The NBA has come down harshly on the latest brawl concerning players' courtside behavior. Unlike the NHL, the NBA cannot embrace fighting as a part of the sport. The reason behind this failure to condone violence? First and foremost, the NHL has those giant glass separators between fan and hockey player so we as fans can enjoy the fight without actually worrying about being tumbled upon or punched during the fighting process. Second, NHL players by and large, fight like men, throwing down their sticks and gloves and going at it mano-a-mano. This type of fighting appeals to the average American hockey fan, hence all the glass pounding and cheering during the fight.

The REAL reason, however the NBA will never condone fighting, is because NBA players have no fighting skills what-so-ever. The best way to describe an NBA brawl is watching a bunch of overly tall accountants engaging in a slap fest over whose bottom line number is better. It is embarrassing. It is not entertaining. Then to top it off, one of the stars of the NBA comes in late, throws a sucker punch, pulls his tail between his legs and runs off before anyone can get him back. THAT is the reason why the NBA will never condone fighting. Sure you could argue that David Stern might make players hone up on their combat skills or participate in the WWE during the off season in order to beef of the entertainment value of fights. You could also argue that since a lot of players in the NBA are loaded up with tattoos and claim to have come from backgrounds where fighting was essential to making it out of a bad neighborhood, the fights in theory would be much more entertaining. None of these arguments are valid however.

While I poke fun at the prissy fights that go on in the NBA, it does not mean I think it's a good idea for it to happen. I do feel however, that the “brawls” take the mystic out of the players themselves, and prove they aren't real bad boys when push comes to shove; they are just really tall bean counters with tattoos.