Game 1: Terps/Miami Game Thread

[Stotle]

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.

Doesn't happen overnight. The best student sections are self regulated with the students themselves understanding what they want to be and what they want to project to the world. Once you get to that point, all you have to really worry about is whipping the freshmen into shape when they show up (and honestly, most of them pick it up through observation anyway).

You can't control everyone, and it's a crappy situation w/student sections since a handful of knuckleheads can do something that paints the whole student body. But I'd say addressing it at pep rallies, in student papers, etc. is how you get the ball rolling. In the end, it'll only change if the student body wants it to change. No one can force it (shy of placing ushers every fifteen feet throughout the section and pulling season ticket passes for transgressions.

[CSB Jack]

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.

I'm sorry, but I can't accept this response. Daniel, you did not first raise the issue, but the letter from Kevin Anderson was in no way "nasty" or "upbraiding". If you as a college student think that to be the case then you will have a real adjustment waiting for you when you get out into the real world. If it makes any errors it is in assuming that it would be read by rational people capable of understanding that some forms of behavior are not acceptable even at a college football game.

As for the specific points that you raise to try to discredit the original parent's email, you are off the mark, Daniel. The father of this boy wrote a very well written letter to the AD, head coach, and university president that clearly showed he was looking forward to a good time with his son and overall had many favorable things to say about his game day experience. His only complaint was that there was some very coarse behavior by a number of students that did not reflect well on the university.

To nit pick by saying in effect, “We didn’t say ‘F*** Miami’, we said ‘F*** U!” won’t win you any points. If it actually was being played on the PA system then whoever played that song should be barred from working the PA ever again in the future. The whole “F*** [insert team]!” chant is crude, classless, and not the least bit clever. I thought it was reserved for Duke, but thank you for enlightening me on that point.

The parent did not say they were seated in the student section. Apparently the student in question who flipped off his son was not seated in the student section because he comments elsewhere about the sign on display in the “white section”, which was the student section. I am sure that not all students were in the student section, though you could be right that it was not a Maryland student but merely someone of that age who was wearing a Maryland t-shirt. However, to say that it would be “just plain dumb” to be sitting in the student section if for some reason that is what was offered to him when he ordered tickets online is to blame the victim. If I order tickets to a sporting event I shouldn’t have to say, “Oh, I can’t sit there because I am likely to be subjected to bad behavior.”

You also question whether it actually happened because of the measured response taken by the parent. Your suggestion of calling security is a good one. Do you advocate this every time on the first offense, or do you suggest seeing if it stops and is not repeated? Confronting the idiot? Perhaps the father, not having consumed large quantities of alcohol before the game, was not predisposed to getting into an altercation with a student (who the father did not say was drunk, though you interpreted that to be the case). In any case, whatever the reason for not escalating the situation at the point, choosing to write to the people in positions of authority and responsibility afterwards is a perfectly acceptable course of action, and the tone and content of the email that was written cannot in any way be described as “pissy”.

The issue with the cursing isn’t that some students do it. It’s that it seems to be institutionalized and a perverse source of pride among a significant portion of the student body. What’s more troubling is that it is excused because “we’re college students”. Well you know what, there are universities (outside of Utah) where the students take pride in their sportsmanship as well as their fervent support of their athletic teams. And that is what Kevin Anderson is trying to get across in his message to the students. In his appeal to the better nature of the students he is looking to get you to ask yourselves if that is how you would want to have been treated at that age, if that is how you want your family members to be treated, if that is how you would want to be treated if you were the parent of a prospective future college student.

Daniel, I am not picking on you. You are not the only current student defending the student body and criticizing the AD and administration. I also find you to be very reasonable from your other posts elsewhere throughout these message boards, so I am hopeful that you can accept this in the spirit is intended – as words of wisdom from one who has experienced both the college life and parenthood, including raising two college graduates, one of whom graduated from UMCP. If I thought I was only casting pearls before swine I would not bother wasting the keystrokes, even for the therapeutic benefit derived from standing up in defense of civility. Instead I choose to believe that you and other current students are capable of evaluating your behavior and determining that there is a line between enthusiastically supporting your team and exhibiting coarse and unacceptable behavior.

Now let’s go beat the crap out of WVU.

[SammyBirdland]

I was at a Penn State game a couple years ago that was right after a snowstorm, so there was snow everywhere. There were some incidents of fans throwing snowballs onto the field, at the Minnesota Gophers' mascot, etc. The PA announcer warned the crowd not to throw snowballs. After that, whenever someone threw a snowball, the entire student section would chant "DON'T THROW SNOWBALLS clap-clap-clapclapclap".

[Miller192]

I don't think the letter was all that bad and probably not a bad way to make the student body think of their actions.

However, the father just has to have a little perspective here. I agree with him that it's classless behavior but it's been that way for a long time, all over the country.

