Grant Wahl Hates Atmosphere...and Puppies

>> Wednesday

SI.com writer Grant Wahl takes a shot at what he calls "College student sections going too far." Somewhat odd considering that SI.com regularly posts shots of College fans hurling abuse.

While there certainly are a few who step over the line (Death threats to family members, and throwing stuff at people isn't cool, man), a lot of Wahl's "problems" really don't seem that bad, and the article is pockmarked with other various forms of blowing the issue out of proportion, using the actions of a stupid few to indict a passionate many, and generally just being an ass.

"While nobody has ever called (Oregon's) Pit Crew P.C. -- its members once printed a thousand copies of an embarrassing picture posted on Facebook of Stanford's Fred Washington at a party."
Comment 1: Oh no! What if his future employer was there!?!?
Comment 2: Isn't the proper measure here for Washington to not post embarassing pictures of himself on a website where he is searchable by name?

Wahl posts numerous references to homophobic chants and signs that I won't detail here. Obviously, just saying "You're gay" is pretty uncreative. However, Wahl's adherence to this point shows he has a short memory. "Fighting Irish" was initially applied to Notre Dame not as a creative mascot but as an anti-Catholic slur. Not just 100 years ago, but in the movie Knute Rockne All American: which was released in the 40s (Rockne is asked if hockey would be a good substitute for football at ND, to which Rockne replies "Notre Dame will never support a sport that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman").

In the 1970s, Georgia Tech fans littered the field with fish and barraged the Irish with similar anti-Catholic insults. While I really can't see any team adopting any such moniker in the future, Wahl is seemingly oblivious to the fact that derision of your opponent for whatever reason you see fit has long been a staple of organized sport.

When Illinois hosted Indiana on Feb. 7, the home fans took out their frustration on Hoosiers freshman guard Eric Gordon (who'd reneged on a verbal commitment to the Illini) by chanting "F--- you, Gordon,"
Scottish Comedian Billy Connolly (better known as the dad in Boondock Saints) has a great routine addressing this very thing. He says that swearing doesn't limit your vocabulary. He knows tons of words and still prefers "F***," and that he has yet to find an English equivalent for "F*** off!" "It isn't 'Go Away.' Go away now! Shoo!"

I can here the chants now. "Go Away Gordon! Go away!" He already did, you schmucks. That's why he's wearing Crimson instead of Orange.

"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," says Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "I hate to say this because freedom of speech is at issue, but this isn't what freedom of speech is ­intended for."
Somewhere I remember hearing that the First Amendment wasn't being put in place for popular speech, but for unpopular speech. This kind of speech, as vile as you may sound it, is EXACTLY the kind of free speech that the first amendment is intended for.

It's been my understanding that the stadiums (especially those on state-run campuses) are public places. All over the world people use their stadiums to express what some people would call unpopular viewpoints. (FC Barcelona and The Old Firm in Europe come to mind).

Some of the same conditions that make college basketball so popular-an intimate atmosphere, passionate crowds, heated rivalries -- can also create a volatile situation when fans cross the line. But what is that line? When Duke's Cameron Crazies donned caps and gowns on Feb. 13 and held up signs reading MARYLAND BASKETBALL: FEAR THE CLASSROOM, was it a creative dig at their rival's ACC-lowest graduation rate or a boorish put-down?
Isn't the bigger problem here Maryland's low graduation rate? While we can all agree that very many basketball players are in college to play basketball and not to go to class or get anything resembling an education, I'm not letting Wahl off the hook here. Earlier in the article he criticizes students choice of words by stating that colleges are supposed to be beacons of enlightenment. It seems unfair to hold the students to one standard of education for their performance in the arena and the players to another.

And once an adrenaline-filled crowd gets going, it can be extremely hard to control. Even though Hoop Scoop -- the pamphlet circulated within Illinois's student ­section-encouraged members "to keep your composure and to refrain from vulgarity" when Indiana's Gordon took the floor, the students followed that directive for, oh, about 1.3 seconds before the anti-Gordon chants started. (It didn't help that the pamphlet devoted eight times as much space to rehashing every detail of Gordon's recruitment.)
OK, does Wahl (or anyone) for that matter think that these things actually work? He seems shocked that when the university boot-lickers said "Don't swear," people didn't comply.

But like so many Presidential candidates, Wahl points out a lot of problems but doesn't really offer any practicable solutions.

Strong responses from college officials and coaches are necessary to help control unruly crowds, Stan Love and Eric Gordon Sr. argue, pointing out that neither ­Oregon coach Ernie Kent nor Illinois coach Bruce Weber stepped in to address their vulgar fans on the P.A. systems.
Again. Pamphlets. See above.

According to Love and Gordon, none of the offending fans were ­ejected in either game. "They need a code of conduct,"
Again, it's a sporting event. You should expect this. Passions run high, and even if they didn't, it would be a free speech issue.

