was captured on Australian national television. The fan committed suicide by throwing himself in the path of an oncoming train the next morning, with the man's family, police and North Melbourne stating the death was unrelated; however, there were widespread calls for Laidley to be fined for the incident.
- November 11 – At an FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match between Newport CountyNewport County A.F.C.Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
and Swansea CitySwansea City A.F.C.Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
, fourth official Alan Sheffield was struck in the head with a £1 coin thrown from the crowd after Sheffield and referee Tony Bates engaged in a dispute with Newport manager Peter BeadlePeter BeadlePeter Clifford William James Beadle is an English former football player and manager. A forward, he scored some 83 goals in 355 league games, mostly for the two Bristol clubs....
, who had been ejected for abusing officials. The impact cut an artery, and Sheffield was rushed into surgery, requiring seven stitches. Beadle was suspended for seven matches and fined £750 for his role in the incident.
- Several other coin-throwing incidents occurred during November, with Fulham'sFulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
Claus JensenClaus JensenClaus William Jensen is a former Danish professional footballer, who played as a midfielder. Jensen played more than 40 games and scored 8 goals for the Denmark national football team, and represented Denmark at the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship tournaments. He is the cousin of AaB...
and Arsenal'sArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
Robin van PersieRobin van PersieRobin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
also being hit with coins.
2007
- January 21 – In a Heineken CupHeineken CupThe Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
rugby union match between ToulouseStade ToulousainStade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
and UlsterUlster RugbyUlster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
, Toulouse player Trevor BrennanTrevor BrennanTrevor Brennan is a former rugby union player for Barnhall, Bective Rangers, St Marys College RFC, Leinster Rugby, Stade Toulousain and Ireland; being capped 13 times. He played either in the second row or as a flanker.Trevor captained St Mary's College RFC to their only AIB League title in 2000...
ran into a section of the stands housing Ulster supporters and assaulted Ulster fan Patrick Bamford. Competition organiser European Rugby CupEuropean Rugby CupEuropean Rugby Cup is the organising body of two European rugby union club tournaments; the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup. The organisation was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Dublin...
found that Brennan was being baited over the standard of Brennan's Bar, which he co-owns in Toulouse. Brennan received a life ban from rugby, which was reduced to a five year suspension, prompting his retirement. Bamford successfully sued the Guardian, among others, for libel concerning reports that suggested he had shouted sectarian abuse.
- March 20 – Following Chelsea'sChelsea F.C.Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
2–1 victory over TottenhamTottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in an FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
quarter-finals match at White Hart LaneWhite Hart LaneWhite Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
, Chelsea midfielder Frank LampardFrank LampardFrank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
was attacked by Tottenham fan Tim Smith, who ran onto the pitchPitch invasionA pitch invasion or field invasion, known as rushing the field in the United States, occurs when a crowd of people who are watching a sports game run onto the field, to celebrate or protest about an incident...
and threw a clumsy punch at him. Footage appears to show Lampard's teammate Didier DrogbaDidier DrogbaDidier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
stomping on Smith after Chelsea's fitness coach Rui Faria had wrestled Smith to the ground.
- April 21 – Following Jeff GordonJeff GordonJeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
's win at the Subway Fresh Fit 5002007 Subway Fresh Fit 500The 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 was the eighth race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Season, and it ran on April 21, 2007 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. This race was , one of a handful of NASCAR events that use kilometers instead of laps or miles. The race also served as the...
at Phoenix International RacewayPhoenix International RacewayPhoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
, which meant that Gordon tied the late Dale EarnhardtDale EarnhardtRalph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
with 76 wins, a handful of Earnhardt fans threw beverage cans at Gordon's car as he celebrated the victory and paid tribute to Earnhardt.