If I was the father here, I would've sat my son down before the game and told him that what he hears stays at the game. I'd tell him that he's going to see and here is a good example of how not to act and leave it at that. If I was truly worried that the experience was going to be too much to handle, than I would've stayed home.

I see it at Ravens games every Sunday. Although things have gotten much better, you've got to be prepared to handle what you're going to run into to.

[CSB Jack]

I don't think the letter was all that bad and probably not a bad way to make the student body think of their actions.

However, the father just has to have a little perspective here. I agree with him that it's classless behavior but it's been that way for a long time, all over the country.

If I was the father here, I would've sat my son down before the game and told him that what he hears stays at the game. I'd tell him that he's going to see and here is a good example of how not to act and leave it at that. If I was truly worried that the experience was going to be too much to handle, than I would've stayed home.

I see it at Ravens games every Sunday. Although things have gotten much better, you've got to be prepared to handle what you're going to run into to.

Sorry, but there is a whole other level to NFL games. For one thing, they sell beer DURING the game, you don't have to just get liquored up before hand. For another, there is no student section at the Ravens game. I have a little higher expectations for crowd behavior during college games than pro games.

[Miller192]

Sorry, but there is a whole other level to NFL games. For one thing, they sell beer DURING the game, you don't have to just get liquored up before hand. For another, there is no student section at the Ravens game. I have a little higher expectations for crowd behavior during college games than pro games.

Yeah I get that and you make a good point. By and large, fan behavior is probably better at the collegiate level but I think the reality is that it's got a long way to go. Parents should use some discretion when taking their kids to these sorts of things.

Hell, sometimes fan behavior at kids little league games is much worse than anything I see on Sundays.

[Danielos38]

I'm sorry, but I can't accept this response. Daniel, you did not first raise the issue, but the letter from Kevin Anderson was in no way "nasty" or "upbraiding". If you as a college student think that to be the case then you will have a real adjustment waiting for you when you get out into the real world. If it makes any errors it is in assuming that it would be read by rational people capable of understanding that some forms of behavior are not acceptable even at a college football game.

I think you are misunderstanding what I'm saying. I don't/have never participated in cheers using the word "****".

As for the specific points that you raise to try to discredit the original parent's email, you are off the mark, Daniel. The father of this boy wrote a very well written letter to the AD, head coach, and university president that clearly showed he was looking forward to a good time with his son and overall had many favorable things to say about his game day experience. His only complaint was that there was some very coarse behavior by a number of students that did not reflect well on the university.

He's probably right. I just think that, perhaps, he was expecting a 100% family environment that few night time college football games prove to be.

To nit pick by saying in effect, “We didn’t say ‘F*** Miami’, we said ‘F*** U!” won’t win you any points. If it actually was being played on the PA system then whoever played that song should be barred from working the PA ever again in the future. The whole “F*** [insert team]!” chant is crude, classless, and not the least bit clever. I thought it was reserved for Duke, but thank you for enlightening me on that point.

Don't think I'm nitpicking. The PA system played a song entitled "F*** You" and didn't expect the students to sing it as "F*** U" ? Really? These were cheers literally started by the PA system.

The parent did not say they were seated in the student section. Apparently the student in question who flipped off his son was not seated in the student section because he comments elsewhere about the sign on display in the “white section”, which was the student section. I am sure that not all students were in the student section, though you could be right that it was not a Maryland student but merely someone of that age who was wearing a Maryland t-shirt. However, to say that it would be “just plain dumb” to be sitting in the student section if for some reason that is what was offered to him when he ordered tickets online is to blame the victim. If I order tickets to a sporting event I shouldn’t have to say, “Oh, I can’t sit there because I am likely to be subjected to bad behavior.”

This is where I have a problem with the story. Why the heck would a random drunk student not be in the student section? No drunk student is going to want to sit with a bunch of sober alums. The environment is totally different.

Also, the online ticket system though the university would never sell student tickets. The only way for a member of the general public to get a student ticket is for a student to buy them a guest ticket. You need to display a student ID just to get into the student section.

I have a feeling that this was just a random guy wearing a MD shirt, mistaken for a student.

You also question whether it actually happened because of the measured response taken by the parent. Your suggestion of calling security is a good one. Do you advocate this every time on the first offense, or do you suggest seeing if it stops and is not repeated? Confronting the idiot? Perhaps the father, not having consumed large quantities of alcohol before the game, was not predisposed to getting into an altercation with a student (who the father did not say was drunk, though you interpreted that to be the case). In any case, whatever the reason for not escalating the situation at the point, choosing to write to the people in positions of authority and responsibility afterwards is a perfectly acceptable course of action, and the tone and content of the email that was written cannot in any way be described as “pissy”.

If some drunken crazy goes on a curing rampage and nearly attacks my son, you're damn right I'm getting security on a "first offense". If I'm offended enough to send an e-mail that is now front page news on every friggen website, I'm offended enough to get security to escort the idiot out.