Perhaps it's no surprise that some players (including Hansbrough and Paulus) say they have stopped using Facebook ­altogether. Then again, fans may need to read only a newspaper or a website to find ammunition for taunts. aAfter Memphis's 79-78 last-second win at UAB, Tigers forward Robert Dozier is standing only a few feet from a ­female member of the Gang Green student section who's wearing an I DATED DOZIER T-shirt and an ersatz black eye-a reference to a complaint filed against Dozier for allegedly striking his girlfriend outside a nightclub.
Again, isn't the real problem here violence against women, not heckling fans? And last but not least, the stupidest pargraph of the article...

If there was one saving grace for the Loves, the Gordons and Memphis, it was this: Their teams overcame those unruly crowds and left victorious. Eric Gordon Sr. is convinced that was no coincidence. "They were so nasty, so hateful, such poor sports, that it all turned back around and we won the game," he says. "I think it's karma."
I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that those three teams (UCLA, Memphis, and Indiana) are a combined 73-8, and the three teams they faced in those games (UAB, Oregon, and Illinois) are a combined 45-37.

The bottom line is, this article was insulting. It took the actions of a stupid few to cast a blanket net over college basketball student sections, which, let's be honest, if I wanted basketball with less atmosphere, I'd watch the NBA.

There's enough sit-on-your-hands, wait till the Fan-o-meter or "Rock and Roll Part II" comes on to show any kind of indication on whether or not you care about the game in this country for people like Grant Wahl. Don't stamp out the only major sport in this country where you have genuine passion for the team and real atmosphere that makes a place consistently hostile to play in every night regardless of how well the team is doing. While threats to family members and racist taunts are not cool, people need to realize that no one actually intends to follow through on a threat. The scraggly kid from Centralia is going to climb over the railing and personally take out a trained professional athlete? Mountains out of molehills.

15 comments:

Anonymous,  10:34 PM  

Since I don't agree with Grant Wahl, I think someone should eject him from the mortal plane; or at least remove his fingers so he can't type anymore. Accually let's just stone him. Seariously, how are you allowed to be such a bigotted writer, OH DUH THE FIRST FUCKING AMENDMENT RETARD!!! Wahl just needs to step down off his high horse, pull his head out of his horses ass, and then learn to fucking chill.

Anonymous,  11:08 PM  

War Puppies and War Grant Wahl getting his cummupins.

Anonymous,  7:56 AM  

Grant Wahl is a big gaybag pussy.

Garboho 8:25 AM  

I tend to disagree slightly. I love passion don't get me wrong, but did you read the part of the article where Keven Love's father discussed how he would never set foot on Oregon's campus again? Here's this man, a legend at Oregon (6th leading scorer) and as he walks into the arena with his wife and 13 year old daughter a bunch of idiots are screaming at him, cussing at him, and flicking him off....and YOU DON"T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT???? What are you nuts?

I can just imagine the scene, a bunch of half drunk obnoxious morons who don't even know their own program's history....BTW, Why are Oregon BASKETBALL fans so crazy?...it's Oregon Basketball, Oregon Basketball, yeah Oregon Basketball. Are you serious, we're talking about OREGON basketball. Who gives a flying frick?

Seriously has this program ever been to an elite 8, sweet sixteen?

Either way, it is completely uncalled for to curse and swear at an older person in front AND to do it front of the guy's family, a 13 yr old child no doubt! I mean all this simply because their kid picked a different school and your school still sucks just like it has practically every season since its inception.

I mean, I think it's nuts if a Duke fan would act in this manner, but in their defense at least you can say, "Well it IS Duke Basketball." You can't say that about Oregon anything, except Oregon Trails.

I do love passion, but death threats and obnoxious behavior is uncalled for!

Garboho 8:31 AM  

OH DUH THE FIRST FUCKING AMENDMENT RETARD!!! Wahl just needs to step down off his high horse, pull his head out of his horses ass, and then learn to fucking chill.
---------------

You know, you can say things and make your point without cursing. You can tell Kevin Love's father how you feel without offending someone. Look numbnuts, just because you are free to speak in any manner in which you please, doesn't mean you should....have you ever heard of consideration, decency, or respect? These are social values that extend beyond legal constraints.

I mean, why not scream Benedict Arnold...John Walker Lynd (i.e., Traitor) or even the words Traitor? Not only is it nicer and more respectful but its more thoughtful. Any druken yahoo can yell "F you!" Even a retard can yell that.

