With NCAA basketball's March Madness in full swing and my topic being "Audiences and Fandom", I chose to take a different approach when considering the excitement and actions of fans during these action packed games. This approach deals when the dedication and love for a team turns negative which is shown in the article by Grant Wahl in Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/02/26/abusive.fans0303/index.html
Sports fans range from the casual fan who can take in the game in a social setting and not show too much emotion to the competely captivated and at times deranged sports fan. In Daniel Wann's piece "The Causes and Consequences of Sport Team Identification" from the Handbook of Sports Media he describes the latter type of fan as "dressed (and perhaps painted) in their team's color and logo, cheer and/or boo loudly throughout the contest, and appear as though their existence is hinging on every play." (331)
Wann then writes that fans become so close to their teams to satisfy their "need for belonging and affiliation, that is, his or her desire to feel unity and cohesion with others." (334) The problem is when the more rambunctious fans overdo it as in the Sports Illustrated article where Wahl details how UCLA star Kevin Love received death threats on his phone when he went back and played in his home state of Oregon. His father Stan even said that kids as young as 6 years old had signs saying "KEVIN LOVE SUCKS".
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo went as far as to say that "The abuse that fans are bringing day to day, whether it's on talk radio or in the stands, is going to ruin the game eventually."
Death threats and threats of physical violence on players like Love and Eric Gordon, star of the Indiana team, are mentioned in the article but so are things such as Duke's fans making pokes at Maryland for having the lowest graduation rate in the ACC. This doesn't seem as bad but it's difficult to judge. There's also the mention of racial and anti-gay signs such as signs from Pittsburgh fans when they played West Virginia saying "BROKEBACK MOUNTAINEERS".
My question is when does this all go too far? What things from the article do you consider tolerable? What things are intolerable? Why do you think fans go this far with rooting for their teams? Do you think Michigan St. coach Tom Izzo is right in saying these over the top fans are going to ruin the game? What suggestions do you have for schools to fix the problem?
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The evolement of importance put on sports in our society, also creates the fan. Wenner says that college basketball fans "are the most likely to follow their favorite team or player." this is what leads to the black mark incidences at oregon and illinios. in the article, Wahl points out these few instances when fans take their fandom too far. it is a shame becuase it ruins the event for everyone. Tom Izzo hit the nail on the head saying that this behavior will ruin the game, and he is not only talking about college basketball. across all sports this type of behavior from fans ruins the family-friendly atmosphere that most leagues try to create.
I believe that fans have already gone too far. It isn't about the game anymore, fans take their allegience to teams too far. I believe it has become a societal issue, and it is up to the leagues and teams to enforce the environment they want. Growing up in Mass, and dealing with "red sox nation" was never fun. I'm not a sox fan, and I try to respect the team because they are are very good ball club, but the attitude of the fans give such a negative association with the team. as far back as i can remember the "yankees suck" chant can be heard at any event throughout the year. whether the event has anything to do with baseball or not. these kinds of things are tatooed into kids heads, that they grow up in it. I give the red sox organization all the credit in the world because they do not allow certain profane t-shirts to be worn or sold in the stadium. this creates the fun baseball atmosphere that any fan can enjoy. I believe more teams need to follow in this aspect.
Colleges need to screen the fans of signs because anything profane or insensitive ruins the atmosphere of the game, and sets poor examples for children in the audience. that is why i agreed with quinnipiac outlawing chants using the F-word, and i hope they continue to enforce it. Fans like to be fans everywhere they go, but people dont understand that they should behave differently in public than they do in their own home.
certain instances Wahl pointed out i thought were tolerable. the Duke fans (cameron crazies) wearing cap and gowns to poke fun at UMD is ok because it is a light subject. but fans holding anti-gay or racist signs should not be allowed. when anyone, friend or for does not feel safe in an arena something is not right. to attack individual players (especially young college students) is not fair to them, their families, or the sport because athletes are real people. they may have big ego's or a celebrity status, but theire still humans.
One thing i hear is when people say atleast we're not as bad as those soccer fans (refering to the fans in europe.) but that excuse only goes so far, because at this rate fans in the U.S. will be there soon enough, so we might as well try to stop it before its too late. Parents of little league teams have fought and died over a children's game.... is that doesn't make you stop and reassess how you go about displaying your fandom, than what will? It is all right and ok for people to be proud of their teams, and to live and die with them; but your fandom should not affect another's way of life, and when it does negatively, things have gone too far.
and I cant say im perfect, b/c I'm a little hypocritical in writing this, but that doesnt mean i don't try to be better...
The love of the game will come to a demise one day soon because of all this ridiculous madness. It’s not for the love of the game anymore, fans are taking their allegiance to their teams to the negative extremes. What happened to loving a team because of the art of the port and being able to support the sport as a whole, not just one team? Tom Izzo is completely right, but I feel that for me, some sore losers or over aggravated fans have already ruined games for me.
The sad part is that this is lack of sportsmanship is being passed on to our younger generations by way of example. For instance, 4 year old ice hockey games are the game with the most outbreaks of fights among the fans. What kind of example is that for the infant players?
I think that the most intolerable point form the article was when a fan left a death threat stating “We'll find your hotel room and blow your f------ head off with a shotgun.” This statement was made over a GAME. That’s just what sports are- games, and no one’s lives should hang in the balance for that. But the Handbook states that “team’s performances and image are so important to highly identified fans that some persons report that they would be willing to illegally assist their team in gaining a competitive edge.” Sports fans have taken a turn for the worst if they will openly admit to committing crimes for their teams.
