Sports, in particular football and basketball, are expected to have a large crowd encouraging and rooting for the players. The booming atmosphere of the cheering crowd and screaming fans magnify the already captivating games. But underappreciated sports -- such as tennis, lacrosse, and swim -- aren’t used to receiving significant attention. The aim of the crowd is to support their team, and it’s no surprise the loud and proud approach won’t be the most favorable with the more laid-back viewers.
Often what’s considered acceptable for the football student section wouldn’t slide for soccer. This division, for the most part, has some type of understanding by most of the fan section, but the ambiguity has led to some confusion over where to draw the line from sport to sport.
This question was presented at a spring lacrosse game in 2018. A handful of students cheered on the Bowling Green Purples with taunts adapted from football season. The chants, while not being vulgar or rude, were often utter nonsense, the fan favorite being “your girlfriend look like my mom.” Later, a teacher confronted the student section over how their heckling was disturbing the players and if they continued they’d no longer be allowed in a game. Why is there a split in sports in what is acceptable from viewers depending on a sport?
There shouldn’t necessarily be a line in the sand that divides how spectators cheer on the same team at different sports. The most passionate of fans often come from the most popular sports. Is there really that much of difference from football and rugby that matters other than crowd size? Regardless, it shouldn’t really matter where to seperate in terms of how a sports fan interacts with a sport.
At the end of the day, the student section amplifies the spirit and pride for their respective teams. For some sports, not every game can be an intense match between rivals, but spectators can improve the atmosphere of a mundane event and even add to the intensity of an exciting game.
Often what’s considered acceptable for the football student section wouldn’t slide for soccer. This division, for the most part, has some type of understanding by most of the fan section, but the ambiguity has led to some confusion over where to draw the line from sport to sport.
This question was presented at a spring lacrosse game in 2018. A handful of students cheered on the Bowling Green Purples with taunts adapted from football season. The chants, while not being vulgar or rude, were often utter nonsense, the fan favorite being “your girlfriend look like my mom.” Later, a teacher confronted the student section over how their heckling was disturbing the players and if they continued they’d no longer be allowed in a game. Why is there a split in sports in what is acceptable from viewers depending on a sport?
There shouldn’t necessarily be a line in the sand that divides how spectators cheer on the same team at different sports. The most passionate of fans often come from the most popular sports. Is there really that much of difference from football and rugby that matters other than crowd size? Regardless, it shouldn’t really matter where to seperate in terms of how a sports fan interacts with a sport.
At the end of the day, the student section amplifies the spirit and pride for their respective teams. For some sports, not every game can be an intense match between rivals, but spectators can improve the atmosphere of a mundane event and even add to the intensity of an exciting game.