Was Noah’s $50,000 Fine Enough?

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined $50,000 on Monday for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

This comes just a few weeks after Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for saying the same slur toward a referee.

Was Noah's fine enough?

No way.  His fine should have been more than Kobe's.

The NBA is an image conscious league and this incident looks really bad.  The fact the Kobe did this just a month ago is even more disturbing.  The purpose of issuing large fines is to discourage these types of behavior in the future.  If the fine isn't enough, that's not going to be enough of a deterrent in the future.

Yes, fans are crazy.  Just because you paid $500 for a ticket, doesn’t mean you can act like a chode.  Call me crazy, but you’re not allowed to pay money to lose your inhibitions and common sense.

But the player is ultimately to blame.

Players need to keep their cool regardless of what’s going on around them.  They are professionals and should act like them.  This is why they’re pros – they’re able to have amazing focus and ability.

However, this isn’t the only time that this type of word has been uttered.  Usually, it’s to another player – not to a fan!

Joakim Noah isn't the arena security.  It's not his job to police the arena's fans.  That should be left in the hands of arena officials or NBA officials.

It is far worse for a player to yell at a fan than another player or even a ref.

Players are the employees while the fans are the customers.  You can’t insult the customers – regardless. 

Remember, the customer is always right.  You treat them with respect and move on.

It would be like going to a sandwich shop and while the guy is making your sub, he’s calling you an idiot and an a$$.  Yeah, you might still like that sub but you’re going to have a sour taste in your mouth about going back there.

Yes, the fans are crazy but they are paying to see the product.  And that product is the players out on the court.

Those players shouldn't insult the fans - regardless of how idiotic that fan's comments were.