List of Violent Spectator Incidents in Sports - 1971

1971

• February 13 – During the second day of the seventh and final Ashes Test between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground, beer cans were thrown onto the field and English fast bowler John Snow manhandled by a drunk and drug-affected fan on the boundary when Australian Terry Jenner was forced to retire hurt after having accidentally ducked into a bouncer from Snow. English captain Ray Illingworth pulled his team from the field; England only returning seven minutes later after umpires Tom Brooks and Lou Rowan warned Illingworth that the match and the Ashes would be awarded to Australia. During a further seven-minute delay to clear the field, a ground staff member was knocked unconscious by a beer can thrown from the crowd and had to be removed from the arena on a stretcher. 14 fans were arrested for offensive behaviour and a further 190 were ejected.
• June 5 – During a VFL match between Hawthorn and Collingwood at Glenferrie Oval, Hawthorn forward Peter Hudson was hit in the face by a rock thrown from the crowd.

• September 30 – During the bottom of the ninth inning of the final game of the Washington Senators in Washington before their move to Texas, hundreds of disgruntled Senators fans rushed the field and vandalized RFK Memorial Stadium, forcing the Senators, who were leading the New York Yankees 7–5, to forfeit the contest 9–0. Three men were arrested for disorderly conduct. Major League Baseball would not return to the U.S. capital until 2005, when the Montréal Expos moved south to become the Washington Nationals.