Well, at least MD fans are consistent

[Mackus]

Mackus, you are really sounding naive here.

Small fires aren't enough to kill anyone? Are you serious? Of coruse they can and if not, they are certainly enough to have someone become disfigured for life.

And to say well they should allow small but not big ones is also naive...Who is to say some dumbass(es) don't escalate the small ones into a big one?

It may not even be a student...It may not even be a fan...Just some moron in the crowd that decides to do something stupid. That's the problem.

You aren't accounting for the stupidity of people..people in general, are dumb and when they are in college and drunk, they are dumber.

And you didn't answer me...Would you be cool with these if your sister, who you said goes there now, got severely burned by them?

What happens if there are fires going around and some huge fight breaks out and she accidentally gets pushed into the fire? Would you be cool with that?

Obviously I don't want my sister to be burned in a fire.

I'm not arguing strongly for keeping the fires, and I agree there is a huge risk there even with small ones for burning people. I'm saying that they could be part of a celebration if they are controlled, by the fire department for example. If you haven't been down there to see these "riots", then you don't really have a good idea of the scale of these things, its far less severe than they are being made out to be (except for the first one, where it was completely chaos and out of control and unacceptable). Its not a situation where a fight is gonna break out and someone standing far away is gonna get trampled into a fire. These are the size of fires you roast s'mores over, not massive fire pits that people can really fall into. Ultimately you are right that fires can be dangerous, but so can anything. Someone could get trampled leaving the bars at 2am, and I don't think we're gonna advocate closing down all the bars.

My main point is that there has to be some way for them to let the students gather and celebrate without bringing in the police. If the compromise that is made is that the students have to trade lighting a few small fires in return for not getting the crap beaten out of them with night sticks, I think that's a fair deal. The University would be totally for some sort of organized celebration, IMO, its the city that refuses to budge.

[NewMarketSean]

23 of the 28 arrested were students.

There goes that theory.

[Tony-OH]

Honestly, if this was a bunch of grown people at a pro game, I'd agree with you. As a student, honestly, we could give a crap about class. We're just tou to get in people's heads as much as possible. Plus, this really one happens for the Duke game... ONE game a year. For the rest of the games, the worst you'll hear is an @ss hole cheer (unless someone provokes us i.e. Sylven Landesburg). And if you want to talk about classless, I'd refer to the racist things things that have been spouted at FSU, NC St. and Va Tech. I've never heard our fans get racist.

Before people criticize our fans, please remember back (way back in some cases ) to being in college. Would you have been concerned with being the classiest fan base?

And this really explains it all. It's very typical for a college student to feel they have some ordained right to act like a-holes and do things that are not generally accepted by society. A guess you feel it's fine to scream the F word chants even though there were kids at the event and watching on TV?

Now personally, cursing doesn't bother me per se, but I certainly understand when and where it's ok to curse. Screaming obscenities in chants is neither interesting or witty.

I've never felt I had a built in excuse to act out like this in public.

Either way, it's not going to change. Maryland students will continue to yell their chants because school officials allow it and no one has enough sense to take a mature stand against it. I watch a lot of college games and it's funny that I don't see this irresponsible behavior from other fan bases. Guess they are just old fuddy duddy's too. Or maybe they have figured out it's better to be a little witty instead of crass?

[Dr. FLK]

Now personally, cursing doesn't bother me per se, but I certainly understand when and where it's ok to curse. Screaming obscenities in chants is neither interesting or witty. ?

This is another big point of confusion for me...why do they do it? It's not funny, and it certainly isn't clever.

[Mackus]

And this really explains it all. It's very typical for a college student to feel they have some ordained right to act like a-holes and do things that are not generally accepted by society. A guess you feel it's fine to scream the F word chants even though there were kids at the event and watching on TV?

Now personally, cursing doesn't bother me per se, but I certainly understand when and where it's ok to curse. Screaming obscenities in chants is neither interesting or witty.

I've never felt I had a built in excuse to act out like this in public.

Either way, it's not going to change. Maryland students will continue to yell their chants because school officials allow it and no one has enough sense to take a mature stand against it. I watch a lot of college games and it's funny that I don't see this irresponsible behavior from other fan bases. Guess they are just old fuddy duddy's too. Or maybe they have figured out it's better to be a little witty instead of crass?

I don't really like the F-you chants either, but mostly because they aren't witty, not because they are vulgar. To be honest, I liked the JJ one, because he was an ass, but the Scheyer one was just stupid. I hope there aren't any more of those.

The A-hole chants and the You Suck chants I don't think are wrong in any way though. Those are really mild vulgarity, that anyone watching or at the game has already heard. I really think if they allowed the band to play RR Pt 2 that the FU chants would stop.

The best chants are usually not vulgar though. My favorite ever was a "CBA" chant (back when the CBA still existed) at Charles O'Bannon during an exhibition game back at Cole after he dunked a ball and then flexed his muscles at the student section. Completely spontaneous, incredibly clever, and absolutely hilarious.

[Tony-OH]

23 of the 28 arrested were students.

Thank you. I always find it a crock when people try to say it's not students causing the problems. Look at Daniels attitude and tell me that the students were not a big part of the problems? They feel they are somehow ordained by a high being to act like jerkoffs because they are college students. "

Who cares about class, I'm a student!"

Cheering hard, rushing the floor, getting on the other team's players without profanities or racist sayings are all great ways to "let off steam" and enjoy a great college experience. For some reason there is a persistent belief at the University of Maryland that these others things are acceptable because you are student and that's the primary reason why these things occur. Until the University takes a stand, this behavior will remain at Maryland.

