Paige Spiranac has taken aim at fan behaviour after ugly scenes marred the Ryder Cup — and she’s calling for sweeping change across all sports.
The golf influencer, who has built a huge online following, didn’t hold back after players — especially Europe’s stars — were peppered with abuse from the crowd at Bethpage Black in New York.
Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and captain Luke Donald all felt the brunt of the heckling. At one point, McIlroy refused to putt until fans quieted down, while on Sunday, he and his wife Erica Stoll were even targeted by a drink toss in what Spiranac later branded “absolutely unacceptable.”
“Throwing a drink is absolutely unacceptable,” Spiranac posted on X, sharing footage of the incident. “Life ban.”
Despite the hostile atmosphere, Europe kept their composure and retained the Ryder Cup for the first time on American soil since 2012. Lowry’s clutch putt sealed the deal, sparking celebrations while the conversation off the course turned to whether fan culture had gone too far.
Spiranac, 32, admitted she wasn’t surprised by the controversy, but argued the problem is now endemic across live sport.
“I’m sadly not shocked by the fan behavior at the Ryder Cup because it’s become the norm at most sporting events and in my opinion it needs to change across all sports,” she wrote to her 1 million followers on X.
She went on to describe a personal experience at a football game where one fan’s drunken antics ruined the day for everyone around him.
“I was at a football game recently and this man in front of me was disgustingly drunk, yelling the most vile shit to players and opposing fans in the stands, spilling his drink everywhere, wanting to fight people.
“It completely ruined the experience for me and everyone around him.
“What was interesting was that his young (maybe 7 years old) nephew was right next to him, listening to everything. At one point, the kid started copying him and was yelling the same things and the family was laughing.
“This behaviour is taught.”
For Spiranac, that generational ripple effect is what makes things most alarming. While she stressed she isn’t against an electric atmosphere at sporting events, Spiranac said too many fans are crossing into outright hostility.
“I’m not saying you have to sit quietly,” she wrote. “You can have passion, chirp, have fun banter, enjoy yourself at the event or game but there’s a line and it’s crossed so many times now.”
Her comments resonated with fans online. Replies flooded in beneath her post, with one person responding: “Completely agree with you Paige.”
A second added: “This! All of this. Fan behavior has become abhorrent and ruins the experience.”
“So tired of people’s behavior,” wrote a third, while a fourth commented: “Fans can be obnoxious. Across the board at all sports.”
Crucially, Spiranac rejected the idea that Ryder Cup rowdiness was just “an American problem.”
“I also don’t think this narrative is helpful to change,” she wrote in reply to one fan who said “proper golf fans” would be back when the Ryder Cup returns to Ireland. “I’m speaking about sports fans in general and I know that’s not isolated just to the U.S.”
She argued that golf’s rapid growth since the pandemic has introduced new fans who may not understand or value golf etiquette in the same way.
“I don’t think rowdy fan behaviour is also a new problem. Competition, alcohol, packed stadiums, crowd mentality all contribute to inappropriate behaviour. Especially now that over the top antics will lead to virality online,” Spiranac wrote. “The good news is that it’s usually only a handful of people who are belligerent. The bad news is that it ruins the experience for everyone else.
“The security needs to crack down on that type of behaviour quickly and start handing out harsh repercussions, in my opinion.
“Golf has grown a lot since COVID and with that growth comes new golfers who come from more of a traditional sports background and is not as familiar with golf etiquette. This applies to on the course and being a spectator.”
Europe may have lifted the Ryder Cup, but the talking point that lingered long after the final putt was about the crowd, not the competition.
And Spiranac’s message was simple: passion is welcome, hostility is not.
Featured image credit: Instagram/_paige.renee/X (screenshot)
