Here’s my take on Predator brawls – what’s yours? Editor’s Note

This week at the Kent Reporter, we had a new wrinkle in how we cover professional sports.

The Predators, Kent’s first pro football team, had its home opener last week at the ShoWare Center.

There was plenty of excitement before that game – I attended the team’s kick-off party at Pat’s Bar & Grill on March 11, and the energy was palpable, with nary a seat to be found.

The game, unfortunately, was a loss for the Predators, although they managed to put a healthy number of points on the board.

But after the game, we received a letter from an upset ticket holder. We opted to cover it as a story. This is in addition to the main, largely positive, story we did about the game.

You may not agree with this decision.

Why did we choose to cover this as a story? It was only one person complaining.

Well, two things made the difference.

One: This person happens to be a local football coach, who’s been a part of Kent’s school-athletic scene for years. He’s more than your average fan showing up for a sport he’s only just heard about.

And two: It’s a topic worth exploring because it touches on so many issues that have to do with local sentiment.

One issue: Just how okay is it to have athletes fighting each other? If you want to see a fight, attend a Seattle Thunderbirds hockey game at the ShoWare Center. Players get into brawls every match. It’s pretty much expected.

But in the case of hockey fights, they are carefully monitored by the refs, and usually result in both players being taken off the ice for penalties. And hockey players might as well be having their brawls in sumo suits, as padded as they are. Football players, from where I’m sitting, are geared up for tackles and running, not fights.

Another issue: Are Predators games actually being promoted as “family friendly?” I don’t know the answer to this one. The players are making the rounds at various community events, including some kids’ activities, but the kick-off party was at a local tavern, not an ice-cream parlor. So the adult element appears to be the larger focus, and parents should be careful in what they want their kids to see.

Yet another issue: How much say does a community have in the sports and other events that take place in a locally owned venue? In the case of the ShoWare Center, our City Council has made it clear they don’t want to be in the driver’s seat, deciding what constitutes appropriate entertainment.

I’m with them on that one: We’re smart enough to decide for ourselves what we want to watch.

And another related issue: Is there a point at which entertainment at a public venue starts to reflect badly on the community that owns it? Where do you draw the line?

I don’t have ready answers to these questions. But my gut reaction is “Let the Buyer Beware.” Know what you’re getting into when you purchase a ticket. You read the fine print (or you should be) on your cell-phone plan and any other contract you enter.

The same applies here: we live in a free society, and we have an obligation to be responsible about our choices. A contract, if you will. A free society becomes costly when we aren’t responsible.

A free society disappears altogether when we give up our right to decide and let other people choose for us. And that includes the entertainment coming to town.

That’s my position. I’d like to hear what others have to say on this topic.

Laura Pierce is editor of the Kent Reporter. Contact her at lpierce@kentreporter.com