- April 29 – At the Aaron's 4992007 Aaron's 499The 2007 Aaron's 499 was the ninth race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Season, and was run on April 29, 2007 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. This race was the second of the four restrictor plate races on the NASCAR schedule....
at Talladega SuperspeedwayTalladega SuperspeedwayTalladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, a track where Dale Earnhardt and particularly his son Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Jr.* NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."...
have a strong following, Jeff Gordon won the race again, this time surpassing Earnhardt, Sr. on the all-time wins list. A much larger number of fans threw beverage cans and other debris on the track and at Gordon's car following his victory. Fourteen fans were arrested and banned from buying tickets from the speedway for life.
- May 23 – During an AHLAmerican Hockey LeagueThe American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
playoff game, Kip BrennanKip BrennanKip Brennan is a hockey enforcer who is currently playing with the Vityaz Chekhov in the Kontinental Hockey League...
of the Hershey BearsHershey BearsThe Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of...
engaged in a fight with a drunk Manchester MonarchsManchester MonarchsThe Manchester Monarchs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001.-History:...
fan who had attacked him in the penalty box, and ripped the fan's T-shirt. Brennan was restrained by officials, given a game misconduct penalty, and suspended for the remainder of the playoffs. The fan was ejected from the arena.
- May 28 – In the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals between the Utah JazzUtah JazzThe Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the San Antonio SpursSan Antonio SpursThe San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
at EnergySolutions ArenaEnergySolutions ArenaEnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, owned by Jazz Basketball Investors, Inc., the estate of Larry H. Miller...
in Salt Lake City, Jazz fans gave way to frustration, with most of it aimed at San Antonio SpursSan Antonio SpursThe San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
swingmanSwingmanA Swingman is a basketball term denoting a player who can play both the small forward and shooting guard positions, and, in essence, swing between the shooting guard and small forward positions." Swingmen males are often between 6'5" and 6'8" .John Havlicek, who played for the Boston Celtics in...
Manu GinóbiliManu GinobiliEmanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili is an Argentine professional basketball player. Coming from a family of professional basketball players, he is a member of the Argentine men's national basketball team and the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association .Ginóbili spent the early part of...
and his flair for drawing foulsFlop (basketball)In basketball, flop is a pejorative term that refers to a defensive player intentionally falling backward to the floor upon physical contact with an offensive player. The hope is that it will appear to the official that the defensive player was knocked off of his feet by the offensive player's...
. Four technical fouls were called against Utah in the fourth quarter, and Jazz fans threw empty water bottles and garbage onto the court after head coach Jerry SloanJerry SloanGerald Eugene "Jerry" Sloan , is an American former National Basketball Association player and head coach, and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. NBA commissioner David Stern called Sloan "one of the greatest and most respected coaches in NBA history." Sloan had a career regular-season...
and guard Derek FisherDerek FisherDerek Lamar Fisher is an American professional basketball point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His NBA career has spanned more than 14 years, during which he has won five NBA Championships...
were both ejected for arguing with officials. After the Spurs won the game 91–79, Jazz fans threw beer cups and garbage at Spurs players and officials, with Spurs head coach Gregg PopovichGregg PopovichGregg Popovich is an American basketball coach, and is currently the head coach of the National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs. With the resignation of Jerry Sloan as head coach of the Utah Jazz on February 10, 2011, Popovich is the longest tenured coach in the NBA and also the...
being forced to rush his team straight into the locker room instead of submitting to post-game interviews. Two fans were arrested.
- June 2 – With the score tied 3–3 in the 89th minute of a UEFA European Football Championship2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifyingThis page describes the qualifying procedure for the UEFA Euro 2008.- Seedings :Qualification coefficients were used to rank the teams according to their results in both UEFA Euro 2004 and FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying stages. Only the group matches, and not any additional playoffs, counted...
match between SwedenSweden national football teamThe Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
and DenmarkDenmark national football teamThe Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, a drunk Danish fan stormed the pitch and punched referee Herbert FandelHerbert FandelHerbert Fandel is a former German football referee who was in charge of the 2007 UEFA Champions League final. Fandel refereed the UEFA Cup final in 2006 between the English side Middlesbrough and the Spanish side Sevilla. He also refereed the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil in Germany...
in the face before being restrained by Danish team officials. Fandel had awarded Sweden a penalty kick after Danish midfielder Christian PoulsenChristian PoulsenChristian Bjørnshøj Poulsen is a Danish footballer who plays for Evian in Ligue 1. He has played for a number of European clubs, winning the Danish Superliga championship with F.C...
was sent off for punching Swedish striker Markus Rosenberg in the stomach. Following the attack, the match was abandoned, and UEFA later awarded Sweden a 3-0 victory. See 2008 UEFA qualifier fan attack for more details.
