PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Earlier this week, Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte was brought to tears by a heckler who reportedly made comments about his late mother during the team’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
According to MLB.com, the spectator made a derogatory remark about Marte’s mother, who passed away in a car accident in 2017.
Arizona’s Family spoke to sports psychiatrist Brook Choulet, M.D., about the effects inappropriate comments have on athletes’ mental health. She says this incident is a reminder that athletes are people, too, while viewers may sometimes see them just as performers.
“Because we’re watching them on TV, you forget and you lose touch that they go through a lot of the same things that we go through, stress, anxiety, family challenges. So to see this is such a human display of that person behind the sport,” she said.
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo consoled Marte after the fans’ outburst. Choulet explained this culture shift between coaches and players in today’s game versus years past.
“Before, it’s like suck it up, you know, just move on, focus on next play mentality, and now we’re really seeing coaches treating them as humans, too, beyond their sport,” she explained. “That’s the biggest thing I talk to athletes about is their identity is often tied to their sport. So when we can separate that athlete from the sport and see them and treat them as a person, I love to see that.”
Following the incident, many have shown support for the Diamondbacks and Marte, including the White Sox displaying a sign that read, “Baseball is family. The White Sox community supports Ketel Marte.”
Officials confirmed the heckler was banned from all Major League Baseball stadiums.
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