Major League Baseball is implementing a league-wide fan conduct code next season

Currently, each team in baseball gets to decide how to police its own fans. While many codes of conduct have overlapping rules and guidelines (you probably see a bulleted list of them at your chosen team’s stadium every time you attend a game), each team choose the exact wording, specifics, and penalties for its fans.

After this season, that will no longer be the case.

Major League Baseball is implementing a league-wide fan code of conduct starting in the 2018 season, ESPN’s Scott Lauber reports. “We are working with the clubs on security and fan conduct initiatives at all of our ballparks. We will be issuing a league-wide fan code of conduct for the 2018 season,” says MLB spokesman Michael Teevan of the decision.

Although teams handle things themselves right now, sources say MLB is looking to make things even across the entire league with set standards and consequences for misbehaving at all parks.

MLB would be the last of the four major sports leagues to do so, as the NBA, NHL, and NFL all have league-wide standards for behavioral missteps and the ensuing penalties.

A major precipitating factor for baseball’s shift seems to be Adam Jones’ experience with hate speech and derogatory language coming from fans in the stands at Fenway Park earlier this year. A day later, a white man was banned for life after directing a racial slur at a national anthem performer in the same park.

Shortly after, the team specifically added “hate speech” to its fan code of conduct. Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy said of the fallout from the incident(s) in the spring:

“There’s not been any directive or mandate, but there’s been support from the commissioner’s office for sharing ideas and looking at different policies and procedures. I actually think most clubs have a zero-tolerance policy with respect to fan enjoyment and creating a safe environment.”

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred seconded the plan back in the spring as well, saying,

“We want to make sure we know exactly what the clubs are doing before we start recommending changes. Obviously our goal is to have an environment in all 30 ballparks that is welcoming to fans of all racial backgrounds. We work hard to have a family-friendly and diversity-friendly environment, and we will continue to do that.”

With baseball at a point where it needs to retain as many fans as it can at all times, a positive environment in ballparks and proper behavior towards players isn’t just good for its reputation and everyone’s enjoyment of the game — it’s important to the product and bottom line as well.