The issue with the cursing isn’t that some students do it. It’s that it seems to be institutionalized and a perverse source of pride among a significant portion of the student body. What’s more troubling is that it is excused because “we’re college students”. Well you know what, there are universities (outside of Utah) where the students take pride in their sportsmanship as well as their fervent support of their athletic teams. And that is what Kevin Anderson is trying to get across in his message to the students. In his appeal to the better nature of the students he is looking to get you to ask yourselves if that is how you would want to have been treated at that age, if that is how you want your family members to be treated, if that is how you would want to be treated if you were the parent of a prospective future college student.

That would take a hell of a lot of foresight for some of these drunken idiots who only come to MD for the party.

Daniel, I am not picking on you. You are not the only current student defending the student body and criticizing the AD and administration. I also find you to be very reasonable from your other posts elsewhere throughout these message boards, so I am hopeful that you can accept this in the spirit is intended – as words of wisdom from one who has experienced both the college life and parenthood, including raising two college graduates, one of whom graduated from UMCP. If I thought I was only casting pearls before swine I would not bother wasting the keystrokes, even for the therapeutic benefit derived from standing up in defense of civility. Instead I choose to believe that you and other current students are capable of evaluating your behavior and determining that there is a line between enthusiastically supporting your team and exhibiting coarse and unacceptable behavior.

Don't feel picked on at all. This seems like an articulate discussion to me. Just what this board is intended for.

Now let’s go beat the crap out of WVU.

Let's beat the s*** out of them! ...Oh, wait

[Birds of B'more]

Yeah I get that and you make a good point. By and large, fan behavior is probably better at the collegiate level but I think the reality is that it's got a long way to go. Parents should use some discretion when taking their kids to these sorts of things.

Hell, sometimes fan behavior at kids little league games is much worse than anything I see on Sundays.

Expecting that their children may hear profanities yelled during a sporting event is one thing....it happens, and as a parent you really can't do anything to stop it. You just tell your children that despite what others do that it isn't appropriate and that they shouldn't act that way. However, taking your children to a sporting event and having profanities hurled directly at them is an entirely different matter.

[Danielos38]

Sorry, but there is a whole other level to NFL games. For one thing, they sell beer DURING the game, you don't have to just get liquored up before hand. For another, there is no student section at the Ravens game. I have a little higher expectations for crowd behavior during college games than pro games.

You expect grown adults to behave worst than college students?

[Miller192]

Expecting that their children may hear profanities yelled during a sporting event is one thing....it happens' date=' and as a parent you really can't do anything to stop it. You just tell your children that despite what others do that it isn't appropriate and that they shouldn't act that way. [b']However, taking your children to a sporting event and having profanities hurled directly at them is an entirely different matter[/b].

That's a very important distinction that I failed to make. There's no excuse for someone to do that towards an 11 year old, period.

I think I focused more on the **** Miami chant and sign as opposed to perhaps the real issue.

[CSB Jack]

You expect grown adults to behave worst than college students?

I expect there to be a higher percentage of idiots at an NFL game who have consumed too much alcohol than at a college game. There are more families tailgating at college games. And as noted, they keep on serving beer at NFL games after kickoff. For college games you have to sneak it in.

Besides, most college kids that get drunk at a football game are relatively harmless. (Obnoxious, yes, but generally harmless.) Grown men who have been exhibiting lack of judgement for so many additional years are even more prone to stupid behavior than college kids. Even at the MD-Navy game last year, sitting in the upper deck with Maryland fans, the ones that were totally rude and obnoxious were not college aged, they were more on the age of 30 or so. If you haven't learned to control your behavior while drinking by that point, chances are you aren't going to, and as such when you get drunk and stupid that far out of college you get really stupid.

So yeah, I actually have hope for our future leaders who are sowing their wild oats between 18-22 and believe that on the whole they are not going to be uniformly badly behaved.

[Danielos38]

I expect there to be a higher percentage of idiots at an NFL game who have consumed too much alcohol than at a college game. There are more families tailgating at college games. And as noted, they keep on serving beer at NFL games after kickoff. For college games you have to sneak it in.

Besides, most college kids that get drunk at a football game are relatively harmless. (Obnoxious, yes, but generally harmless.) Grown men who have been exhibiting lack of judgement for so many additional years are even more prone to stupid behavior than college kids. Even at the MD-Navy game last year, sitting in the upper deck with Maryland fans, the ones that were totally rude and obnoxious were not college aged, they were more on the age of 30 or so. If you haven't learned to control your behavior while drinking by that point, chances are you aren't going to, and as such when you get drunk and stupid that far out of college you get really stupid.

So yeah, I actually have hope for our future leaders who are sowing their wild oats between 18-22 and believe that on the whole they are not going to be uniformly badly behaved.

I'd agree that I'd expect a lot more aggression from the older drunks than the college kids.. More fights and what not. But I still think you're prone to hear a lot worse language at the college level than the NFL.