A Front-Row Seat to Sports Security
From Security Management Highlights by ASIS International
February 3, 2026 · 38 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges of sports security, particularly at basketball games, featuring insights from security leaders and a personal account of an executive protection threat.
At high-profile basketball games, VIPs and celebrities are often in coveted courtside seats, making executive protection challenging. Players also face risks from fans within arm’s reach, and unruly behavior can spill over quickly onto the court. Security leaders Darcy Leutzinger and Larry Thompson share their insights on EP, crowd dynamics, and risk management in sports security. Then, luxury hotel security professional Ricardo Flores, CPP, shares his own personal experience with executive protection threats—when he was abducted, threatened, and ransomed while on the road in 2024. Additional Resources Read more about the risks associated with courtside seating at basketball games in this article from Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/01/fan-misbehavior/risk-sits-courtside-at-basketball-games/ Explore more about sports security and unruly fan behavior in this collection of articles from Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/01/fan-misbehavior/ As fan misbehavior evolves, adopting a holistic risk mitigation approach is key. Learn more in this article from James DeMeo…
People in this episode
Guests: Darcy Leutzinger, Larry Thompson, Ricardo Flores
Topics covered
- sports security
- executive protection
- crowd dynamics
- risk management
- fan behavior
Keywords
- sports security
- executive protection
- crowd dynamics
- risk management
- fan misbehavior
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ASIS International, Security Management
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