Essay on Case Analysis

Facts: Lacono was a photographer of Sports Illustrated who was assigned to cover the Bowe – Golota fight.  He situated himself near the ring to take pictures of the events.  Unfortunately, Golota, for unknown reasons, could not help but continue hitting Bowe below the belt which was an illegal punch.  After repeated warnings by the referee, the fight was stopped, Bowe was declared the winner, and a riot ensued inside the Madison Square Garden.  Lacono who went to the ring to take photographs of the riot was also hit.  As a result, he filed a suit against MSG Holdings to hold it liable for the injuries he suffered caused by their failure to provide enough security in the ring to prevent a riot or to contain the damage which maybe caused by a riot. 

Issue: whether MSG Holdings is negligent

Rule: Organizers of sports event like boxing are required to take reasonable precaution so as to prevent any violent events from taking place inside and outside the ring.

Application: The court held that in failing to provide reasonable and adequate security to the fighters, their crew and to the crowd, the MSG Holdings was negligent. 

There were several factual circumstances that should have caused the MSG Holdings to take a more reasonable security measures prior and during the event.  First, both Riddick Bowe and Andrew Golota had a history of illegal tactics on the ring.  Riddick Bowe’s crew once assaulted a fan and even fighters even while the boxing bout was going on.  On the other hand, Golota had a history of either head butting his opponents or biting them due to frustration.  Second, the crowd was immersed in the fight as 50% of Golota’s fans went to the Madison Square Garden to watch the fight.  The newspapers at the time even acknowledged that it had become an issue of race between the fighters.  Third, there was already bad blood between the two fighters and their camps even before the fight took place. 

Considering these factual circumstances the organizers of the historic boxing event should have instituted reasonable security measures to prevent any untoward incident from taking place.  However, it was clear that there were no policemen on the scene except for the 60-plus year old security personnel of MSG who were very few.  It was clear that a handful of personnel were not enough to control the unruly crowd who were mostly in their 20s or 30s.  It was only after 23 minutes after the riot ensued that the policemen entered the Madison Square Garden to take control of the situation.  It was clear that there were no policemen at the scene at the time the riot ensued.  There would not have been a riot had there been policemen situated inside the Madison Square Garden who were of sufficient number.  Or, even if a riot may have taken place it would have been controlled earlier before several people were injured. 

The decision is very important so as to instill responsibility to organizers of every sporting event like boxing, mixed martial arts, or soccer. It reminds the organizers that as the individuals who organized the sporting even and who profited from the event they should take responsibility to ensure that the crowds who paid money are protected from any untoward event.  They have to be reminded that they need to take control at the very beginning as an action of an irresponsible man can trigger a trigger a riot on all parts of the arena. All persons who watch sporting events at ringside or those who may have relatives watching sporting events at ring side know how important it is for organizers to be able to institute enough measures so that riots do not take place at sporting events. 

The decision has an impact on the world of sports.  First, it places the burden on the organizers of the sporting events to take the reasonable precaution by placing enough security inside the arena.  Second, it highlights that those who are caught participating in riots – whether he is a crew of the fighter or a spectator of the show – can be criminally charged. 

The decision also impacts other professionals like sports commentators, journalists, and analysts who are assigned to cover sporting events.  It assures them that they can perform their functions without fear of being harassed or injured in sporting events.

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