bleacherreport: Philadelphia fans are known to be brutal. Throwing snowballs at Santa Claus, booing their franchise players, and cheering when opposing players get injured are just several infamous occasions in which the City of Brotherly Love didn't live up to its name.
But that's nothing compared to the disgusting fans in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Last season, Derek Fisher was a hero in Utah. His eleven-month old daughter, Tatum, had just been diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, a rare type of eye cancer. She had needed an emergency three-hour surgery and chemotherapy at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Choosing to be with her during surgery, Fisher wasn't sure he would be able to attend Game Two of the team's second round series against the Golden State Warriors. Upon landing back in Salt Lake City following the surgery, Fisher got the news that Jazz starting point guard Deron Williams was in foul trouble and his backup, Dee Brown, was seriously injured during the early stages of the game. Fisher knew he had to be there for his team.
He arrived at the stadium during the third quarter and was given a standing ovation. Fans and players alike were showing him a lot of respect and it was a feel good moment as a sports fan. Fisher would later hit a game tying shot that would send the game into overtime where the Jazz defeated the Warriors.
After the Jazz were knocked out of the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals by the San Antonio Spurs, Fisher talked to management and asked to be released from his contract. He knew that he couldn't keep flying to New York or Los Angeles from Utah to get his daughter treatment. He needed a situation that allowed him to play close to a treatment center so he could be there for his team and his family. After weighing his options, he decided to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was drafted in 1996 and played for eight seasons before signing with the Warriors in 2004. He would become the team's starting point guard and a mentor for the Lakers young guards, Jordan Farmar, Javaris Crittenton, and Coby Karl, who combined had only one year of NBA experience.
Midway through the season, Los Angeles would trade for Pau Gasol and become a instant favorite in the Western Conference. The Lakers would finish the regular season with 57 wins and the top spot in the Western Conference. After a sweep of the Denver Nuggets in the first round, Los Angeles' next opponent would be the Utah Jazz.
The first two games of the series were won by Los Angeles in Staples Center thanks to the Lakers' home court advantage. Here's where things get nasty.
Leading 2-0, the Lakers arrived in Salt Lake City on May 9 and as they took the court, boos filled the stadium for Derek Fisher. Had they forgotten everything he had done for their team? Did they realize why he had to leave and what he was going through? But the story doesn't end there.
Utah won Game Three, but in Game Four, things got worse.
As Derek Fisher went to the line to shoot free throw after a technical foul, a fan behind the basket covered his left eye and began screaming at the Lakers' point guard.
Matt Azzam, 20, is a Lakers fan who was angered when he saw the picture. "It's a classless, immature grown man who represents the majority of Utah fans. Like all teams, there are some rowdy fans, but Jazz fans cross the limits. They don't realize [Jazz owner Larry] Miller released Fisher from his contract and that he made the move to L.A. for his family."
When shown the picture, some Jazz fans were also embarrassed. Jordan Raygoza, 17, said, "Of course [it's crossing the line], because it's a personal matter for Fisher and he did a lot for Utah last year through his problems."
Several fans who attended the game have said that some Jazz fans were chanting "cancer" over and over again when Fisher would touch the ball or shoot free throws. "If it is true, and the fans did chant cancer, it is absolutely heartless of them", said Azzam. "There is a moral boundary that anyone with common sense should know and not cross, and the Jazz fans obviously don't have any regard for Derek Fisher, his family (especially his daughter), and anyone who has suffered from cancer. To make a mockery of such a life-threatening issue is 100% morally wrong and there is no justification for it."
For a group of people to chant something so insensitive is just disgusting to me. What if Derek Fisher's daughter had been in attendance at the game? How would she feel when she sees people covering their eyes and screaming or hearing the chants of cancer? "It's a pretty disgraceful thing to do and I'm sad to be a fellow Jazz fan," said Raygoza.
This isn't the first time something like this has happened in Utah either. Last year, during the Golden State series that I talked about earlier, fans apparently shouted racist comments at African-American players on the Warriors. When asked the difference between playing on the road and at home during the series against the Jazz, Warrior's forward Stephen Jackson said, ""Well, we're not hearing racial slurs, we're not hearing people wishing for me to go to jail," Jackson said. "That's the difference for me. I'm loved here in Oakland." Jason Richardson was asked about the racial slurs and responded, "That was something new. It shocked all of us. We weren't expecting that. I mean, [Jazz fans] were trying to get into our heads any way they can, but I couldn't believe anybody would stoop that low. It's nonsense."
Whether it's life threatening illness or racial slurs, the Utah Jazz have one disturbing fan base. For someone to be able to chant and say things like that and still feel alright with themselves is sickening. "In all my years as a sports fan, yes this is [the most disgusting display of character]," says Azzam. "Being an avid baseball fan, I've seen syringes being thrown on the field. Being an avid Lakers fan, I've seen signs made about Kobe being a rapist. That's fine, but when you bring up something that Fisher had no control over and make a joke out of it, it's disgusting. The Utah Jazz organization needs to come out and release and official apology to the family of Derek Fisher."
And while these fans think they are helping their team, they're actually giving the Lakers' players and fans motivation to beat them. "It would bring ultimate satisfaction to close this series up in Utah and shove it up the crowd's ***. I've got respect for the Jazz players, but the crowd has absolutely no respect from me. I would give almost anything to end this series in Game Six with a purple and gold *** whopping," said Azzam.
Continue reading "Utah Jazz: The Most Disgusting Fans In The History of Sports"
Utah Jazz: The Most Disgusting Fans In The History of Sports
