"The abuse hurled at Europe's golfers in the Ryder Cup elicited gasps and dismay on both sides of the Atlantic. The crowd at the Bethpage Black course in New York graduated from boos and heckles to homophobic slurs and insults aimed at players' wives. The first-tee master of ceremonies set the tone by leading a chant of fuck you, Rory!, putting Rory McIlroy firmly in the crosshairs along with his wife, who was hit with a beer cup."
"After initially playing it down, American golf officials apologised and said some fan behaviour had crossed the line, but the affair has left a nagging sense of unease. What if the line has in fact moved? What if accepted codes of crowd behaviour have changed? It is a question social scientists and event managers have been asking in recent years and spans several countries and types of spectacle, obviating any sense that the issue is confined to US golf fans."
Hostile crowd behaviour at a major Ryder Cup match escalated from boos and heckles to homophobic slurs, abuse aimed at players' wives, and objects thrown, including a beer cup hitting a wife. Organisers initially downplayed the incidents before apologising and acknowledging that some fan behaviour crossed the line. Similar antisocial actions — taunting banners, spat gum at players, objects hurled on stage, concert heckles — have appeared across sports and entertainment events in multiple countries. A UK live-events union survey found 34% of workers experienced antisocial behaviour in the past year, rising to 77% for front-of-house staff. Social scientists note increasing belligerence and a tendency for crowds to turn on those who complain rather than calming down.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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