THE ISSUE: Georgia Tech fans behave violently at game WHAT WE THINK: Need for better behavior at all schools
Fans watching this Saturday's football game from home might have missed a rather violent display of school spirit. The behavior exhibited by the fans at Georgia Tech made the crowd at Alumni Stadium look downright saintly.
The crowd hurled water bottles at Boston College cheerleaders, and the officials were forced to stop stopped play not once, not twice, but five times over the course of the game.
The worst came when fans chastised radio personality Jayme Parker, referring to her as a "slut," telling her to go home, and using other graphic, demeaning, and crass language. Behavior bordered on verbal assault.
Of course, badly behaved fans are not an anomaly at Georgia Tech or elsewhere. In fact, such conduct is a growing trend in university athletics.
In recent years, similar incidents have occurred not only at schools across the country but within the ACC itself. In 2004, the University of Maryland landed itself in a nationally covered scandal when obscene and crude cheers from Terrapin fans were picked up by ESPN microphones and aired live.
The media storm forced the school to respond with the creation of a sportsmanship taskforce, among other initiatives. Inappropriate language caused a similar problem at BU hockey games last year, when the administration resorted to banning inappropriate language altogether. Also in 2006, the Ohio State marching band was terrorized by Penn State students who were throwing objects at them, making rude gestures, and swearing.
Two things must be taken from the behavior of unruly fans at Georgia Tech and at other universities across the country. First, what might seem like harmless taunts (most likely shouted under the influence of alcohol) can greatly offend those toward whom they are directed. While some might brush off childish taunts as trifling or insignificant, some members of the BC travel party were genuinely concerned for their safety.
At BC, administrators are upset when chants of "Tom O'Brien sucks" ring out from the student section. We could say, "BC fans are not that bad, this kind of behavior is not that big of a deal." Or, we could take the higher road and become a school exemplified by its sportsmanship, on the field and in the stands. Nobody would want to be treated the way that BC's travel party was at Georgia Tech, a fact we should learn from.
Second, Georgia Tech and many other schools need to take action to end this ridiculous behavior. During Saturday's match-up, the referees stopped play and announced several times that legal action would be taken against those fans disrupting the game.
Yet, the inappropriate actions coming from the Georgia Tech stands did not occur spontaneously; rather, such behavior is largely ingrained in the fan culture of the school. The administration should take action to foster an environment of sportsmanship, rather than enmity, among fans.
Perhaps fans should take a leaf out of Illinois' book. The Illinois student section, commonly referred to as the Orange Krush, is well-regarded for its use of clever, premeditated chants and creative team support.
The behavior of Georgia Tech's fans was classless at best and criminal at worst. The athletic department should issue an apology to BC and the university should take swift action to address fan behavior.
When BC returns to Georgia Tech in two years, we hope that the travel party won't fear for its safety on the field, cheerleaders won't need to duck from water bottles thrown from upper-tier seats, and the focus of fans will be on cheering for their team and not degrading the other. In the meantime, BC fans can offer an example of how respectable fans should act for the rest of the season, especially when we welcome Georgia Tech next year.
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