Wussification of America, Part 1,567,983

The Hoff wrote:

mtn wrote: Is a concert a [head to head, both competing at the same time] competition? Does it matter? I think it is a valuable life skill--learning how to deal with adversity. You see it all the time, people who can't make it on the big stage because of the pressure. Certainly I don't think the taunting should be encouraged, but you can't make it go away. What happens when that high school all star from Wisconsin goes on to play college ball and has never had someone yell "BRICK" at him? Also, where do you draw the line? One of my favorite things in golf is to ask a guy if he inhales or exhales during his backswing--right before he is about to setup for a drive. Throws them off. Seems like an innocent question, but it is anything but. Is that disallowed? Should it be?

You have every right to do so. The guy you're golfing with also has every right to think you're a d-bag for doing so too.

Usually my brother or my dad, so they already do

In reply to mtn:

To us, the spectators, there is no difference between a concert and a sporting event, they are both entertainment. Nothing more.

And it's the same thing to taunt your fellow autocrossers.

Still, what age is ok to yell stuff?

If you think yelling stuff at sporting events is bad, don't ever read YouTube comments on driving videos

"Air ball" is unacceptable? It's simply a status report. Listen next time you watch a Broncos home game, you'll hear 80k people all chant a single IN-COM-PLETE! in unison every time the visiting team misses a pass. Cracks me up every time. Opposing QBs must love it, especially as the game goes on.

What bothers me is unimaginative taunts. "You suck" reflects worse on the fan than the player. Come up with something witty or clever! Make it more like smack talk.

living in the shadow of Philadelphia here.. I wish they would ban some behavior at games.. Philly fans are some of the worst.

The Hoff wrote:

mtn wrote: Is a concert a [head to head, both competing at the same time] competition? Does it matter? I think it is a valuable life skill--learning how to deal with adversity. You see it all the time, people who can't make it on the big stage because of the pressure. Certainly I don't think the taunting should be encouraged, but you can't make it go away. What happens when that high school all star from Wisconsin goes on to play college ball and has never had someone yell "BRICK" at him? Also, where do you draw the line? One of my favorite things in golf is to ask a guy if he inhales or exhales during his backswing--right before he is about to setup for a drive. Throws them off. Seems like an innocent question, but it is anything but. Is that disallowed? Should it be?

You have every right to do so. The guy you're golfing with also has every right to think you're a d-bag for doing so too.

That's OK in my book, because I'll still drive that little white ball farther than him.....I don't breathe during my backswing and only exhale after the follow through. You want to be a douche when playing golf, just start saying "I say" at the beginning of every sentence.

As far as this topic, I can see competitors trash talking each other to a certain extent, or at least the opposing schools student body(it is a competitive event after all), but parents taking part is something that shouldn't happen. I'll admit, I didn't read the article as I'm used to Mr Stearns having about a 50-50 chance of being correct.

As far as PC meaning respect, no, that's not what it is at all. We'll never see a level of respect for the fellow person in this nation like what ended 70+ years ago without actually parenting correctly. Can't alter a rule book or legislate your way out of a E36 M3ty upbringing.

I don't think its about the ongoing pussificarion or political correctness. It seems more like our inability find any middle ground or to be civilized to each other. We no longer have any sense of what is appropriate in a particular situation. Eventually things get out of hand and then rules come out that go too far in the other direction. It happens everywhere. Politics, sports, shopping. Wherever two or more people gather they must have different opinions and tell the other person they are shiny happy people for disagreeing. If we can't find ways to act like grown ups we are going to see more of this nonsense.

mad_machine wrote: Philly fans are some of the worst.

This was taking it a little too far

Bengals fan Martin Cooke is due in court Monday after cops say he urinated on the person sitting in front of him.

In reply to Nick (LUCAS) Comstock:

In the immortal inspiration from Jeremy Clarkson, his face has a slope on it.....

alfadriver wrote: To us, the spectators, there is no difference between a concert and a sporting event, they are both entertainment. Nothing more.

Except that at a sporting event there are two adversaries engaged in a contest. Fans are naturally going to support their team and wish ill luck on the opposing team. Nothing like a concert. Ever seen world cup soccer fans?

I agree that fans should be civilized and not vicious, but chanting "Airball?" C'mon.

In reply to 1988RedT2:

I wish I had a life so awesome that this was even on my radar of issues to be concerned about.

How is the avoidance of verbal adversity preparing these students for the realities that await them once they finish high school?

In reply to Appleseed:

If future life skills education was the point, it wouldn't be a basketball game, it'd be a checkbook balancing competion with a focus on accuracy and penmanship.

mad_machine wrote: living in the shadow of Philadelphia here.. I wish they would ban some behavior at games.. Philly fans are some of the worst.

Philly fans are the worst. I live in the Philly area and can vouch for it.

In reply to 1988RedT2:

That doesn't chase the tiny fact that it just entertainment to us. Choose sides for your tribe, but you are not playing.

At some point, we all agree it's ok. When isn't it?

Will you yell "air ball" to a 14 year old kid?

At my alma mater, during the hockey games, our fans yell "YOU SUCK" towards the opposing goalie when scored upon. It was the most unsportsmanlike display I have ever seen and was ashamed and embarrassed to be associated with that. If I was the coach or players I would not want them as fans and would not want them in the building

fritzsch wrote: At my alma mater, during the hockey games, our fans yell "YOU SUCK" towards the opposing goalie when scored upon. It was the most unsportsmanlike display I have ever seen and was ashamed and embarrassed to be associated with that. If I was the coach or players I would not want them as fans and would not want them in the building

They go further than that; they facebook stalk them and get some good ammo. Even worse since the fans were essentially right on top of the goalie--that is a bizarre rink.

Goalies that I've talked to actually got a kick out of it; or else didn't notice it. But goalies are a seriously strange breed.

EDIT: As a referee, I've also been yelled at by those same fans, although not in a D1 game. I usually knew the coach though, the D2 coach for a few years there was a ref that I often worked with.

I have never been much of a sports fan.. but to be honest, the attitude and way the fans act has turned me off of going to -any- sports venue. Like said above, we have forgotten how to be nice and play nice. This place is turning into Rollerball

Back in the early 2000s when I was living in Columbus Ohio, my wife and I were part of the very small group that went to every Landsharks home game. (The Landsharks were an indoor lacross team that lasted 2 years before moving).

During a game with the Buffalo team a fan behind me yelled the best insult I've ever heard at a sporting event.

He said "Why don't you go back to your post-industrial sinkhole?"

I assume that my college's favorite football chant- "That's alright, That's OK, You're going to work for us some day!" would still be allowed.

Yeah, our football team was patently horrible and we knew it- but we were an engineering school.

Did we read the article?

The article isn't about adults coming to games and taunting opposing teans, it's about high school students, themselves, being band from taunting an opposing school's team.

No ban, it was a letter from that athletic association to the schools asking for people to be more respectful.

These type of threads make my head hurt. Stop projecting your beliefs on others.

Back in my day... (yawn). Don't you have a Facebook page full of old teen hangouts and long-dead schools to get back to?

Margie

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: These type of threads make my head hurt. Stop projecting your beliefs on others.

What if my belief is that people should stop projecting their beliefs on others?

I wonder if it's better to teach kids not to be a jerk, or better to teach them to ignore jerks?