Game 1: Terps/Miami Game Thread

[twoBshorty]

The entire student listserv just got sent a nasty email from Kevin Anderson upbraiding the student section for using foul language and being generally uncouth and obnoxious during the game. He attached a long complaint letter from a man whose 11-year-old son was subjected to a barrage of profane abuse for accidentally cheering a Miami play. I didn't go to the game, but was it that bad? He made it sound like an Eagles game. Embarrassing.

[allstar1579]

The entire student listserv just got sent a nasty email from Kevin Anderson upbraiding the student section for using foul language and being generally uncouth and obnoxious during the game. He attached a long complaint letter from a man whose 11-year-old son was subjected to a barrage of profane abuse for accidentally cheering a Miami play. I didn't go to the game, but was it that bad? He made it sound like an Eagles game. Embarrassing.

Welcome to MD Kevin...you're stay is going to be a short one if you keep picking fights with the children of the people who fund your sports with donations. On one hand it's nice he's not just playing the game, on the other, man are the students going to revolt.

Do you remember back in 2002 when they told us not to riot what we did? This isn't going to be pretty.

[Danielos38]

Welcome to MD Kevin...you're stay is going to be a short one if you keep picking fights with the children of the people who fund your sports with donations. On one hand it's nice he's not just playing the game, on the other, man are the students going to revolt.

Do you remember back in 2002 when they told us not to riot what we did? This isn't going to be pretty.

I didn't get the e-mail for some reason and neither did my friends. I did read the text of it on another board. It some parts of it seem either grossly exaggerated or total bs. Cursing is a problem at every school. The administration just handles it HORRIBLY.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Welcome to MD Kevin...you're stay is going to be a short one if you keep picking fights with the children of the people who fund your sports with donations. On one hand it's nice he's not just playing the game, on the other, man are the students going to revolt.

Do you remember back in 2002 when they told us not to riot what we did? This isn't going to be pretty.

On the one hand, the students should try to be aware of who is around them when they yell*, and they shouldn't go overboard for an accidental cheer. I know that there have been times where I wasn't paying attention and looked back to see a play made, cheering at first before quickly realizing it was the other team.

On the other hand if you bring your kid to any football game, let alone a game at night when many of those in attendance will be well-liquored by the time the game begins, let alone a game where a large portion of the attendees (drunk or sober) will be of college-age, you should expect quite a bit of language.

*I hope he was simply in a section of seats that happened to abut the student section. If not, then I place all blame on him for bringing his eleven-year-old into the heart of the students.

Either way, if the tone of the email was as it is being described, it is just another strike against Anderson. I don't care if he did come from Army; I guarantee if he is this upset he never spent time with the Cadets in a big game. Especially playing Navy.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I didn't get the e-mail for some reason and neither did my friends. I did read the text of it on another board. It some parts of it seem either grossly exaggerated or total bs. Cursing is a problem at every school. The administration just handles it HORRIBLY.

It is as though they don't understand their students at all. I remember when they wanted to stop the "You Suck" chants with "Rock and Roll, Part II". They ended up actually banning the band from playing the song, and even then the students would chant the entire song.

[Danielos38]

It is as though they don't understand their students at all. I remember when they wanted to stop the "You Suck" chants with "Rock and Roll, Part II". They ended up actually banning the band from playing the song, and even then the students would chant the entire song.

Here is the text of the e-mail:

Dear Students,

I would like to share with you a troubling email that was sent to me, Head Coach Randy Edsall and University President Wallace D. Loh after our tremendous victory over Miami last week. This is certainly not the first email or feedback that I have received but I felt it was important to share because it describes an interaction between one of your fellow students and an 11 year old boy attending a Maryland Football game for the first time. The type of aggressive and offensive behavior described below paints the University, our teams and every one of us in a bad light and it is not what this world class institution is about. Every coach, student-athlete, fan, staff member and member of our student body has a responsibility to represent our great University with class, dignity and respect. Is this who you really want to be and is this the impression you want the nation to have of us? I know you do not, and now that we are being discussed nationally it is more important than ever to improve our conduct and represent the University of Maryland in the appropriate manner. Please do not prove me wrong, assist us in policing your peers and help us prevent these negative actions from occurring at games in the future. Let your fellow students know that this type of behavior is unacceptable and not how you want to be viewed. On behalf of the hundreds of student-athletes here at Maryland, I ask you to please serve as positive examples for our University and our teams. We want you to cheer loudly, be respectful of others, and show the world what it means to be a Terrapin.

Fear the Turtle..Respect for All!

Sincerely,

Kevin B. Anderson

Director of Athletics

All,

I hope this email finds you well. I want to just take a minute of your time to describe my 11 year old sons first experience of a college football game, the one last night.