- June 20 – During an exhibition match between South MelbourneSouth Melbourne FCSouth Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
and the Melbourne VictoryMelbourne VictoryMelbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
at Bob Jane Stadium, South Melbourne player Andrew Bourakis was hit by a flare. 15 fans were ejected during the match.
- July 8 – At the end of a Rugby Football LeagueRugby Football LeagueThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
match between Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston RoversHull Kingston RoversHull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
which Hull won 30-20, a group of drunk and drug-affected Hull FC fans invaded the pitch; prompting Rovers fans to do the same, a brawl broke out between the rival fans, and it was believed that Hull centre Kirk YeamanKirk YeamanKirk Yeaman is an English professional rugby league footballer for Hull FC of Super League. An England international representative centre three-quarter back, he also previously played for the Great Britain national rugby league team....
may have assaulted a fan. The League launched an enquiry.
- July 25 - In the top of the ninth inning in a game between the Angels and Athletics at Angel Stadium, a fan, Roland Flores, threw a water bottle that hit Mike PiazzaMike PiazzaMichael Joseph "Mike" Piazza ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics....
after he had homered earlier in the game; Piazza then pointed his bat in the stands at the fan he believed threw the water bottle to get the attention of security. Flores was arrested by the ballpark security, and Piazza pressed charges against Flores. Flores was sentenced to 30 days in prison and three years of probation on March 27, 2008.
- October 3 – Following CelticCeltic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
's late goal in the Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Group D clash against AC MilanA.C. MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
which resulted in a 2–1 victory, a drunk Celtic fan, Robert McHendry, ran from one side of the pitch to the other, making light contact to the shoulder of Milan goalkeeper Dida while running past him; Dida took a couple steps in pursuit of McHendry before he went down clutching his face in apparent agony and had to be taken off the pitch on a stretcher. McHendry was banned from Celtic matches for life, and Celtic were fined 30,000 Swiss Francs for the incident. Dida was fined and suspended for two Champions League matches for simulation; the suspension was later reduced to one match on appeal. Several other CelticCeltic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
fans destroyed advertising hoardings at the side of the pitch as they also tried to reach celebrating Celtic players on the pitch.
- November 11 – A policeman near ArezzoArezzoArezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
attempting to break up a brawl between Juventus and S.S. LazioS.S. LazioSocietà Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
fans shot and killed Lazio supporter Gabriele Sandri; as news of the killing spread across Italy, a match between A.C. MilanA.C. MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and Atalanta B.C.Atalanta B.C.Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
was abandoned after seven minutes after fans attempted to destroy a glass barrier separating them from the pitch.
2008
- March 22 - At the end of a drawn yet heated IFA PremiershipIFA PremiershipThe IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
match between BallymenaBallymena United F.C.Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was...
and Lisburn DistilleryLisburn Distillery F.C.Lisburn Distillery is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1880, originated in west Belfast, where it was based at Grosvenor Park at Distillery Street off the Grosvenor Road until 1971...
at the Ballymena Showgrounds, chairs, beer bottles and a leg of lamb were thrown onto the pitch by Ballymena fans. Distillery were also booed and pelted with various objects by Ballymena fans upon leaving the pitch at the end of the match which saw two Ballymena players ejected. A wild brawl broke out in the tunnel involving players and team officials, with both teams' managers having to be restrained by officials, and referee Mark Courtney had to be escorted from the field under police protection.
