NFL cracking down on fans bad behavior

Heckling athletes has been around for as long as there have been sporting competitions. You remember the famous “Hey Achilles, my grandmother runs faster than you?!”

But where is the line between trying to distract an opposing player and just being a loud-mouthed jerk?

There’s nothing worse than taking your family to a game and being stuck next to that drunk guy who just won’t shut up. He’s the guy who’s on the players the entire time, his mouth running a mile a minute with drunken, profanity-laced nonsense.

Leagues have all tried to crack down on this for years and they all have fan codes of conduct.

The NFL doesn’t believe it’s enough and this season, all 32 teams are instituting a new policy. Anyone who gets ejected from a game will be required to take a 4-hour online course and pass it before they will be allowed back into the stadium again.

The offender will have to pay for the course, which will cost between $50 to $100 depending on the team.

Heckling, on its face, can be OK as long as you’re not ruining the game for everyone else. A few choice comments can go a long way, but a game-long tirade is over the line, especially with alcohol fueling the bravado.

What the NFL is trying to prevent is an exchange like the one in Oakland on Monday when a fan was riding Cleveland reliever Chris Perez during warmups. Perez came over and gave some back, throwing off more than a few F-bombs and choice comments.

Perez has apologized. He’ll be in Seattle on Tuesday.