David Stern acted swiftly and judiciously Sunday to punish the players involved in last Friday night’s riot at The Palace in Detroit, Michigan, and, hopefully, prevent other players from doing it again.

Ron Artest got what was coming to him. Players can not, under any circumstances, go into the stands. What Artest doesn’t seem to understand is that his individual need for respect does not outweigh the safety of 20,000 other people in an arena. Hopefully, a year off for self-reflection and counseling will help him realize that.

Based on that same premise, Stephen Jackson probably should have received more than 30 games for going into the stands with Artest. Doesn’t matter if he was doling out Artest’s new rap CD rather than haymakers. His punishment should be considerably harsher than Jermaine O’Neal’s 25-game vacation, because at least O’Neal limited his fisticuffs to the fans who went on the court.

Stern’s only mistake was that he didn’t give Jamaal Tinsley any time. Tinsley reportedly went after some fans in the stands, too. Then he went into the tunnel, grabbed a dust pan, walked back out into the arena and threatened to throw the dust pan into the stands. Thank God the janitor was using the floor waxer in Larry Brown’s office at the time, or it really would have gotten ugly.

Regardless, the message has been sent to the players about jumping the invisible wall between the court and the fans. If they don’t get it now, they never will.

As for the fans involved in the incident, well, some of them are going to get rich, some of them are going to probably become famous like Steve Bartman, few, if any, may face jail time (at least the one who threw the chair might) and only a handful of the dozens that were involved will have learned anything from the whole ordeal.

I’m not talking about this John Green guy, the one who threw the cup at Artest then started punching him in the back of the head as Artest attacked the wrong fan. Think he’s going to learn anything?

Green has a rap sheet that would make Leonard Little blush. Here’s a guy who has three DUIs as well as convictions for carrying a concealed weapon and check fraud, then goes on national television saying, “I don’t go around breaking the law.” Obviously in denial and hopeless. He’s going to be banned from The Palace, which means he’ll only be able to wear that replica Rasheed Wallace warm-up shirt of his to his AA meetings. But that’s as far as his punishment will go.

The fans I’m talking about are the cowards who stood over the entrance between the tunnel and the court, six feet above the players with a railing in front of them, and poured beer and soda and popcorn all over the players and coaches as they left the court. What about the punks in the Pistons’ gear who ran on the court to confront Artest? What about the jerk who threw the bottle that struck a referee in the side of the head as he stood on the court?

So far, there have been more lawsuits filed (two) than arrests made (zero). It’s a given that the fans who went on the court, and their lawyers, of course, will make more money by suing the Pistons, the Pacers and the Palace than they’ll lose by being fined or having their season tickets revoked.

As for those caught on camera throwing the food and drink? No doubt they’ve got their one moment of glory saved on TIVO with the “do not erase” option and will be showing their kids the time daddy got on TV for years to come.

So who is going to hold these fans accountable? Is anything going to be done to make sure that fans understand that the court is absolutely off limits, just as the stands are off-limits to the players?

More importantly, is anyone going to address this sense of entitlement that fans have when it comes to sporting events.

One of the theories floating around is that fans think paying $90 for a seat entitles them to abuse athletes beyond the normal heckling. An extension of that is that the athletes’ sky-high salaries make fans jealous, which breeds resentment, which generates mean, personal insults against the players. Add the sale of beer, the theory goes, and it was only a matter of time before an incident like what happened last Friday erupts.

Well, sorry, but this isn’t just limited to the pros, folks. While I haven’t seen any player/fan brawls break out, I’ve been to high school games where fans have chased coaches or officials off the field/court and threaten them with physical harm. I’ve seen high school players, teenagers, take as much verbal abuse as I’ve heard spewed at places like Fenway Park and the FleetCenter. Not just the garden-variety “You stink” or “You’re going to choke” stuff, but very personal invective, criminal even. Twice last season, I heard racial epithets hurled at Brunswick basketball star Ralph Mims, at two different venues.

Last I checked, high school basketball seats don’t cost $90, even when the MPA is selling the tickets. And the hardest beverage sold at the games in Mountain Dew.

It isn’t about ticket prices or player salaries. And alcohol is the lubricant of bad fan behavior, not the cause.

Nor is it because we’re losing our morals or some other “sports is a microcosm of society” excuse.

It’s because fans aren’t expected to practice self-discipline or decorum. They don’t hold themselves to the same standards they hold their athletes.

Randy Whitehouse is a staff writer. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]