- June – A CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
fan was ejected from the MCGMelbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
after spitting on CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
's Brendan FevolaBrendan FevolaBrendan Fevola is a professional Australian rules footballer. He played with the Carlton and Brisbane Lions football clubs in the Australian Football League....
twice.
- July 24 – During a minor league A-level baseball game, pitcher Julio Castillo of the Peoria ChiefsPeoria ChiefsThe Peoria Chiefs are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, from Peoria, Illinois. They play in the Midwest League....
was ejected, arrested and charged with assault. After a heated argument with the Dayton DragonsDayton DragonsThe Dayton Dragons are a Class A minor league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. They play in the Midwest League at Fifth Third Field.The Dragons came to Dayton in 2000...
manager which was broken up by the umpire, Castillo threw the ball at the Dragons dugout, but the ball struck a fan, Chris McCarthy, who was knocked out and had to be immediately taken to hospital; this incident resulted in a 10 minute bench-clearing brawl, and the game was delayed for one hour and nine minutes. Castillo was arraigned the next day, held on a $50,000 bond, and had to surrender his passport. On August 6, 2009, Castillo was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 3 years of probation, and was sent to anger management.
- December 21 – During a game between the Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Seattle, the Jets' Shaun EllisShaun EllisMeShaunda "Shaun" Pizarrur Ellis is an American football defensive end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . Ellis was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee...
threw a large chunk of snow at Seahawks fans. Two days later, after the NFL fined Ellis $10,000 for his actions, Ellis claimed that it was "all in good fun."
2009
- February 16 – In an AHSAAAlabama High School Athletic AssociationThe Alabama High School Athletic Association , based in Montgomery, is the agency which oversees interscholastic athletic programs for public schools in Alabama....
high school basketball tournament game between Carver-Montgomery and Valley high schools at the ASUAlabama State UniversityAlabama State University, founded 1867, is a historically black university located in Montgomery, Alabama. ASU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- History :...
Acadome, a hard foul with 6:23 remaining in the game escalated into a wild bench-clearing brawlBench-clearing brawlA bench-clearing brawl, sometimes known as a basebrawl or a rhubarb, is a form of ritualistic fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, in which every player on both teams leave their dugouts, bullpens, or benches and charge the playing area in order to fight one...
, and fights broke out in the stands before spilling over onto the court. Eleven people were arrested, with the game being declared null and void, and both teams were ejected from the playoffs. Carver-Montgomery were fined $2600 and banned from tournaments for two years, while Montgomery were fined $3900 and banned from tournaments for one year. Talladega High School were given a bye in the tournament as a result of the brawl.
- March 21 - During an Argentinian Primera C match between Barracas Bolívar and General LamadridClub Atlético General LamadridClub Atlético General Lamadrid is a sports club located in Villa Devoto, Buenos Aires, Argentina...
, a heated argument broke out between three Lamadrid players, four Lamadrid team officials and Barracas fans on the touchline in reaction to taunting and abuse by Barracas fans with Barracas leading 3–0 in the 60th minute; this escalated into a brawl, and the remaining Lamadrid players ran over to defend their colleagues, sparking numerous brawls in and around the stands. After riot police, officials, ground staff and fans had restored order, all 11 Lamadrid players on the pitch and all seven of Lamadrid's substitutes were ejected, and the match was abandoned. Lamadrid were forced to play with a team of reserve and youth players for their next match.
- April 25 – In an NHL playoff game between the New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and Washington CapitalsWashington CapitalsThe Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
at Washington's Verizon Center, Rangers head coach John TortorellaJohn TortorellaJonathan "John" Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and is now the head coach of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He is perhaps best known for his tenure as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning when he led the team to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship...
squirted a fan with a water bottle, threw another water bottle over the glass which hit an unsuspecting fan in the face, and made threatening gestures to the fan with a stick. Tortorella was suspended for one game.
- May 16 - With 33 seconds remaining in an NRL game between the St George Illawarra DragonsSt George Illawarra DragonsThe St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
and the Canterbury BulldogsCanterbury BulldogsThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
, Bulldogs fans threw bottles onto the field and at officials to protest a video referee's decision that overruled a try, causing a five-minute delay.
