Fans behaving badly

I wish I were writing this to criticize the tactless conduct of the Florida State football players during Saturday night's game. However, despite what I saw as innumerable offensive acts and classless behavior following FSU's hard-fought win, I am forced to condemn Boston College's own student body.

I am usually very proud to call myself a BC student. Saturday night, however, I felt compelled to hide my face and pray that no TV camera would show the world that I go to BC. I was ashamed to be a part of this group of fans.

Last year, BC opened its home schedule with games against Clemson and Brigham Young. Fan behavior at Clemson was bad, causing many who made the long trip up from South Carolina to vow to never return to BC. At BYU, fan behavior was even worse. Those seated in the end zone could be heard chanting "F-g Mormons" at the visiting section, sitting only 10 feet away. Despite that, our opponents played well and their fans treated us with respect.

It was the fan behavior at those two games that caused BC's deans and sports marketing department to take action. Sports marketing banned signs so that whatever inappropriate things we might say, at least there would be no written evidence. It was then that students started getting nearly constant reminders from deans and sports marketing, in addition to a number of student groups (the Undergraduate Government of BC, Residence Hall Association, and BC Rally Committee, just to name a few), encouraging positive support and appropriate behavior.

And, for a while, it looked as though we had put that embarrassing tendency of making ourselves look foolish and giving our school a bad reputation in all corners of the country behind us. Saturday showed me that we still have a lot of work to do.

Earlier this season, BC traveled to Georgia Tech. The entire BC community, it seemed, was outraged when Tech fans threw trash on the field and at our players and cheerleaders. Articles appeared in The Heights condemning Georgia Tech's behavior (and at least one offended Clemson fan responded, reminding us that "those who live in glass houses should not throw stones"). Yet, it appears that we have no right to be angry with Georgia Tech.

For those of you lucky enough not to have witnessed our student body's embarrassing actions, allow me to fill you in. Throughout the game, after many controversial calls made by the referees, pieces of trash were thrown onto the field.

When FSU scored their final touchdown, heaps of trash joined the scraps that had made their way onto the turf of Alumni. When FSU exited the field, they were downright pelted with a wide variety of litter, from soft, near-harmless pompoms and towels to the potentially dangerous full hot chocolates and water bottles.

When an FSU player was injured on the field and play had stopped, loud cheers erupted from within the student section. When the player rose and left the field, I heard approximately seven people giving him the customary round of applause. When leaving the stadium, I heard a group of BC students shouting obscenities at a passing FSU fan, who appeared to have done nothing to antagonize the group.

When BC fans behave in such a manner, we are showing the entire country that we are unable to maintain even basic decorum in the face of an unpleasant circumstance. I am not saying that we have to go through a game without uttering a curse word or booing the refs after a questionable call. What I am saying is that we should show the nation an image of BC that we can be proud of.

We should conduct ourselves with class. As much as I love BC and our many successful sports teams, we should not let our enthusiasm for sports overtake our obligations as people to treat others with respect.

Alex Rikleen, LSOE '09, co-director of the Boston College Rally Committee.