[Pedro Cerrano]

SG, do you ever grill out using propane tanks? Do you ever start a fire in a fire place on a winter's day inside your house? Those can both kill you if you're not careful

[Pedro Cerrano]

Thank you. I always find it a crock when people try to say it's not students causing the problems. Look at Daniels attitude and tell me that the students were not a big part of the problems? They feel they are somehow ordained by a high being to act like jerkoffs because they are college students. "

Who cares about class, I'm a student!"

Cheering hard, rushing the floor, getting on the other team's players without profanities or racist sayings are all great ways to "let off steam" and enjoy a great college experience. For some reason there is a persistent belief at the University of Maryland that these others things are acceptable because you are student and that's the primary reason why these things occur. Until the University takes a stand, this behavior will remain at Maryland.

Did you go to college?

[Sports Guy]

Obviously I don't want my sister to be burned in a fire.

I'm not arguing strongly for keeping the fires, and I agree there is a huge risk there even with small ones for burning people. I'm saying that they could be part of a celebration if they are controlled, by the fire department for example. If you haven't been down there to see these "riots", then you don't really have a good idea of the scale of these things, its far less severe than they are being made out to be (except for the first one, where it was completely chaos and out of control and unacceptable). Its not a situation where a fight is gonna break out and someone standing far away is gonna get trampled into a fire. These are the size of fires you roast s'mores over, not massive fire pits that people can really fall into. Ultimately you are right that fires can be dangerous, but so can anything. Someone could get trampled leaving the bars at 2am, and I don't think we're gonna advocate closing down all the bars.

My main point is that there has to be some way for them to let the students gather and celebrate without bringing in the police. If the compromise that is made is that the students have to trade lighting a few small fires in return for not getting the crap beaten out of them with night sticks, I think that's a fair deal. The University would be totally for some sort of organized celebration, IMO, its the city that refuses to budge.

Now this, I totally agree with.

The stuff that happens in the arena is what it is. It would be wrong for another team's fans to act as if that doesn't happen in their arena.

It doesn't make it any classier or anything like that...but you are a hypocrit if you complain about one and act as if you don't do it yourself(as an overall fan base).

But the stuff outside the arena has to be controlled....And I do agree that a lot of times the police make things worse than what it would normally be...But I also know that they are there to make sure it doesn't get out of hand and if they feel that it is close, they are going to stop it by any means neccassary...They can't allow people to get hurt, killed, etc...The lawsuits alone would be a killer.

I do agree that they should have some kind of a "Hamsterdam" thing, as someone else noted...That is a great idea.

OTOH, this was just a regular season win, so I am not really sure why this celebration was as big a deal as it was but since it was, the county and the University should allow it in a controlled setting.

[Tony-OH]

I don't really like the F-you chants either, but mostly because they aren't witty, not because they are vulgar. To be honest, I liked the JJ one, because he was an ass, but the Scheyer one was just stupid. I hope there aren't any more of those.

The A-hole chants and the You Suck chants I don't think are wrong in any way though. Those are really mild vulgarity, that anyone watching or at the game has already heard. I really think if they allowed the band to play RR Pt 2 that the FU chants would stop.

The best chants are usually not vulgar though. My favorite ever was a "CBA" chant (back when the CBA still existed) at Charles O'Bannon during an exhibition game back at Cole after he dunked a ball and then flexed his muscles at the student section. Completely spontaneous, incredibly clever, and absolutely hilarious.

I have no problems with the "You suck!" chants and really don't have a huge problem with the "A-hole" chants although I'd prefer those not be allowed either.

[Sports Guy]

SG, do you ever grill out using propane tanks? Do you ever start a fire in a fire place on a winter's day inside your house? Those can both kill you if you're not careful

If you think those situations and the situation of doing this around 1500 people in an open setting are the same thing, then I don't know what to tell you.

[Pedro Cerrano]

If you think those situations and the situation of doing this around 1500 people in an open setting are the same thing, then I don't know what to tell you.

Like Mackus says, I think you're definitely overestimating these bonfires. Again, I don't think that the need for a fire is there but to act like these fires are a sign of Satan coming back to Earth and using College Park, MD as his base is a little silly.

[Pedro Cerrano]

BTW, I bet you more people are injured each year as a result of grilling outside while drinking than during bonfire celebrations on college campuses.

Just a hunch.

[Sports Guy]

I have no problems with the "You suck!" chants and really don't have a huge problem with the "A-hole" chants although I'd prefer those not be allowed either.

I personally like the you suck chant.

I drop f bombs a lot but I must say, if I let one slip at an O's game or something like that i am pretty embarrassed, especially if I do it and a young kid is around. I don't always mean to but it happens...But its not being heard on national TV over the course of 2+ hour game....That is pretty bad...But again, i think it happens everywhere...It may be more noticed at MD than a lot of other schools but what i think the problem is that arena fits more people than a lot of the arenas do, so its a louder chant because it has more voices behind it.

But some really crappy stuff is said everywhere but its not neccassarily always heard on TV like it seems to be in Maryland.

Really, I think the real problem is MD students have a ridiculously unhealthy obsession with Duke.

[Sports Guy]

Like Mackus says, I think you're definitely overestimating these bonfires. Again, I don't think that the need for a fire is there but to act like these fires are a sign of Satan coming back to Earth and using College Park, MD as his base is a little silly.

No, I am really not..I am just not naive about them.

I am sure they are pretty harmless for the most part...But it is incredibly stupid to think they can't escalate to something larger.

I would be willing to bet that if this continues to happen across the country(ie not just at CP), someone will get hurt.

I mean, as Mackus said, they have been out of control in the past with fires at CP...To act as if that can't happen again and that something really serious can't happen is either naive or stupid..Pick which one but its definitely one or the other.