If the beer cup snake craze at Canad Inns Stadium has taught sports fans anything, it’s that even at the best of times it can be difficult to know just how close you are to crossing the line. Recently, many have questioned where the line exists between proper and improper fan conduct and when, exactly, someone has gone too far. For those who may be confused, the following can be considered a refresher, a reference list if you will, of audience (or staff) participation gone afoul. A compendium of regrettable behaviour.

The people vs. Lebron James
When: July 28, 2010
Where: Cleveland, Ohio

Incident: Baseball fan Matthew Bellamy was ejected from Cleveland’s Progressive Field after attending the event wearing a Lebron James Miami Heat jersey. Police decided to escort Bellamy out after the surrounding crowd became increasingly hostile toward the Heat fan, chanting derogatory terms and applauding his exit. Things must be bad in Cleveland if one jersey is more reviled than the entire visiting New York Yankees.

The penalty box brawl
When: March 29, 2001
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Incident: Flyers fan Chris Falcone got more than he bargained for when verbal jabs between himself and Maple Leafs enforcer Tie Domi escalated into physical jabs. In the midst of serving a third period penalty, Domi responded to the home crowd taunts by spraying water at the fans. After an enraged Falcone failed to connect with a lunging punch over the protective glass, the panel dislodged and Domi pounced, pulling the fan into the penalty box. After the NHLer got a few shots in, Falcone was ejected from the game and given a police citation while Domi later received a league fine.

The K.O. snowball
When: Dec. 23, 1995
Where: New York, New York

Incident: In a late season home game, restless Giants fans found an outlet for frustration in the form of cold projectiles. Hundreds upon hundreds of snowballs arched from the stands and onto the football field in the fourth quarter of the Giants-Chargers tilt. One particularly hard snowball struck Chargers equipment manager Sid Brooks in the head, knocking him unconscious for nearly 30 seconds. More than 150 fans were ejected for the incident. After the incident, the Giants organization took out a full-page advertisement in The San Diego Union-Tribune apologizing to Chargers fans for the unruly nature of the football game.

The father-son tag team
When: Sept. 19, 2002
Where: Chicago, Illinois

Incident: William Ligue Jr. and his son were not only ejected from a Chicago home game against the Kansas City Royals but were also charged with aggravated assault after the familial duo ran onto the field and tackled Tom Gamboa, pummeling the Kansas coach until players were able to intervene. Gamboa, who escaped the attack with only minor scrapes and bruises, received a standing ovation from the opposition crowd at U.S. Cellular Field. Save for two awful examples, the Chicago home crowd showed they can be quite classy.

The Hamburg horror
When: April 30, 1993
Where: Hamburg, Germany

Incident: Hall of Fame athlete and former Women’s Tennis Association number one ranked player Monica Seles was the victim of one of the most heinous acts of sporting violence in recent history when, at the Betty Barclay Cup, German tennis fan Günter Parche leapt from the stands and stabbed Seles in the back mid match. Luckily the knife wound was only approximately 1.5 centimeters deep, but the psychological damage of the attack kept Seles away from competitive play for more than two years. It was later revealed that the attacker, Parche, was actually a mentally ill Steffi Graf fan who desperately wanted his favourite player to win the Hamburg tournament.

The discount disaster
When: June 4, 1974
Where: Cleveland, Ohio

Incident: Economically, Cleveland was not in a good spot in the 1970s and to make matters worse their baseball team stunk. A desperate attempt to attract a larger crowd — a special 10-cent beer night at Cleveland Stadium — turned ugly when more than a thousand fans rushed the field in the ninth inning of a Rangers-Indians game. Needless to say, all hell broke loose; wild punches were thrown in nearly every direction and, evidently, more than one player was hit over the head with a folding chair. In the wake of the destruction, the visiting Rangers were awarded a forfeit victory.

The Giant distraction
When: Dec. 7, 2008
Where: New York, New York

Incident: After nearly 30 years of attending NY Giants games in numerous skimpy outfits, Sondra Fortunato was told by Giants brass to cover up and enjoy the games without worrying about her wardrobe. Evidently, the last straw broke when Fortunato showed up to a December game wearing a Santa costume made up of a low cut top and bathing suit bottoms. Although Fortunato insisted that “nothing was showing,” she still had to wait out the remainder of the game in the stadium’s drunk tank. Over the years, Fortunato became known by some as the Giants’ unofficial mascot because of her tendency to wear various different costumes meant to, ahem, highlight certain assets.

The disgrace to humanity
When: April 14, 2010
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Incident: When a nearby spectator had his friend ejected from a Phillies game for drunken behaviour, 21-year-old Matthew Clemmens decided to seek revenge in perhaps the least dignified way imaginable. Clemmens stuck his fingers down his throat and projectile vomited on both the man who had his friend ejected and his daughter. Clemmens immediately started punching the man in the head and had to be subdued before being ejected from the baseball game. As we all know, however, fate can be a cruel mistress. The spectator in question turned out to be an off-duty police officer and Clemmens was later sentenced to jail time, probation and 50 hours of community service.

The MSG shoe fight
When: Dec. 23, 1979
Where: New York, New York

Incident: In the moments following a hard fought 4-3 Bruins win over the Rangers, something bizarre happened at Madison Square Garden. When Boston forward Al Secord sucker punched Rangers centre Ulf Nilsson, a scrum began between the two teams. When the scrum neared the glass, Rangers fan John Kaptain reached over the partition, hitting a Boston player in the face and making off with his stick. Within seconds, a flock of Bruins had scaled the glass in pursuit of the attacking fan. Forward Mike Milbury led the charge wrestling Kaptain to the ground, ripping his shoe from his foot and was beating him in the head with it. Shortly after the December brawl, the league regulated a higher style of glass panels to better insure both player and fan protection.

The Pacers-Pistons brawl
When: Nov. 19, 2004
Where: Detroit, Michigan

Incident: Tensions were high when NBA stars Ron Artest and Ben Wallace locked horns late in the fourth quarter of a Pacers-Pistons tilt, but a near riot broke loose when one Detroit fan entered the mix by hitting Artest with a beer cup. Artest leapt into the crowd, grabbing the fan he thought threw the beer cup. Within a matter of seconds, numerous players and fans were tangled in a wild brawl that culminated in nine player suspensions, over 160 total hours of community service, several accounts of mandatory anger management counseling and numerous lifetime bans from attending future Pistons games. With only 45 seconds remaining officials were forced to call the game early and ask the remaining fans to evacuate the building.