For the record, I think sports are important because they bring people together. Entire communities unite as one and root for something bigger than them.

I love the way sports teams bring out our civic pride. I love how they make it perfectly acceptable to hug a stranger. You honk your car horn at someone walking down the street following a huge win by your city’s team, and they’re more inclined to clap and smile and less likely to flip you the bird.

A win by your favorite sports team can stick with you for decades (trust me on this). It can make your day or break your spirit (hopefully, not for decades–Google Pirates, the 1992 NLCS and lifelong despair). The way most diehard sports fans feel about their team is so complex that I actively avoid trying to unpack the reasons for fear of ruining it for me.

I mean, we are talking about teams and athletes who don’t know who we are. It’s a weird hobby, isn’t it? I can do things to fix my bowling game, but no matter how many times I write articles about it, there is nothing I can do to fix the Steelers’ lifeless and directionless offense.

But enough about the Steelers’ lifeless and directionless offense. Why do we care so much about sports we’re not directly involved in? Again, I don’t want to delve too deep into it–at least not the positive stuff–but I do want to talk about fighting and other unsavory activities sports fans often engage in in the name of “We’re number one!”

What’s that about? I think sports rivalries are fun, especially when they involve different cities like Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland. Yes, I’ll bet a Primanti Sandwich against your two tickets to Drew Carey’s next special ahead of the Steelers game vs. the Browns on November 21. However, I won’t fight you over the results. I won’t fight you before or after. I won’t come see you about anything we said to one another on social media.

Same goes for you, Mr. Steelers fan. I will not come see you at the next tailgate to settle our disagreement over the mock draft I published in April.

In case you haven’t caught on by now, I think fighting over sports teams is dumb, stupid, idiotic, moronic, just plain loco.

Why we love a sports team may be complex, but fighting someone over it is pretty clear: It’s wrong. You should know better. You should walk away.

In addition to being wrong, it’s also illegal to throw fists over a sports team. It’s not like two players fighting in a game. You don’t get a 15-yard penalty and a $10,000 fine. You get arrested. At least you should. Assault is assault, whether it involves your neighbor who parked in front of your driveway or some loud and obnoxious dude wearing a Cowboys jersey at Acrisure Stadium on October 6.

Speaking of which, what about that loud and obnoxious Ravens fan who decided to ruin his life over the results of Baltimore’s game against the Commanders last Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium? As the dude was leaving the game with his buddy, who was recording him on his smartphone, he actively sought out Commanders fans, got in their faces and then assaulted them. He then turned to face his buddy’s smartphone and proceeded to flex while screaming, “I don’t lose!”

He reportedly lost his job. Also, as of Wednesday, police were actively investigating the assault, which means he may soon lose his freedom.

And the Ravens won the damn game!

There was an incident in the stands at Allegiant Stadium during the Steelers/Raiders clash last Sunday afternoon. Beers were thrown. Fists were thrown. I’d get deeper into what happened, but the fact is, this kind of thing occurs at just about every NFL stadium each Sunday, Monday and Thursday.

It happens at NBA games. It happens at NHL games. It happens at MLB games.

Groups of people fight other groups of people over sports teams and athletes who don’t even know they’re alive. Thanks to modern technology and smartphones, these fights are frequently posted on social media and, like that Ravens “winner,” often cost the participants dearly.

By the way, no group is totally innocent when it comes to stuff like this. Every city and fan base has these idiots. Some fans are more self-righteous than others, but we all know at least one person who is one bad decision from going viral for all the wrong reasons.

A little back and forth between “opposing” team supporters can be fun; for example, we may laugh when someone screams, “You suck!” at a visiting fan in the “wrong” jersey, but for some, the leap from “You suck!” to sucker punch is a small one.

What about the horrific things people say on social media in the name of sports? Lives have been ruined and jobs lost just because someone was “too emotional” following a heartbreaking defeat.

Also, why would you destroy your property–like, say, a flatscreen television–over one of Mike Tomlin’s knee-jerk and stupid challenges?

To repeat: I get why we all want to indulge the good feelings sports give us, but why do we ever act on the bad stuff?

It’s okay if sports make you sad or even mad.

But don’t let the result of a game turn you into a moron or, worse yet, a criminal.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Sonny from the movie, A Bronx Tale: 

“Mickey Mantle? Is that what you’re upset about? Mickey Mantle makes $100,000 a year. How much does your father make? You don’t know? Well, see if your father can’t pay the rent go ask Mickey Mantle and see what he tells you. Mickey Mantle don’t care about you, so why should you care about him? Nobody cares.”