Rory McIlroy fielded a lot of hostility at the 45th annual Ryder Cup at Bethpage State Park Golf Course. Having been the subject of crowd heckles before, McIlroy expected the hostile reception. However, he wasn’t the only target on Saturday, and words weren’t the only projectiles. His spouse, Erica, was reportedly hit by a drink from the rowdy Ryder Cup crowd. It’s claimed that the spectator had thrown the drink at the 36-year-old, but it hit his wife instead. Yet, if you ask an MLB Hall of Famer with extensive experience playing in New York, he himself never felt safe to bring his family anywhere close to the arena.

Atlanta Braves legend and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones responded to the behavior of American spectators at the Ryder Cup on Saturday. Drawing from his own experience, having played in New York City 12–15 times a year over two decades, including multiple postseason appearances, Jones shared a quite sharp opinion on the incident.

“I played in NY 12-15 times every year for 20 years and multiple times in the postseason. AT NO TIME in 2 decades was my family EVER allowed to go to a game in NY.” He noted on X. Throughout Jones’ playing career, there are no reports of his family attending NYC games.

Further, he added, “What do you expect to happen? Is it right? No! But when you are public enemy #1… expect to be treated harshly. No way that I expose my wife or kids to that. It’s unfair. But it’s reality in NY!” While he acknowledged that the behavior was way out of line, he laid out the tough reality of New York crowds. During his career, whenever he’d travel to New York to play the Braves’ National League East rivals, Mets fans would torment him without fail. Chants like “Laaaaaaaary,” in reference to his real first name, were rained often.

While it wasn’t any kind of heckle, it was still a hassle. Even Hall-of-Fame Mets catcher Mike Piazza admitted, “I call him Larry whenever he comes to the plate.” Moreover, he also noted that it used to “rattle” him.

But what went down at the Ryder Cup was unlike anything else. Rory McIlroy faced below-the-belt insults. Many targeted his personal life with remarks like “How’s your divorce going?” and “Your ex is looking for you,” all while Erica was visibly shaken. With heckling on the rise, even a Miami Marlins right fielder was on the receiving end of it recently.

Before Rory McIlroy’s incident, MLB’s Dane Myers was heckled by a fan

Last month, Marlins right fielder Dane Myers was on the receiving end of inappropriate heckles. It took place in mid-August at Fenway Park when Myers felt a fan was heckling him beyond what was appropriate.

The verbal abuse began exactly before he hit a game-tying homer in the ninth inning. It was against the Boston Red Sox to help the Miami Marlins with a lead. It started in the eighth inning with the Red Sox leading 3-2 and continued till the game ended.

When asked about it after the game, Myers said, “I don’t really want to get into that. Probably drinking some beers out there, having a good time. It’s a baseball game. I won’t get into necessarily what I heard exactly. It’s part of the game. I think I need to be a pro and probably handle it just a little bit better.” Myers had also yelled back at the concerned fan during the ninth inning, right before security intervened. Soon after that, the fan was removed from the arena. And the Marlins emerged victorious with a 5-3 win against the Red Sox.

When Myers was asked what he said to the fan, he replied, “I basically said: ‘Would you be saying this if you were on the field right in my face?’” Myers pressed that the one guy who started it kind of got the whole section going with him.

For the way security handled the entire moment, Myres gave them the due credit. “Kudos for them kind of stepping in. I wouldn’t ever go into the stands or do anything like that. Just kind of letting them know I’m a person, too. I’m a human, too. So I want some respect as well.” He added.

Both Dane Myers’ verbal abuse case and Rory McIlroy’s heckling case, when put together, suggest how easy it has been for fans to cross lines.