Post by rainman on Jan 30, 2010 8:55:37 GMT -5
HERTZEL COLUMN: WVU officials hope fans don’t go over line
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
— Well that lasted a long time, huh?
What was it, October, when the nation was in lockstep while complimenting West Virginia University’s sports fans and students on the way they welcomed the grieving University of Connecticut football team to town in the wake of the tragic shooting of their popular cornerback Jasper Howard?
Instead of basking in the glow of praise from throughout the nation and building upon it, creating a sports atmosphere that was wholesome for the family and fun for both students and fans, the Mountaineer Maniacs became the Mountaineer maniacs (lower case) again and dragged everyone down with them.
When Ohio State was here for a basketball game, their star player Evan Turner became the object of some highly objectionable taunts, and when he was being ignored the student section focused upon the officiating.
It was enough to make a member of the Hells Angels blush.
And, apparently, a few others across American blushed, too, for the game was televised nationally and the impression given from sea to shining sea was one of a bunch foul-mouthed jackasses hee-hawing obscenities.
West Virginia University has decided enough is enough. Faced with another nationally televised game against Louisville with an opposing coach whose personal indiscretions have become public, leaving an easy target for some very nasty chants and signs, the powers that be decided to do what they could to head off a national embarrassment.
After receiving a number of complaints, Ken Gray, the school’s vice-present of student affairs, sent out a letter to the students asking them to clean up their act. The school ran an advertisement in the student paper, the Daily Athenaeum, to behave respectfully, the ad being signed by the school’s coaches, including basketball coach Bob Huggins.
Huggins has done all he could to inspire student involvement in basketball games, urging them to come out and be as boisterous as they could be, but he would prefer they leave whatever obscenities there to be hurled around the Coliseum to him.
“To be honest, I haven’t heard most of what goes on,” Huggins said before Friday’s practice, being totally immersed in coaching the game. “I’ll talk to them. We want them to be enthusiastic and energetic, but we want to cast the university in the best possible light and we don’t want them to offend anyone.”
Da’Sean Butler, the Mountaineers’ on- and off-court leader, said he understands the behavior is something of a tradition, that it was here before he arrived.
“I’ve heard they were always crazy,” he said. “Most of the time they’re pretty good. It’s usually until someone does something to get them involved before they do anything. Like at Ohio State, Turner did that 360-degree dunk then turned to them.
“But rarely do they go after people, except for (Notre Dame’s Luke) Harangody. He’s the only one I’ve seen them blatantly attack.”
Gray says he knows that WVU student section is normally “better than that,” referring to their performance in the Ohio State game.
The students can be as loud as Kentucky’s, as inventive as Duke’s.
When Connecticut came to town a number of years back with Kahlid El-Amin, a short, stocky player, they mimicked him with chants of “Gar-y, Cole-man,” rocking the rafters as they tormented him. They worked Troy Murphy of Notre Dame over so much during one visit that he didn’t know whether he was on offense or defense.
The all-time classic, of course, was when the entire student section showed up many years ago with masks of Temple coach John Chaney, who was always one of their main targets and who had a strong rivalry with WVU coach Gale Catlett.
Moving into obscene chants, however, is a sign of inmaturity, stupidity and a lack of class or respect for other fans and for yourself, if you are chanting.
If other fans don’t do anything to stop it, such as starting their own “Let’s Go, Mountaineers!” cheer to try and drown out the obscene cheers or begin to boo to cover it up, you are condoning it.
Who’s to blame?
Start with the parents and the coaches and teachers who failed to teach sportsmanship, respect, courtesy to their children.
And what of the officials?
If fans began hurling objects onto the court, they would issue a warning and then a technical foul.
Why not do the same if they hurl epithets onto the court?
This is especially true if they are directed at the officials. If a coach or player said the things that are coming out of the stands they’d be hit with T, maybe even ejected. The same should be true of the fan.
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
— Well that lasted a long time, huh?
What was it, October, when the nation was in lockstep while complimenting West Virginia University’s sports fans and students on the way they welcomed the grieving University of Connecticut football team to town in the wake of the tragic shooting of their popular cornerback Jasper Howard?
Instead of basking in the glow of praise from throughout the nation and building upon it, creating a sports atmosphere that was wholesome for the family and fun for both students and fans, the Mountaineer Maniacs became the Mountaineer maniacs (lower case) again and dragged everyone down with them.
When Ohio State was here for a basketball game, their star player Evan Turner became the object of some highly objectionable taunts, and when he was being ignored the student section focused upon the officiating.
It was enough to make a member of the Hells Angels blush.
And, apparently, a few others across American blushed, too, for the game was televised nationally and the impression given from sea to shining sea was one of a bunch foul-mouthed jackasses hee-hawing obscenities.
West Virginia University has decided enough is enough. Faced with another nationally televised game against Louisville with an opposing coach whose personal indiscretions have become public, leaving an easy target for some very nasty chants and signs, the powers that be decided to do what they could to head off a national embarrassment.
After receiving a number of complaints, Ken Gray, the school’s vice-present of student affairs, sent out a letter to the students asking them to clean up their act. The school ran an advertisement in the student paper, the Daily Athenaeum, to behave respectfully, the ad being signed by the school’s coaches, including basketball coach Bob Huggins.
Huggins has done all he could to inspire student involvement in basketball games, urging them to come out and be as boisterous as they could be, but he would prefer they leave whatever obscenities there to be hurled around the Coliseum to him.
“To be honest, I haven’t heard most of what goes on,” Huggins said before Friday’s practice, being totally immersed in coaching the game. “I’ll talk to them. We want them to be enthusiastic and energetic, but we want to cast the university in the best possible light and we don’t want them to offend anyone.”
Da’Sean Butler, the Mountaineers’ on- and off-court leader, said he understands the behavior is something of a tradition, that it was here before he arrived.
“I’ve heard they were always crazy,” he said. “Most of the time they’re pretty good. It’s usually until someone does something to get them involved before they do anything. Like at Ohio State, Turner did that 360-degree dunk then turned to them.
“But rarely do they go after people, except for (Notre Dame’s Luke) Harangody. He’s the only one I’ve seen them blatantly attack.”
Gray says he knows that WVU student section is normally “better than that,” referring to their performance in the Ohio State game.
The students can be as loud as Kentucky’s, as inventive as Duke’s.
When Connecticut came to town a number of years back with Kahlid El-Amin, a short, stocky player, they mimicked him with chants of “Gar-y, Cole-man,” rocking the rafters as they tormented him. They worked Troy Murphy of Notre Dame over so much during one visit that he didn’t know whether he was on offense or defense.
The all-time classic, of course, was when the entire student section showed up many years ago with masks of Temple coach John Chaney, who was always one of their main targets and who had a strong rivalry with WVU coach Gale Catlett.
Moving into obscene chants, however, is a sign of inmaturity, stupidity and a lack of class or respect for other fans and for yourself, if you are chanting.
If other fans don’t do anything to stop it, such as starting their own “Let’s Go, Mountaineers!” cheer to try and drown out the obscene cheers or begin to boo to cover it up, you are condoning it.
Who’s to blame?
Start with the parents and the coaches and teachers who failed to teach sportsmanship, respect, courtesy to their children.
And what of the officials?
If fans began hurling objects onto the court, they would issue a warning and then a technical foul.
Why not do the same if they hurl epithets onto the court?
This is especially true if they are directed at the officials. If a coach or player said the things that are coming out of the stands they’d be hit with T, maybe even ejected. The same should be true of the fan.
