Indiana University Athletics
Darryl Neher - Policing Fan Behavior: Who is Responsible?
2/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Feb. 1, 2008
I can handle losing games. I don't like it, but losing will happen if you're going to compete in sports or be loyal to a team. Unfortunately, the Hoosier Nation is losing one battle that no one should accept. This battle isn't on the court, on the field, nor on the recruiting trail. The battle the Hoosier Nation is losing is in the stands.
Over the past couple years, maybe longer, some fans sitting in Assembly Hall have forgotten that appropriate fan behavior matters. The latest and most noticeable incident happened at the end of the UConn game when a disgruntled student section set off into the unfortunate and tasteless chant of "F+++ You Refs." I'm certain it started with one or two students, but in a hyper-competitive and rabid environment like Assembly Hall, others followed. The result: one of the most embarrassing moments of fan behavior in the history of IU Basketball.
Yes, in the history of IU Basketball. I can think of only one other incident in the past twenty years that rivals the most recent chant, and that was against Duke at home and the fans chanting "J.J.'s Gay" among other challenges to Duke guard J.J. Redick's sexuality. Neither is creative. Neither is appropriate. Neither has a place in Assembly Hall.
Unfortunately, the UConn incident isn't only a "student problem." Anyone attending an IU Basketball game can tell story after story about unruly fans that lob their own F-Bombs toward coaches, players, and officials that are as troubling as the collective student chant. During the Illinois game I heard someone sitting on the floor instructing the official to do something so anatomically impossible and so socially unacceptable that even the students would be embarrassed.
The shift in "acceptable" behavior raises the question: who is responsible for policing fan behavior?
IU Athletics has followed protocol and "played nice" in their effort to stem the obscene chants. Chuck Crabb repeats the standard announcement that reminds fans that IU wants to promote a positive environment and don't swear every single game. And every single game the "B--- S---!" chant rings through Assembly Hall - only now escalating to a more offensive chant, despite the announcements. Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan, through the IDS, expressed that offensive fan behavior is unacceptable and beneath the IU fanbase. And even the referees have been surprisingly lenient by not slamming the technical foul against IU for the obscene chants.
The result of "playing nice?" More obscene chants in Assembly Hall.
I respect the difficult position IU Athletics is in. There is a benefit to IU Basketball when the fervor of the fanbase is so loud - it is unsettling and distracting to opposing teams. To regulate or enforce punishments for over-the-top fan behavior risks undermining the home court advantage IU deserves.
What is the corrective? Ideally, fans policing themselves and others. Unfortunately, the other correctives are more punitive -- and unless something changes by the Northwestern game can anyone blame a stronger action by the Athletic Department or The Big Ten?
Think of the possible consequences. Imagine IU is in a tight game against Michigan State on February 16th at Assembly Hall. An official blows a call - EJ for traveling as he drives the lane for what appears to be 2 points and a foul. A fan start throwing the F-bomb chant and it becomes UConn all over again - only this time IU is assessed a technical by the official. A group of fans create a Steve Bartman moment at Assembly Hall - where fan action, not the action of a player or official, creates a swing in the momentum of a game.
Ultimately all fans have a responsibility to create a supportive, rabid environment in Assembly Hall that reflects positively on Indiana University. Loud fan noise, chants, yells, red towels, and getting on the opposing players, coaches, and referees are all fair game. It all comes down to the execution. "Jordan's Better" was one of the best chants I've heard in Assembly Hall in quite some time. Heck, even the "Stand Up Old People" makes me chuckle. IU fans have consistently proven that the ability to create the greatest competitive environment in college basketball need not require obscenities and hostility.
Coach Sampson said it best in a statement released earlier this week:
"The atmosphere in Assembly Hall on game day is the best in college basketball, and I know that will never change. But, we should always remember to treat opposing teams and game officials with dignity and class. Root for the Hoosiers, not against the other team, and please don't use profanity - make Assembly Hall shake with noise and enthusiasm like only you can!"
Ultimately, each of us is responsible for our own behavior, as well as the credibility and reputation of the institution we love - Indiana University. Protect the reputation, protect Assembly Hall, and as always -- Go Hoosiers!
Darryl Neher is a Senior Lecturer with the IU Kelley School of Business and the host of The Afternoon Edition on AM1370 WGCL. Born and raised in Indiana, Darryl is a lifelong Hoosier fan and a regular contributor to IUHoosiers.com. You can contact Darryl directly at neherd@gmail.com.