- May 18 - At the end of an NRL game between the Wests TigersWests TigersThe Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
and the Brisbane BroncosBrisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
which the Broncos won 20-18, a drunk Tigers fan ran onto the field and tackled referee Jared Maxwell before being detained by security. The fan was charged with trespassing and assault, and was also banned from NRL games for life.
- July 19 – During the first half of his first game back at the Home Depot Center following a loan to AC Milan, Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles GalaxyThe Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
midfielder David BeckhamDavid BeckhamDavid Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
was subjected to obscene chants by fans angered by his expressed desire to remain with the Italian club. At halftime, Beckham was restrained by security from trying to climb over a barrier to confront a drunk fan who had run onto the pitch. The invading fan was arrested and banned from attending LA Galaxy home games for life, while Beckham was fined $1,000 for the incident. The fan's life ban was later lifted on appeal.
- August 12 – Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
center fielder Shane VictorinoShane VictorinoShane Patrick Victorino is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is a switch-hitter and throws right-handed.-Career:...
was hit by a beer cup while catching a pop-fly ball at Wrigley FieldWrigley FieldWrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
. Victorino and the Phillies filed a complaint with the Chicago Police DepartmentChicago Police DepartmentThe Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Chicago. It is the largest police department in the Midwest and the second largest local law enforcement agency in the...
; the fan was charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery.
- August 25 – A second-round League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
match at Boleyn GroundBoleyn GroundThe Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
between MillwallMillwall F.C.Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
and West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
was repeatedly interrupted by multiple pitch invasions and debris throwing, and a wild brawl broke out between rival fans outside the ground after the match. The English FA fined West Ham ₤115,000 and warned both teams that they would be ejected from the FA Cup for any further incidents of crowd violence.
- September 3 – After a 19–8 loss at the Bronco StadiumBronco StadiumBronco Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Boise, Idaho, the home field of the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference. Since 1997, it has hosted the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Bronco Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Boise, Idaho, the home field of the Boise State Broncos...
in Boise, IdahoBoise, IdahoBoise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, OregonOregon Ducks footballThe Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
running back LeGarrette BlountLeGarrette BlountLeGarrette Montez Blount is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2010....
punched Boise StateBoise State Broncos footballThis page discusses the Boise State football program. For more Boise State athletics, see Boise State Broncos.The Boise State Broncos football program represents Boise State University in college football and compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I as a member of the Mountain West...
linebacker Byron HoutByron HoutByron Hout is an American football Middle Linebacker in his Senior year at Boise State University in Idaho.-High school:Hout was born in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, and played linebacker at Lake City High School in Coeur d’ Alene...
in the jaw after Hout appeared to be taunting him. As he was escorted from the field by officials, Blount had to be restrained from running into the stands to take on BSU fans, who Blount claimed wielded a chair and threw punches at him. Blount was suspended for ten games.
- October 16 – During a Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball AssociationThe Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
game between the Burger King Whoppers and Smart GilasSmart GilasSmart Gilas Pilipinas is a developmental Philippine national basketball team sponsored by Smart Communications and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas...
at Araneta ColiseumAraneta ColiseumThe Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
in Quezon CityQuezon CityQuezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Whoppers captain Wynne ArboledaWynne ArboledaWynne Arboleda is a Filipino basketball player playing professionally for the Barako Bull Energy in the Philippine Basketball Association...
ran into the stands and kicked and punched a fan, Alain Katigbak, who was shouting profanities at him after Arboleda had been ejected for committing his second flagrant foul. Arboleda was suspended for the rest of the 2009–2010 season plus the first game of the 2010–2011 season, fined PhP20,000 (US$428), and banned from attending games during his suspension by the PBA.
