Media war's second front.

• Author: Barrett, Wayne M.
• Position: Friction between sports fans and the media - Column

As if the media's war of words with the modern athlete wasn't enough, the sporting press has been forced to defend a second front - against the fans. Good grief!

Frankly, it's time for a lot of fans (a frightening majority, actually) to wake up and get a life - as in now! "People who think they're big fans are often just big jerks," writes New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick. "They'll rip a newsperson for having the courage to report what they don't like to read, hear, or see; for failing to behave like yahoos. They call it loyalty."

The fans' attitude is sad and quite ironic. Little do they seem to realize that, in a sports world gone mad, the media, especially sportswriters, are on the fans' side, at least much more so than any player, team, or league. The "loyalty" that fans love to rail on about, that makes them go berserk on the radio call-in shows anytime the media put the knock on one of their heroes, never is returned. Athletics in America has deteriorated into a shameless routine of price-gouging and profiteering, sort of like a monopolistic game of tag, and the fan is it. The litany of abuse is endless: playoff tickets costing $25 more than regular season ducats; ballplayers charging kids for autographs; season ticket holders forced to buy exhibition game passes; free-agent players jumping from team to team based solely on who offers them the most money; $200 (minimum!) to take the family to a basketball game; $5 for parking in a glass-strewn lot that your taxes paid for; the owner of the local pro franchise threatening to leave town unless he gets a new building, with more luxury boxes and a sweetheart lease (again, your tax dollars at work)-the list goes on and on.

Funny thing is, it's the fans' overindulgence of the modem-day athlete that encourages players (and their employers) to totally disregard civil behavior. Last summer, for example, New York Mets outfielder Vince Coleman threw an M-100 explosive at a group of fans after a game. Among those injured was a little girl. At the time, the Mets were in last place and Coleman was having a miserable season. He practically was ridden out of town on a rail. However, had the Mets been battling for the pennant and Coleman been hitting .331 with 45 stolen bases, the New York faithful wouldn't have been screaming for Coleman's blood. Instead, they would've accused the media of blowing everything out of proportion. Guaranteed! The little girl? Heck, it's just a scratch. Her parents...