Sports fan behaviour unpredictable, says Farthing
In the lead-up to Game 6 of the NBA finals, STM's Dr. Gerry Farthing lent his expertise on the psychology of sports fans who deviate from normal behaviour
By Paul SinkewiczDr. Gerry Farthing, associate professor in the Psychology Department at St. Thomas More College, said during high-stakes sports events, like a championship winning game, there is the potential for things to get out of hand.
Farthing was explaining the behaviour of some sports fans who take their passion too far, as in the case of the 1993 riot along Eighth Street in Saskatoon, after the Blue Jays won the World Series.
The resulting celebrations turned into vandalism and an attack on police, who resorted to using tear gas.
"Some of the usual checks and balances that we have for managing our behaviour are off there in a crowd," Farthing said.
Luckily, there was no such repeat of bad behaviour in Saskatoon after the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship on June 13. In Toronto, there were a few acts of vandalism, but no major incidents despite more than 10,000 delirious basketball fans celebrating in downtown Toronto after the win.
Gerry Farthing interview