It’s time to turn down the ‘fan experience’

Words that should never appear in a police report: I was working off duty at Kauffman Stadium when I was dispatched to the playground….

And it wasn’t the kids who needed police intervention last weekend. It was the parents who were dirty fighting like they expected to earn a WWF salary. One person was throwing the N-word around. Another was cussing a blue streak that even police could not get her to stop.

The vast majority of the police report can’t be reprinted here, being that The Star considers itself a family newspaper, something anyone could peruse without having their eyes pop out. Those who witnessed the melee, including many children, didn’t garner that level of respect.

Any event that draws the numbers of a Royals game into a confined area, except maybe an outdoor Mass with the Pope, will inevitably bring a few lowlifes into the bunch. It’s simply a matter of numbers. In that way, the Royals are not responsible for the crude behavior.

But suffice it to say ballparks, professional sporting events in general, are not what they used to be. And a slice of this is very much under the control of professional sports. The Kauffman Stadium Web site promises fans will find the new renovations “a breathtaking fusion of energetic surroundings and an intimate place to watch Royals baseball.”

Please, let’s consider ratcheting back a bit on the hyped energy. Ask people who travel to stadiums around the country, and one of the things they note is the rising volume of “fan experience” being cultivated. Pump loud music in, keep people jumping with flat screens at every turn, a plethora of bars, and any number of conjured stimuli.

Apparently, it is no longer enough to spend a peaceful few hours sitting back taking in the sun at an afternoon game, or the cooling evening breeze of a night game. The desire to be “a part of the action” overrides.

Remember the ballpark scenes of “The Natural,” or any number of dated baseball movies? The beauty of the game, the field, the athleticism were highlighted, not fan antics. Used to be, baseball catered to a more serene crowd, not nearly so focused on tailgating for hours of pre-drinking before getting down to the real drinking inside the stadium.

As one friend noted of a recently attended Royals game, he just wanted the game to start so the blaring music on the PA system would stop.

Makes you wonder if people pay to park their car and believe they’ve also paid to park their civility as well. As if they have purchased a right to enter a coliseum and wallow with the masses.

They’ve bought more than a seat, after all. People have been coaxed and primed, ready for an intense “fan experience” in which they are not so much spectators, but participants as well. No surprise, then, that a few folks will take it too far.

To reach Mary Sanchez call 816-234-4752 or send e-mail to msanchez@kcstar.com.