My son turned 11 years old on 9/1/11 and the only thing he asked for was to attend the University of Maryland vs. University of Miami football game. Knowing that Coach Edsal grew up 15 minutes from where we currently live, he was ecstatic to have the opportunity to see what, until now, he has only been able to watch on TV. So, as a surprise to him, I registered on the University of Maryland website and purchased tickets for the game. I did my best to get him close to the action and we were very fortunate to get tickets in Row 22, Section X, seats X and X. I never had the opportunity to see college football games as a child but did travel to FSU, University of Florida, UCF, Penn State and University of Tennessee as an adult to see games. I thought I was making the right decision to show him what intercollegiate athletics was all about; student-athletes playing for the passion of the game, not for the large contracts, etc. Having played at the Division I level myself, I think values taught to students are crucial for life skills.

Knowing that we live almost 2 hours away and it was raining, we left York, PA at 3:45 PM. We finally arrived on campus at 6:05 PM and were pleasantly surprised on how easy parking was. We parked in Paints Branch. We walked up to the gate to wait for the main gate to open at 6:30 PM. As we walked around to our section, there was a loud roar and the chant "**** MIAMI"" was deafening. We waited in line for a few minutes and then entered. We entered the stadium in section 304 (ground level) and the staff personnel asked him "Have you ever been at a game before?". To that he smiled and said no, this is my first. She wished him a good time and smiled as he walked in. The chant, controlled into one area, the student section, was even louder as we walked by. My son looked at me and asked why people were chanting something like this. Not knowing what a father should respond, I stated that it was inappropriate and left it at that.

We walked over to our seats and took some pictures so he could remember his first collegiate football game. The ushers and game personnel were very helpful in guiding us to the right area and assisted in taking pictures. One engaged in a conversation with him, in a welcoming way, and he was impressed that someone would take the time to discuss sports with him. The stadium started filling up and when the clock hit 73 minutes (til kickoff), the chant started again and got louder as Miami walked out to take the field for warm-ups. Then my son asked me "Dad look at that sign over there"". Looking into the white section, I saw a large poster sign that read "**** the U". Seeing how ESPN was doing a live report, I was shocked that nobody even addressed the sign (as I still saw it in the 3rd quarter).

The game started and obviously there was much excitement. Within the first 5 minutes of the game, my son shouted "Yeah"" over a play that had taken place. Since it was hard to see, his "yeah" was for a play that Miami did something well. Immediately, a U of MD student turned around and screamed **** You and flicked him the middle finger and almost hit him with it. To that, my response was "How classless. You are using profanity towards an 11 year old boy who just wants to fit in". Ironically within seconds, there was an announcement stated by many Maryland student-athletes requesting positive sportsmanship over the large screens.

The game continued and was an awesome display of hard work and dedication by student-athletes and coaches. The game itself was incredible to watch and kept everyone in the stadium on the front of their seats. I commend both teams on a hard fought effort.

The concern, I have, is that last night gave the University of Maryland to show the entire country what you have to offer and this was the best the students could do? Whether it was shirts, signs or chants, I have NEVER seen such a low level of class shown

Having taught one of Coach Edsall's former players (XXXXXXX) and currently I work with a good friend of his, XXXXXXXX, the one thing I have heard over and over is that he is a man of class.

Please dont take this the wrong way. I am in no way commenting on the job being done by Coach Edsall or the players. I was extremely impressed with the staff both coaching and event. My goal is that someone takes an opportunity to speak to the student section about acceptable behavior. Situations like last night provide the perfect opportunity to change the culture before it worsens.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns. Best of luck to Coach Edsall and the Terrapins.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXX [/Quote]

There are a bunch of inconsistencies in this e-mail. First of all, the students were not cheering "F*** Miami" before the game. The PA system played the Cee-Lo Green song entitled, "**** You"!!!!!!. We were playing against "The U" and they play that song and expect the entire student section not to shout the chorus at the top of their lungs.. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!

Second of all, the person in the e-mail said that a student cursed at her 11-year old son and nearly hit him with the middle finger. Impossible. All of the seats next to the student section were not available on the MD website. The only ones available pregame were in the upper corners or the premium seats scattered around the Terrapin Club members. So either the person who committed this offense was not a student, the family was in the student section (and therefore are just plain dumb), or are making this whole thing up. If this did in fact happen, all they say about some drunk kid nearly attacking their son is, "How classless" ?? You don't tell an usher/security? You don't confront the idiot? You just send a pissy e-mail the next day?

If they are offended by some curse words, sorry. Night time college football games are probably not for you. This ain't BYU lady. Not many schools in the country are. If you're looking for some 100% wholesome fun, go to the fairgrounds.

Now, is it great that our student section curses? No. Are we the only school in the country that does it? Hell no. I'm tired of being told that we're so badly behaved. Sick and tired of it. Have you heard the Michigan hockey cheer? Google it, then tell me we're bad. Please. Every school does it. We're in college. If you're telling me that you didn't get drunk and curse during college, especially on football Saturdays (depending on the school) then you're probably lying.

