Anyone who has attended sporting events or games has probably witnessed at least one demonstration of poor sportsmanship coming from the bleachers. Whether it’s booing the referee or chanting to mock the opposing team, sports culture allows fans some wiggle room in what would normally be considered socially unacceptable behavior.
We don’t boo our waiter for slow service or make up a cruel chant about an employee in a competing business, so why should these actions be tolerated in the sporting world? Where is the line between the die-hard fan and the obnoxious guy who has had a few too many $2 beers?
This question needs to be asked by sports fans everywhere - from supporters of NHL teams to friends and family watching atom house league. If you’re a vocal fan in the stands, you need to step back and look at your behavior.
Within our own community, McGill teams are happy to have fans of any sort and are not picky about their motives for being in attendance. So what if that drunk chick has been flirting with the shirtless body-painted dude for half an hour and couldn’t tell you the score even after it was announced over the loud speakers 20 seconds earlier? At least they carved some time out of their packed social calendar to show their faces in support of their school team. It is always more encouraging for teams to play in front of a sea of red created by fans in McGill gear than a sea of red created by the empty bleachers in Love Competition Hall.
What attracts university students to games isn’t usually the sport itself, but the festive atmosphere that goes along with getting a little rowdy with friends in the crowd. There are pros and cons that accompany this fact. On one hand, it’s great having a large group of fans making lots of noise in support of their school team. On the other hand, “festive” and “rowdy” can often turn into obnoxious, annoying and inappropriate. And the question still remains - where do we draw the line?
Personally, I have attended McGill games that were unsuitable for younger audiences. Nudity, swearing, chanting, public drunkenness and taunting of the opposition are not exactly what you would want your 7-year-old child exposed to. And it’s not just McGill students that are to blame. I have witnessed unsportsmanlike conduct from parents and other adults in attendance. Just the other day I was watching a Redmen hockey game while sitting behind a father who was openly swearing and booing with his two younger daughters at his side. By the end of the game the girls were also booing the ref and joining in with the rude comments directed towards the opposition.
The bottom line is that as fans, we need to keep it classy. The majority of the time our McGill teams do an admirable job of respecting their opponents and letting their skills do the talking. When Redmen hockey were on the road at Queen’s last week, they were taunted by fans and even had objects thrown at them from the stands. They didn’t let this get to them however and pulled off a 3-2 win. This past weekend they embarrassed Queen’s with a 6-0 win in McConnell arena.
Perhaps McGill fans should take a lesson from this team and learn to keep their cool even in aggravating situations. The next time you‘re tempted to swear at the ref or yell at the opposition’s goalie ask yourself: Is this really necessary? Is this going to help my team win? Is this going to bother the people around me?
Let’s keep showing our support for McGill teams in the best, most positive way we can.
Go Red Go!
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