Gilbert Arenas doesn’t see the harm in it. The Dodgers’ first win in five years has sent a wave of excitement throughout the City of Angels. It was amplified by the announcement of a Dodgers parade. This will be the first in 36 years. That victory may have helped fans move past an ugly incident that occurred earlier in Game 4. The altercation between Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and Yankees fans is quite shocking. Still, Agent Zero struggled to understand the fuss.

In the latest segment of Gil’s Arena Podcast, the former NBA player appeared puzzled as Brandon Jennings and Josiah Johnson recounted the incident. After Arenas grasped the full story, he found it hilarious and even sided with the Yankees fans, noting that it didn’t impact the game’s outcome.

“That’s all fair. That’s fair play right there. You got your out now give me the ball that’s it. What’s the problem? What I’m saying is if it interferes with the outcome then okay yeah but the outcome is he caught it out fair ball now let’s go,” former Golden State Warriors star Arenas suggested on his podcast. Is he right, though?

The incident took place during Game 4 of the World Series. The umpires called out Gleyber Torres after he hit a fly ball. As Betts ran to catch the fly-out, two fans attempted to interfere. One of the fans grabbed Betts’ glove and tried to take the ball out. Yankees fan and season ticket holder Austin Capobianco, sitting in the front row, was one of the two fans. As Betts used his other hand to get the ball out, his right hand was held by the other fan, John Peter.

The situation led to both fans being banned from Game 5, with calls for a potential lifetime ban. The Yankees, in their official statement, said, “Last night two fans were ejected from Yankee Stadium for egregious and unacceptable physical contact with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts.” A Yankees player had a similar take as Arenas’ statement.

Yankees player Alex Verdugo might agree with Gilbert Arenas

A similar incident occurred in Game 1 of the World Series when a Dodgers fan grabbed Torres’ hit. Dodgers star Betts didn’t react to the two fans involved. Yankees player Alex Verdugo also had a similar opinion about the incident. While he noted that grabbing Betts’ glove was a bit extreme, it wasn’t “too serious” as per Verdugo. Just like Arenas stated, it was a Yankees game with fans who are very loyal and supportive of the team.

However, many fans found the behavior unacceptable, which sparked a flurry of reactions. LA Dodgers player Max Muncy even suggested that a lifetime ban should be placed on the fans involved in the incident. 

“They should never be allowed in any ballpark ever again. If it’s an accidental thing where you’re trying to catch the ball and you bump a [player], that’s one thing. But in that scenario, you have two guys trying to grab Mookie’s glove and then his hand — that’s a lifetime ban,” Muncy said.

Both fans were banned from Game 5 as said before while their tickets were reallocated to a pediatric cancer patient and his family. Social media seems to be debating over the incident with many wondering whether the fans deserve a lifetime ban.