Midwest Sports Channel Producer/Dir Wade Rowland did
not show TV viewers the incident last Friday of Astros OF
Bill Spiers being attacked by a fan during the team's game
against the Brewers at County Stadium, and instead went with
a "long shot from above home plate that didn't show much,"
according to Bob Wolfley of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.
While broadcasters generally do not show on-field fan
behavior, Wolfley writes that this "case was different in
kind and called for another response." Brewers Dir of
Broadcasting Tim Van Wagoner: "How would I do it again? I'm
not sure. We're still talking about it. ... I think I like
erring on the side of not showing it -- that's my personal
opinion. Because what are we telling a fan now? We are
telling a fan, 'OK, if I want to go out on the field and get
on TV ... the real way to go is to jump on a player.' ... It
almost encourages them to do that." Wolfley: "But there's a
higher duty here -- to cover a major incident, to inform, to
show, to tell. That's a higher responsibility than worrying
about potential copycat behavior" (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/30).
