Fight Night: Nets’ CEO vs. Brown Paper Bag Fan
If they aren’t already, somebody needs to make a movie or write a book about the New Jersey Nets this season. Even if the Nets don’t become the new standard-bearer as the worst NBA team of all-time in the win-loss column, they’ve provided their share of train-wreck-style entertainment.
Last week, franchise cornerstone Brook Lopez stormed out of a practice due to frustration. Then last night, at home, as the Nets were on their way to loss No. 63 (with only 12 games remaining), team CEO Brett Yormark got into a shouting match with a fan who was wearing a brown paper bag over his head. From ESPN wire reports:
Yormark left his courtside seat at the IZOD Center late in the second half of New Jersey’s 99-89 loss to the Miami Heat. Yormark then doubled back toward the fan, identified by the New York Daily News as Chris Lisi of Middletown, N.J.
It was at that point that Yormark, Lisi and a friend of Lisi’s got into a shouting match, with reporters and photographers nearby.
Lisi told the Daily News that the CEO initiated the exchange by asking him why he had a bag on his head. Lisi’s response — “because the Nets are so good,” according to the paper. Yormark then snapped at him and walked off, Lisi told the Daily News.
A spokesperson for Yormark said Yormark had no comment.
Trust me, I know too well about fans who think having a ticket equals a license to act like a jerk, and it often bothers me how some of them talk to athletes and behave at games.
But in this case, the Nets’ CEO can’t really get mad at this particular fan for simply wearing the bag. It’s like when a high school team gets blown out 100-5 and then the coach complains afterward. If you don’t want people to wear paper bags at your games, do something to put a team out there that’s not historically terrible.
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March 23rd, 2010 at 5:20 pm
da_griff says:
There have always been fans like this.
Hell, they even do spoofs about it in movies like “Major League” with the crazed fan who basically becomes an anti-fan because his team sucks so bad.
I think the CEO’s just frustrated too, like Lopez. He knows that any chance they had of landing a good free agent, even with the Brooklyn project going ahead, is next to nothing.
The fans are leaving anyway, because the team is leaving them. I think they are entitled to protest.
March 23rd, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Drink the Haterade says:
We get that all the time with coaches/ parents complaining about the score, etc when their team of kids get that ass whoopin. I remember last yr when one parent of the opposition pulled me aside and told me “great sportmanship out there” I was like yeah cool, until he went on to tell me that my team of sr’s shouldnt be throwing alley oops and shooting 3′s. His reasoning: the team was full of freshman.
March 23rd, 2010 at 6:09 pm
the cynic says:
One of these guys paid to be at the game, the other gets paid to be there. One dude is a loyal fan, the other a soon to be unemployed CEO
March 23rd, 2010 at 6:21 pm
GoEasy says:
HAHA, I think that dudes funny. I mean that would never be me at a game with a paper bag on my head, but at least he’s giving Nets fans something to laugh about. Laughter is the best medicine. Right?
March 23rd, 2010 at 7:05 pm
control says:
HAHA, fucking hilarious.
The CEO can barely get enough people in the building to justify turning on the heat, and he’s going to go ahead and snap at the fools who do come? That is just straight drop kicking the gift horse in the mouth!
March 23rd, 2010 at 7:07 pm
control says:
The Nets next promotion:
Come to the game, heckle the CEO and maybe get into a fight with him!
That would be a shit more entertaining than actually watching the Nets play.
March 23rd, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Gunner J. Matthews says:
I know im not the only one who wants the Nets to break the record. If the Lions can go 0-16, why cant the Nets break the record for most L’s.
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Chris says:
Yo this team reminds me of one I just saw in a movie…The Flint Michigan Tropics…lmao. Maybe they should call Jackie Moon for some real entertainment…lol…wrestle a bear or some shit…love me sexy! hahahah
March 23rd, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Andrew Sansone says:
Brett Yormark was a trending topic today on Twitter http://bit.ly/9xc0ef
March 23rd, 2010 at 11:59 pm
dvs says:
i watched the nets beat the knicks at the garden. and not only did they win, they handed their asses to them. how can a team with harris and lopez be this bad.
March 24th, 2010 at 1:13 am
SparkyJ23 says:
What – you think the fan is acting like a jerk? How about the fucktard running the damn front office – He’s the one resposible. I should be grateful you gave me a plateful of shit? Hell No!
9-73 is mt prediction
this is great
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/features/worstteams
March 24th, 2010 at 1:35 am
GoEasy says:
This BLOWS my mind:
Those ’72-’73 sixers that went 9-73 had a 7 game stretch where they went 5-2. They WON 5 of 7 games. Thus other than that stretch they went 4-71 the rest of the season… that’s ridiculous.
March 24th, 2010 at 9:49 am
dmitry of jersey says:
i’m a nets fan.
but the fact is that Harris as your best player is a terrible proposition. he is inconsistent and injury prone. even at his best he falls outside of the top 5 pg’s in the league.
lopez: bright future, but check the box scores for his defense. in many of the games where he gets 20-10, the opposing center gets 22-12…..
i really hope we land amare or something… anything, as long as it’s not boozer.
March 24th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
jackass says:
that’s fuckin hilarous dawg… laughing my ass off.
March 25th, 2010 at 7:51 am
edward dees says:
Since when do owners get into shouting matches with fans. Put a team out there that can compete then people won’t come to the games with there bags. Atleast they came to the game Yormark. Damn, the nerve of this guy to. He should have been offering the fans there money back because the Nets are trash.
April 7th, 2010 at 7:28 am
bagstage says:
oh man – that’s too funny