2010
- January 31 – Near the end of the fifth and final cricket one-day international between Australia and Pakistan at the WACA, a drunk Australian fan, David James Fraser, ran onto the field and tackled Pakistan's Khalid LatifKhalid Latif (cricketer)Khalid Latif is a Pakistani cricketer.A right-handed opening batsman, Latif was captain of the Pakistani side which won the U-19 World Cup in 2004...
before being detained by security. The Pakistani sports minister has called for Cricket Australia to set up barriers and ban alcohol at Australian cricket grounds, and the ICC are also investigating the matter. Fraser pleaded guilty to trespassing and assault, was fined $9000, and banned from the WACA for life. A second pitch invasion occurred earlier in the game, and another 24 fans were ejected.
- February 20 - During the 2010 Kor Royal Cup match2010 Kor Royal Cup stampedeThe Kor Royal Cup stampede was a human crush that occurred on 20 February 2010 at Suphachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand during a Kor Royal Cup match between Muangthong United and Thai Port.-Events:...
between Muangthong United and Thai Port at Suphachalasai StadiumSuphachalasai StadiumSuphachalasai Stadium, also known as the National Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The stadium holds 26,000 people and was opened in 1935.-History:...
in Bangkok, Thailand, Thai Port fans threw firecrackers and bottles onto the pitch with Muangthong United leading 2-0 in the 81st minute, and a pitch invasion occurred in which Thai Port fans attacked fleeing Muangthong United fans, Muangthong United players, officials and stadium security before setting fire to Muangthong United's team flag and a team shirt in the centre of the pitch. Ten fans were injured.
- February 23 - Berea College and Indiana University-Southeast basketball players and fans swarmed the floor after a hard screen set by a Berea player as his team was bringing the ball up court. IU Southeast players then rush to defend their fallen teammate and confront the opposing player, the pushing and shoving soon escalating to wild swings and gym-wide mayhem and by the end of the night players from both teams were in hot water. A massive brawl erupted in the middle of the game, resulting in a stunning eleven ejections.
- March 15 - During the first period of a KHLKontinental Hockey LeagueThe Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
playoff game between Avtomobilist YekaterinburgAvtomobilist YekaterinburgAvtomobilist is a professional ice hockey team based in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. They replaced Khimik Voskresensk in the Kontinental Hockey League in 2009.-External links:...
and Salavat Yulaev UfaSalavat Yulaev UfaSalavat Yulaev is a professional ice hockey team based in Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League, and were part of Group C of the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League.-History:The...
at the Yekaterinburg Sports PalaceYekaterinburg Sports PalaceYekaterinburg Sports Palace is an indoor sporting arena located in Yekaterinburg, Russia. It is used for various indoor events and is the home arena of the Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. The capacity of the arena is 5,500 spectators.-External links:**...
, a drunk Avtomobilist fan climbed over the glass behind Salavat's bench and hit Salavat goaltender Vitaly KolesnikVitaly KolesnikVitaly Nikolaevich Kolesnik is a Kazakhstani professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:...
over the head with a stick several times. Kolesnik was left with a concussion and with blood pouring down his face, and had to be escorted from the arena by medical personnel. The fan was arrested, while Avtomobilist were fined one million rubles ($33,500) by the KHL for having inadequate security.
- June 6 - The final game of the HEBA A1 finals at Peace and Friendship StadiumPeace and Friendship StadiumThe Stadio Eirinis kai Filias , known as S.E.F., is a multi-use indoor sports arena that is located in Faliro, Piraeus, Athens, Greece. It is the central venue of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex and is mostly known for being the long-time home court of the famous Euroleague basketball club...
between ancient rivals Olympiacos and Panathinaikos degenerated into what one commentator called a "night of shame" for Greek basketballBasketball in GreeceThe sport of basketball in Greece erupted with the sensational win in the EuroBasket 1987 in Piraeus, which caused a true basketball euphoria in the country, whose effects can still be felt today...