A huge part of the problem is the administration. When you tell college kids that they absolutely can't do something, GUESS WHAT? They're going to do it anyways. Honestly, they're probably SOL. Instead of acting like we're some kind of criminals, they might as well try to reason with us and give us "Rock and Roll Pt. II" back or something. If they're tired of the "**** Duke" chants during Zombie Nation, then stop playing it. If they're trying to make us BYU, good luck. Never going to happen. Never. We're one of the toughest places to play in the ACC for a reason (especially basketball) and I don't think that the student body is going to give it up anytime soon.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Just had this cross my Google Reader wire..

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-college-rankings-20110913,0,3993168.story

Maryland is the 55th best university in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. Just for some scale: even if that ranking was only for NCAA-member schools, they would still be in the top five-percent of the 1,281 colleges with that membership.

So this isn't the safety-school dregs of the state we're talking about. The classless and embarrassing student body includes many of the brightest kids in America. But I'm sure it isn't the kind of thing that will happen at any football game at any school in the country.

[glenn__davis]

We're one of the toughest places to play in the ACC for a reason (especially basketball) and I don't think that the student body is going to give it up anytime soon.

Well, I don't think that that reason is because the students curse a lot. You can be loud, rowdy, and even obnoxioius without cursing.

I understand your points, and I do agree with you that MD fans have a reputation that, while deserved, is no more deserved than just about every other school in the country.

And I also agree that if you don't want your kids exposed to it, then don't take them there. I do think it's a shame that it has to be that way though, I would love to take my boys to a game in a few years but there's no way I'd take them to a MD event.

I will say that at football games at least, you can generally isolate yourself. I remember I went to the Clemson game a few years back, and all I really noticed was that when the Tigers came out, the student body chanted "F*** you Clemson" for a while. Which I found annoying, but frankly I could've made something up and told my kids they were saying something else.

[Mashed Potatoes]

Here is the text of the e-mail:

There are a bunch of inconsistencies in this e-mail. First of all, the students were not cheering "F*** Miami" before the game. The PA system played the Cee-Lo Green song entitled, "**** You"!!!!!!. We were playing against "The U" and they play that song and expect the entire student section not to shout the chorus at the top of their lungs.. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!

Second of all, the person in the e-mail said that a student cursed at her 11-year old son and nearly hit him with the middle finger. Impossible. All of the seats next to the student section were not available on the MD website. The only ones available pregame were in the upper corners or the premium seats scattered around the Terrapin Club members. So either the person who committed this offense was not a student, the family was in the student section (and therefore are just plain dumb), or are making this whole thing up. If this did in fact happen, all they say about some drunk kid nearly attacking their son is, "How classless" ?? You don't tell an usher/security? You don't confront the idiot? You just send a pissy e-mail the next day?

If they are offended by some curse words, sorry. Night time college football games are probably not for you. This ain't BYU lady. Not many schools in the country are. If you're looking for some 100% wholesome fun, go to the fairgrounds.

Now, is it great that our student section curses? No. Are we the only school in the country that does it? Hell no. I'm tired of being told that we're so badly behaved. Sick and tired of it. Have you heard the Michigan hockey cheer? Google it, then tell me we're bad. Please. Every school does it. We're in college. If you're telling me that you didn't get drunk and curse during college, especially on football Saturdays (depending on the school) then you're probably lying.

A huge part of the problem is the administration. When you tell college kids that they absolutely can't do something, GUESS WHAT? They're going to do it anyways. Honestly, they're probably SOL. Instead of acting like we're some kind of criminals, they might as well try to reason with us and give us "Rock and Roll Pt. II" back or something. If they're tired of the "**** Duke" chants during Zombie Nation, then stop playing it. If they're trying to make us BYU, good luck. Never going to happen. Never. We're one of the toughest places to play in the ACC for a reason (especially basketball) and I don't think that the student body is going to give it up anytime soon.

If you were in Anderson's position, what do you think would be a more effective way to handle the problem (or perhaps you don't think there's any problem to be handled at all?).

I might've framed the email in a less accusatory tone, simply sharing that father and son's experience, then inviting student body representatives to sit down and discuss how to put the University in the best light and make the game experience enjoyable for all parties.

[JohnD]

Look, I can be as profane as anyone, and sometimes more profane than others, but do we really want to be chanting profanity? That seems a bit much even to me. And don't tell me Zombie Nation is a good excuse to yell that profanity. That's nonsense. There's no question there are students who turn things up a notch past where it should be. It's unfortunate. Students can dial it back just a bit, just a tiny bit, and be on the right side of the line that separates tough home crowd from classless.

