Incident with NBA player Chris Paul’s family part of a bigger issue

This column was written by Shireen Ahmed for CBC Sports. More information on Opinion section at CBCPlease see the FAQ.

The playoffs are a time where our emotions are tested. The stakes are high, and devotion during regular season becomes crucial.

Supporting players and teams requires that we invest time, money and energy. It becomes part of being a fan to have a voice. We go to social media, the water cooler, or the Slack chat and opine and critique as we become immediate experts without ever having competed at this elite level. It is all fun and games. Most of the times. 

What about when it becomes dangerous and no longer fun?

Two fans were expelled from the arena after an incident involving Phoenix star Chris Paul.

Initial reports stated that Paul’s family was subject to unwelcome contact by the fans.  Although the interaction took place at the concourse level it was not recorded on surveillance cameras and wasn’t made public. However, a viral video of Paul shouting at a fan became popular. According to reports, Paul had been told by his father what had happened. His family didn’t get up from their seats following the incident. 

Later it was revealed that the fan had approached Paul and his wife’s mother and father and left them feeling “very unsafe.” American Airlines Center banned the fan from giving them “unwanted huggs” in front his sons. until 2023.

The game was won by the Mavericks 111 to 101. Paul took to TwitterShare your frustrations. 

There are people who are already shouting that the fan who was ejected looks fairly young and that it was only  “unwanted hugs.” Is there anything wrong with this? There are even folks who say Paul overreacted. 

But there is a vicious history in sports of fans approaching players to injure them, and so for Paul to be on the court, knowing only that his family had been confronted would indeed be terrifying and upsetting at best. Chris Paul appears a devoted father whose family is undeniably important to him. He has every right to be angry.

Neglecting bodily autonomy

If a man approached women and children and made any type of physical contact that was not consensual, it would be considered unacceptable. Why is it less understood if the man and his family are black?

A piece of The GuardianAccording to a report from October 2021, violence against Black women has been on the rise in the U.S. A decision that could have serious consequences for millions of women’s physical and mental health is being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Their bodies and agency are so disrespected it makes this interaction seem minor.

However, this incident of a young black man disregarding the bodily autonomy Black women is exactly what culture is dangerous. It can continue to harm marginalized women and threaten their safety if it is not handled appropriately. People shouldn’t be out and about shielding their reckless acts with the “sports fan” label.

The healing process can last a lifetime

I can recall when I was 19 years old and tennis was my favorite sport. Monica Seles was attacked on-court by a fan of her opponent, Steffi Graf, in 1993, stabbing her with a nine-inch knife in her back. Although Seles did not compete for two years in competitive tennis, her psychological effects were perhaps the most severe. Reckoning with that type of vulnerability and fear is a life-long healing process that Seles wrote about in her memoir. As a result, she suffered from depression and an eating disorder.

While I am thankful that Paul’s family wasn’t hurt, I worry about them after the incident. Can they allow their son, husband, and father to play without being harassed? They can’t enjoy the same games as fans. 

Everyone who has ever been in public knows how stressful it can be to have your loved ones and yourself identified. Although it may seem like a small gesture, in a political climate where men are actively telling women their bodies could be governed by laws made by men with power, an “unwanted hug” is not a serious response. The sooner the young man realizes the consequences of refusing consent, the better it will be for him and society.

A fan’s entitlement does not mean they can touch anyone they want. It is important for them to be able to recognize boundaries and start conversations. I hope other young men see the incident and can understand why it was so troubling. I hope pundits don’t dismiss the incident as exaggerated. They should not dismiss the concern Paul felt for his family, but also understand why it was so distressing.

If people realize that approaching women without their consent is violence, then we can all enjoy sports in a way that isn’t harmful and that is enjoyable for everyone.