. The game started 40 minutes late after police were forced to use tear gas on rioting Reds fans, reportedly incensed at what they considered to be biased officiating in the Greens' favor in Game 3. In the third quarter, with PAO leading 50–42, the game was halted for an hour after Reds fans threw various objects at the PAO bench. Reds fans again began throwing objects on the court with little over a minute left in the game and PAO ahead 76–69; officials ruled the game a forfeit to PAO, giving the Greens the title, and the new champions had to be escorted off the floor by riot police. HEBA fined Olympiacos €111,000, ordered them to play their first nine home games of the 2010–11 season behind closed doors and also banned TV coverage of these games.
- October 12 - During a Euro 2012 qualifyingUEFA Euro 2012 qualifyingThe qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
match between SerbiaSerbia national football teamThe Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
and ItalyItaly national football teamThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in GenoaGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy, the start of the match was delayed by about 35 minutes due to rioting in the stands, and a flare was thrown onto the field in the seventh minute, which started more rioting and a mass brawl between rival fans in the stands, forcing the abandonment of the match. Italy were later awarded the match 3-0. Serbia were fined €120,000 and ordered to play their next two games behind closed doors, while Italy were fined €100,000 for having inadequate security.
2011
- March 20 - During a match between San Lorenzo and Vélez SársfieldClub Atlético Vélez SársfieldClub Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...
of the Argentine Football AssociationArgentine Football AssociationThe Argentine Football Association is the governing body of football in Argentina. It organises the Argentine football league and the Argentina national football team. It is based in Buenos Aires...
, a riot broke out between rival fans at Vélez Stadium. The catalyst to the violence was the beating death of unarmed San Lorenzo fan Ramon Aramayo by police at a security checkpoint at the stadium's entrance. Seven minutes into the game, San Lorenzo goalkeeper Pablo MigliorePablo MigliorePablo Migliore is an Argentine football goalkeeper who plays for San Lorenzo.Migliore started his career with Germinal de Rawson before moving to Huracán in 2003....
dropped to the ground after being struck in the head by an object thrown from the stands. Fans ripped apart a chain-link fence separating themselves from police before order was restored. - August 8 - In an Arena Football LeagueArena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
semifinal playoff game between the Georgia ForceGeorgia ForceThe Georgia Force are an Arena Football League team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States that plays in the South Division of the American Conference. The team is owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn Jennings...
and Jacksonville SharksJacksonville SharksThe Jacksonville Sharks were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They competed for part of the 1974 season in the World Football League, a failed attempt to launch a major professional football league in the United States in competition with the National Football...
, a Sharks fan leaned over the wall separating the field from the stands and grabbed Force kick returner C. J. Johnson by his facemask, preventing him from running the ball out of the end zone. Officials assessed the home-team Sharks with a 15-yard penalty, and the fan was ejected from the arena. The Arena Football League is investigating the incident. - October 30 - In a Romanian soccer Liga ILiga ILiga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
game between FC Petrolul Ploiești and FC Steaua București, when a penalty kick was awarded to Steaua, a Petrolul fan Dragos Petrut Enache ran onto the field and hit Steaua defender George GalamazGeorge GalamazGeorge Daniel Galamaz is a Romanian football player, currently playing at Steaua Bucureşti.-Career:In 2009-2010 season, he was selected the Centre Back of the Year.He played for Unirea Urziceni...
in the face with a heavy object, breaking his cheekbone. Enache was attacked and kicked by two Steaua players, Novak MartinovićNovak MartinovicNovak Martinović is a Serbian footballer who plays for FC Steaua Bucureşti Romania, as a right defender and sometimes as a centre back...
and Răzvan StancaRazvan StancaRăzvan Marian Stanca is a Romanian professional football player under contract with Steaua Bucureşti.-Steaua:...
, who both received red cards for retaliating. When the play resumed, Steaua converted the penalty kick to go up 2-0 and Petrolul fans started throwing flares onto the field, hitting and slightly injuring Steaua goalkeeper Ciprian TătărușanuCiprian TatarusanuAnton Ciprian Tătărușanu is a Romanian footballer currently playing for Steaua Bucureşti.In June 2011, Napoli offered €3 million for the player, but the offer was rejected.- Club career :...
. At that point, the referee decided to abandon the game. Enache was arrested and jailed.