[Danielos38]

Look, I can be as profane as anyone, and sometimes more profane than others, but do we really want to be chanting profanity? That seems a bit much even to me. And don't tell me Zombie Nation is a good excuse to yell that profanity. That's nonsense. There's no question there are students who turn things up a notch past where it should be. It's unfortunate. Students can dial it back just a bit, just a tiny bit, and be on the right side of the line that separates tough home crowd from classless.

I agree. I'm just saying that they won't/haven't been given a good reason to.

[allstar1579]

I have two little girls and I completely agree the obnoxiously loud cursing in public thing is over the line, but that's because I'm older and know better. When I went there I would have been one of the loud, drunken kids screaming it. The problem is we aren't all jointly going to some 3rd party venue to watch a game, we are going to the school where these kids live, they feel like it's their home and they are just acting like they do on other days.

It's a no win situation really, the more you tell them not to do it, they are going to get defensive and do it more, much like our generation with the Rock n Roll Part 2 as BTerp pointed out. It's not going to go away, there are too many students, and when group-think of that size comes together you can't control it. If you want them to change, you have to make them want to change themselves. If the students as a whole realize that it's making them look bad and they are being compared to Philly fans, maybe they will want to do something about it, but a good chunk of them are still kids themselves and they aren't going to care honestly.

As for the email, I wouldn't be surprised if the kid was a Miami fan, and the home fans lashed out at them. Was it totally immature and irresponsible to yell at an 11 year old? Of course, but I do know middle school kids, and they tend to root for the "cool" team, which tends to be Miami for some stupid reason I can't understand. Absolutely just guessing here, but as pointed out before, the email doesn't make a lot of sense, and as someone who sees a LOT of parent emails complaining about things and making their middle school children look like saints who have been wronged, it reminds me of those a bit.

[Stotle]

Here is the text of the e-mail:

There are a bunch of inconsistencies in this e-mail. First of all, the students were not cheering "F*** Miami" before the game. The PA system played the Cee-Lo Green song entitled, "**** You"!!!!!!. We were playing against "The U" and they play that song and expect the entire student section not to shout the chorus at the top of their lungs.. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!

Second of all, the person in the e-mail said that a student cursed at her 11-year old son and nearly hit him with the middle finger. Impossible. All of the seats next to the student section were not available on the MD website. The only ones available pregame were in the upper corners or the premium seats scattered around the Terrapin Club members. So either the person who committed this offense was not a student, the family was in the student section (and therefore are just plain dumb), or are making this whole thing up. If this did in fact happen, all they say about some drunk kid nearly attacking their son is, "How classless" ?? You don't tell an usher/security? You don't confront the idiot? You just send a pissy e-mail the next day?

If they are offended by some curse words, sorry. Night time college football games are probably not for you. This ain't BYU lady. Not many schools in the country are. If you're looking for some 100% wholesome fun, go to the fairgrounds.

Now, is it great that our student section curses? No. Are we the only school in the country that does it? Hell no. I'm tired of being told that we're so badly behaved. Sick and tired of it. Have you heard the Michigan hockey cheer? Google it, then tell me we're bad. Please. Every school does it. We're in college. If you're telling me that you didn't get drunk and curse during college, especially on football Saturdays (depending on the school) then you're probably lying.

A huge part of the problem is the administration. When you tell college kids that they absolutely can't do something, GUESS WHAT? They're going to do it anyways. Honestly, they're probably SOL. Instead of acting like we're some kind of criminals, they might as well try to reason with us and give us "Rock and Roll Pt. II" back or something. If they're tired of the "**** Duke" chants during Zombie Nation, then stop playing it. If they're trying to make us BYU, good luck. Never going to happen. Never. We're one of the toughest places to play in the ACC for a reason (especially basketball) and I don't think that the student body is going to give it up anytime soon.

Sorry, brother. UMD students are pretty bad by most standards. If that's what they want to be, that's absolutely fine. But the "we're in college" mantra is silly, and there are plenty of rabid college fanbases who know where that line is and can still be as loud and disruptive as possible. The QB isn't hearing the drunken student's clever profanity-laden taunt in any event -- your just subjecting your fellow fans to sloppy, annoying noise.

It's honestly on the upperclassmen for not taking control of the situation. I can't for the life of me figure out why juniors and seniors, getting ready to hit the real world, would want to be lumped in with this crap. Get your **** together, UMD students.

[JohnD]

I agree. I'm just saying that they won't/haven't been given a good reason to.

The hell they haven't. Just do the right thing. You don't need a reason for it. Just do it. Take a step back.

[Danielos38]

The hell they haven't. Just do the right thing. You don't need a reason for it. Just do it. Take a step back.

It's like a gang mentality... most of the upperclassmen, myself included are tired of it. There's nothing we can do. I can't control 10,000 drunk people. Please tell me what i should do to combat this an I will do it. It's impossible.