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Ejected: What happens when a fan is banned from a stadium?

(NewsNation) — Saturday’s scene at Yankee Stadium, where fans threw bottles and other garbage at Cleveland Guardians players, is just one example of rowdy sports fans taking it too far.

“I don’t care if I never get back” isn’t just a line in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” The prospect of never coming back is real for unruly spectators.


Before a fan is ejected, they typically have to sign a document agreeing to a ban of a certain amount of time, according to a 2017 report from CNN.

Teams can cross-reference fans on the banned list with those of ticket-buyers, and security officers are given photos of banned individuals to be on the lookout for. Some stadiums have even begun to use facial recognition software.

In the NFL, fans can’t just go on the road if they’ve been banned from their home stadium, either.

Since 2015, the league has prohibited fans who have been ejected from one stadium from attending games in other cities.

There are technically a few ways around a ban. Even if a friend buys a ticket on behalf of a banned person, however, the ousted fan runs the risk of trespassing charges, regardless of their behavior.