Anonymous,  8:53 AM  

To the Oregon hardfloor hater-the Ducks actually won the first ever March Madness and were a power back in their day. Of course, this just means they have longest title drought of any team to have won one, but still it's more titles than Memphis, Tennessee or Vandy have between them.
Also, this is a great excuse to rank off your three least favorite college hoops fanbases.
1. Duke
2. Villanova
3. Kansas
have at it hoss

Anonymous,  8:58 AM  

Arizona State
Steve Kerr's father worked for the American University in Beirut in the 80's where he was assasinated for no fucking reason. He still suited up for Arizona and went on the road to play in his Dad's honor. The ASU fans spent the whole game chanting PLO PLO PLO while Kerr had the game of his college(if not overall) career. ASU sucks

homertuck 12:36 PM  

Another issue here is how stupid the graduation rate is. As a school, you're penalized if a student leaves early for the NBA, if they transfer, or if they don't graduate in a certain number of years. Most of the players in Maryland's "0%" graduation rate either went onto make hundreds of thousands of dollars playing basketball professionally (hardly a "failure" or ended up eventually getting their degrees. The point is, the Cameron Crazies are stupid if they think they're insulting Maryland for a graduation rate that is seriously flawed. Maryland has higher academic standards for athletes than Duke does to begin with.

Overall, I agree with most of what you said. I think there is a line you shouldn't cross (death threats, vandalism, assult, etc.) but everything else is part of the college atmosphere. Words are just words, sticks and stones are what break your bones. And I think that is a great point in what you say about Izzo's comments - the 1st Amendment is designed to protect JUST the types of free speech that Izzo is talking about.

Vinnie 2:09 PM  

The irony of that IU sign in that linked picture is that the holder is extremely ugly (and probably a mysoginist prick). Plus I'm sure when you're comparing two schools of 30,000ish students whithin the same state, any discrepancies in attractiveness/ugliness are merely anecdotal.

Which gets to the nature of most fan taunts: They are usually nonsensical, petty, hypocritical, or generally stupid in some other way, and they usually embarass the taunter more than the tauntee.

While stuff like "PLO," racial slurs, and verbal abuse of family members are totally over the line, I think most of the stuff is just inocuous, childish crap or--like our 106 pals bringing cardboard laptops with Marcus Williams's picutre on the monitor for the '06 UConn game--rather clever.

While I'm the guy here who usually takes the side of the athletes in these matters, Wahl's argument just doesn't move me all that much. Yes, it's unfair that the personal lives and mistakes of star athletes are scrutinized and used against them by people who'll likely never know that feeling. If I hit my girlfriend, it isn't national news.

It's shitty that it has to be like that, but--I hate to say it--it comes with the territory. In most cases, the player needs to understand that it's just the color of his jersey and the desire to be a funnyman that motivate the opposing students' insults. It's nothing personal.

Mike 3:50 PM  

I'm with you on the graduation rate, Homertuck, since they are kind of dependent on your point of view and are not a real barometer of a program.

My point in including it was that it seemed like Wahl was holding student sections and student-athletes to different standards of education by implying that colleges were supposed to be centers of enlightenment.

Basically, just as some basketball players go to college to play basketball, a fair share of people go to college to get wasted and party while majoring in something totally unemployable. So to call students to task for not being more enlightened in their put-downs, and then to not hold student-athletes to the same levels of learning seemed to be a double standard to me.

Nathan 9:13 PM  

I'm on Vinnie's side here: Wahl's arguments are shaky at best, but the underlying point (that there is a problem with taunting in college hoops) is legit.

Yes, people have a right to cuss and make personal attacks. But I think Gordon (or was it Love?) got it right when he said that there needs to be a code of conduct.

The schools have a right to kick students out of the game if they are causing problems, and this is absolutely not a violation of your first amendment rights, so nobody better try going down that road. Moreover, the schools have a duty to control their student sections by doing something more than hand out pamphlets asking everyone to be nice.

When students make racial, homophobic or other inappropriate comments (things that deal with, say, dead family members or family diseases...anything along those lines) should be shown the door.

Of course, each school would need to work out the details of what's unacceptable, but they should do something.

One final point: I think a lot of us might be reluctant to admit that students go overboard, because we very well may have gone overboard with our taunting a couple times when we were students. But that's not a good reason to justify these actions.

Vinnie 11:57 PM  

Not sure if anyone else caught it, but tonight during the USC @ Arizona game, a kid threw a bottle toward the court and/or USC bench(with, I think, 15 seconds to go and 'zona trailing by eight). Kevin O'Neill grabbed the scorer's table mic and personally yelled at the kid. If I heard him right, he said, "Get him! Get him out of here!" and then apologized to Tim Floyd. Best part: the dumb fucker was caught on camera even though no one would rat him out.

Mike 11:00 AM  

That sort of highlights the discrepancy in coaches' involvement.

No coach is going to get on the PA and tell his fans to be nice, because he knows that hostile crowd, however insignificant in the final score, is better than a sedate crowd.

Here, the coach only got on the PA because the crowd's hostility was risking a technical.

Vinnie 1:09 PM  

Call me a chump, but I think O'Neill was genuinely embarassed and apologetic about it.

Nathan 9:38 AM  

Sever is obviously talking out of his ass and did not see the Arizona incident. The game was decided by the time it happened, meaning that a technical foul wouldn't have meant shit.

What Kevin O'Neil did is exactly the kind of attitude that needs to be more widespread.

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