![]() But these rules would hold MLB in good stead for years to come. Right now, all of this is about stopping the chop. Is that really worth costing their team a chance to make the playoffs? If fans know that their actions could actually cost their team a game in their division, they'd probably think twice about letting the chop come out of their mouths. The offending team (like the Braves) would be given an automatic loss (and their opponent an automatic win) the next time they face a team in their own division. The obvious punishment is the forfeiture of games. There needs to be an escalation process for repeated offenses, when it's clear that fan-free games aren't stopping fans from continuing their behavior. That costs the owners much more than a simple fine, and the team on the field will have to play in an eerie, silent stadium. All tickets sold must be refunded with no exceptions. While a warning should be issued for the first incident, the next incident should require the team to play a future home game behind closed doors, without fans. So instead of fines, it's time to skip directly to the punishments that will actually hurt. Franchises bring in revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars, so fining a team tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars has no measurable impact. While fines are the first step of FIFA's postgame discipline, it's pretty clear around the world of sports that fining teams is almost entirely useless. If the chant still doesn't stop after the second restart, the umpires can decide that the game should be stopped permanently, causing the home team to automatically forfeit. If the chant doesn't stop after the game is restarted, the umpire stops the game for 5-10 minutes and order both teams to their clubhouses (possibly affecting the status of the pitchers) as another announcement is made. Once the umpires notice the chant, the game is stopped and an announcement made over the stadium loudspeaker. They should have the same power as UEFA referees, with a similar three-step process to stop the chants when they happen. Since the goal is to stop this fan behavior in its tracks, the first line of defense has to be umpires. But MLB can translate the spirit of those rules into concrete punishments. ![]() There are no points in baseball (only wins and losses). The rules from FIFA and UEFA obviously can't be implemented in MLB without some changes. ![]() They can also be banned from tournaments and have points deducted from their season total, possibly affecting their position in the standings. Beyond that, teams can be forced to play games behind closed doors, without fans. FIFA and UEFA will fine the team an amount that depends on the severity of the incident. The punishment goes beyond the on-field actions. If the behavior still doesn't stop after the second restart, and all reasonable measures have been taken, the referees can decide to abandon the match for good. If the behavior doesn't stop after the game is restarted, the referee can stop the game for a longer period of time (5-10 minutes) and order both teams to leave the pitch. Once a referee notices or is made aware of the behavior, they stop the game and have an announcement made over the stadium loudspeaker asking fans to immediately stop. UEFA, the governing body for the sport in Europe, adopted a three-step process for referees to use when fans are yelling racist, anti-gay, or other derogatory and offensive chants. There's really only one way to do it: Make the team suffer, both financially and on the field. It's easy for both organizations to punish players for racist or homophobic actions, but much harder to punish fans. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) How FIFA, UEFA punish racist and anti-gay chantsįIFA and UEFA have had to develop and refine rules over the past several years to deal with fans yelling racist or homophobic chants during soccer games. The Tomahawk Chop, a customary cheer at Atlanta Braves games, has been decried as racist by many Native American groups.
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