Systems For Banning Fans Are 'Not Perfect Or Infalliable'

BOSTON — The Celtics are expected to permanently ban a fan accused of throwing a water bottle at Kyrie Irving from TD Garden.

For now, the ban is being enforced by the courts: as a condition of his release on $500 bail after entering a not guilty plea, Cole Buckley was ordered to stay away from TD Garden. But TD Garden management plans to follow up and implement its own ban on the 21-year-old from Braintree.

Which begs the question: Can teams ban fans, and how do they enforce such bans?

Buckley is the latest, but likely not the last, spectator to be banned from a professional sports venue after being accused of unruly behavior. Three NBA teams banned fans after separate incidents during playoff games last Wednesday, and the NBA said Monday it would step up enforcement of its enhanced fan code of conduct.

Also on Patch: Irving Says Banning NBA Fans Won't Solve Problem

Buckley is the only one of the NBA fans banned in the past week to face criminal charges, and the Celtics don't have to wait for a conviction to ban him.

Professional sports fans generally follow similar procedures when they ban fans from attending games. In most cases, banned fans sign an acknowledgement that they will no longer be able to attend events at the venue and could face additional charges if they try to break the ban.

But teams and stadium managers acknowledge enforcing such bans can be difficult. Spokespeople for TD Garden and Gillette Stadium did not respond to requests for comment this week, but the Red Sox shared details on how they enforce bans with Patch.

If a Red Sox fan who has been banned is caught at Fenway Park, they can be arrested and charged with trespassing. The Red Sox inform banned fans verbally and in writing. The team also flags their credit card information to prevent them from purchasing tickets directly from the Red Sox, but it's possible for them to buy tickets on third-party app sites or through a friend.

"We take incidents of racism and hate speech seriously and have taken every measure we can to communicate that this type of behavior is not tolerated at Fenway Park," Zineb Curran, the team's vice president of corporate communications, said. "A lifetime ban means you are no longer welcome at Fenway Park during your lifetime."

Still, Curran added, "we fully recognize that this is not a perfect or infallible system."