As far a schools go, Quinnipiac had the right idea when they sent out mass e-mails reprimanding our school after the vulgar chants we were screaming at Yale’s hockey team. More schools should do the same, although devoted fans will probably not listen.
Being a diehard fan (or even a fan that pays close attention to a team and cares about the well being of that team but may not be considered "die hard") can often be positive. Those who show up to every game or watch the sporting event on television if they are unable to attend the event adds positive spirit and support to the organization. However, as Kevin stated, unfortunately many fans are taking fandom too far. The Sports Illustrated article that Kevin posted is a prime example of negative fandom. The many threats that Kevin Love was given are something an athlete should NEVER have to experience, whether the athlete is professional or not. As a diehard Red Sox fan of course I was upset when Johnny Damon left Boston to play for the enemy, but I would never wish for anything bad to happen to him or his family, especially death!
After reading the article I most definitely consider the threats made to Kevin Love's cell phone to be intolerable, death threats against him and his family are taking fandom WAY too far! I also believe printing pictures off Facebook and using them to embarrass athletes is wrong. I recall last year at a hockey game when QU was playing Yale, a QU fan printed a picture of the Yale goalie's girlfriend and blew it up. Throughout the entire game the picture was held up to distract the goalie. That I believe is taking fandom too far as well. It is unsportsmanlike. I also believe homophobic chants should not be tolerated, there is no reason to bring societal issues and personal beliefs to sporting events. I actually believe that everything that was done to Kevin Love and his family is intolerable, it should not be tolerated.
I think the reason why fans go so far when rooting for their teams is because they identify themselves as part of the team. As Wann says in his article in the Handbook of Sports and Media, "...group identification relates to sport fandom" (332). By taking fandom to the next level, fans are able to satisfy their sense of belonging with the team that they identify themselves with.
In reference to Tom Izzo's statement, I sure hope fans will never ruin the game, but it is possible, especially if harmful threats continue to be given. I also agree with Danielle with what schools should do to prevent unsportsmanlike conduct. QU has let fans know (more than once) through e-mail that negativity will not be tolerated. The question is whether or not it is working? Just recently a group of fans that proudly supports the Quinnipiac Bobcats painted their bodies for the QU v. Yale game. Each person painted a letter on their stomach to spell out "GO BOBCATS" which I thought was great team spirit. On the other side of the spectrum, the fans had "YALE BLOWS" painted on their backs. I wonder what measures Quinnipiac will have to take in order to make fandom entirely positive, or will that ever happen? I highly doubt it.
It is incredibly sad to witness how audience participation in sports has evolved. As outlined in Chapter 19 of the Handbook, people love watching sports because of the “emotional rewards” they receive from doing so. Sports are supposed to be about entertainment and the opportunity to escape the stresses of every day life. But it’s also about the fans. The devotion, intensity, and levels of team identification displayed by fans is one of the most amazing, and unique aspects that sports games have to offer -- however, as Tom Izzo states, it has also become its downfall.
The level of violence demonstrated by college basketball fans in the article submitted by Kevin is sickening. Fans’ love of the game, for whatever their reasons may be, has reached an entirely new level that actually threatens the well-being of players and their families. Fans threatening players’ lives, and acting so violently towards players’ families that they need security escorts to games is absolutely absurd. As Danielle mentioned, for many fans it has gotten to the point where it’s not about their love of the game, but an intense level of team identification that causes them to do anything to destroy a rival player or team.
The problem with sports fans is that they make the game personal. Fans celebrate a victory at the bar, making a team’s win into a personal achievement, or blame themselves for a loss, feeling they could have done more for their team. As Chapter 20 of the Handbook says, this is a completely normal result of team identification. It states that, “individuals may react to events occurring to the model as if they occurred to him.” When it comes to why fans feel the need to go so far in rooting for their team, I believe it’s because of the connection that fans feel to their players. Fans know that obviously players can’t act so disrespectfully, so they take it upon themselves to represent them through absurd, threatening, and violent actions.
Every act of hatred, violence, and team identification mentioned in the article, “Over the Top” is just that--completely over the top, and above and beyond the level of devotion that any fan should be allowed to show for a team. This is not what any college athlete signs up for. They play because they love the game and in many cases they play to bring home a national championship for their fellow student fans. When they have to cancel their cellphone service because they’re receiving death threats from fans at rival schools, that is team identification that has gone WAY too far.
This problem I feel is biggest in college sports. With Kevin Love, while you are on the floor, you have to expect somethings. However, the phone calls and death threats are taking it way to far.
In college, these guys are still kids. In the pros, they get paid so you can argue they should be able to take it unless its up to an almost criminal level (some things described are definitly there).
In college, there is a definitive line. Some of these things were just clever poking (i.e. Duke's "Fear the Classroom" claim). In college hockey, there is a University of Minnesota chant "If you can't get in to college go to state *clap clap*." These are just clever sayings that I do not feel need to be regulated.
However, when individuals feel the need to go into death threats or sexuality or race, its when either the University or the NCAA needs to step in. The University has every right to censor signs as they come through the arena doors and should. If a crowd takes it too far, it is the University's responsibility to stop the behavior. Quinnipiac dealt with this coming up with a "cheer iniative," that did calm down students to a point. This could also be done with the threat of cutting student tickets. At the major Universities this would definitly get people to calm down.
I just typed up a whole response and when I clicked "publish your comment" the page never opened, the comment was never posted and my words were deleted...so now I'm left with nothing.
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