Well, at least MD fans are consistent

[NewMarketSean]

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

This is an unfair thing to say. If that is true, then you have an unhealthy obsession with the Tar Heels, Yankees, Red Sox and Steelers.

Duke is historically the best team in the ACC, and MD fans are going to have an inferiority complex when it comes to them the same way O's fans feel about the Sox and Yankees, and the Ravens fans feel about the Steelers.

O's & Ravens fans may not riot when they beat their rivals but the desire to beat those teams just as badly as Duke is there.

It's funny, because you're a Duke fan but also an O's fan. Those are 2 teams that are on opposite sides of the success spectrum and yet you act as if you don't understand the desire and excitement of beating the top teams in your division when it comes to Maryland basketball.

To not be obsessed with beating the better teams is to not care.

[Pedro Cerrano]

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.

You use the words "naive" and "stupid" a lot in these posts as if we don't get that if you get caught on fire, it will hurt.

Unless you can announce that you've NEVER done ANYTHING that didn't endanger yourself or someone else, you can go ahead and call yourself "naive" or "stupid" as well. This includes something as simple as speeding, btw.

There are TONS of worse things that could happen then a couple of small bonfires being started and if the PGFD is present the threat of having them escalate into armageddon is reduced to basically nothing.

[Sports Guy]

This is an unfair thing to say. If that is true, then you have an unhealthy obsession with the Tar Heels, Yankees, Red Sox and Steelers.

Duke is historically the best team in the ACC, and MD fans are going to have an inferiority complex when it comes to them the same way O's fans feel about the Sox and Yankees, and the Ravens fans feel about the Steelers.

O's & Ravens fans may not riot when they beat their rivals but the desire to beat those teams just as badly as Duke is there.

It's funny, because you're a Duke fan but also an O's fan. Those are 2 teams that are on opposite sides of the success spectrum and yet you act as if you don't understand the desire and excitement of beating the top teams in your division when it comes to Maryland basketball.

To not be obsessed with beating the better teams is to not care.

I can tell you this...as much as I hate NY, if we beat them for the AL title, I am not going to go out and burn stuff.

And you missed my point...I love the Duke/MD rivalry....I think its great...Hell, I spend more time on this board DEFENDING Vazquez and Gary than most MD fans. Those guys are great.

But for the MD fans to have to celebrate like this, over a regular season win? I think that is beyond just a big rivalry. That's much more in the obsession range..They won't do that for any other kind of a win in the regular season.

[Mackus]

This is an unfair thing to say. If that is true, then you have an unhealthy obsession with the Tar Heels, Yankees, Red Sox and Steelers.

Duke is historically the best team in the ACC, and MD fans are going to have an inferiority complex when it comes to them.

O's & Ravens fans may not riot when they beat their rivals but the desire to beat those teams just as badly as Duke is there.

It's funny, because you're a Duke fan but also an O's fan. Those are 2 teams that are on opposite sides of the success spectrum and yet you act as if you don't understand the desire and excitement of beating the top teams in your division when it comes to Maryland basketball.

I think its really tough to compare the passion of professional sports fans to college sports fans and particularly students and alumni. I just don't think the professional sports teams carry that same sort of vested interest. I imagine its like rooting for your children playing sports as opposed to just a local high school, not that I have any children. You feel like you are part of it moreso than with pro sports, at least I do. I've got a lot of pride in being from Baltimore (or more accurately living in Baltimore, I wasn't born or raised in the city) but it isn't the same as the pride I feel for being a Terp.

[NewMarketSean]

I can tell you this...as much as I hate NY, if we beat them for the AL title, I am not going to go out and burn stuff.

But would you celebrate at the harbor if you knew that a large crowd was going to be there? I would want to be there, and if some jackoffs started throwing stuff into the Harbor, that doesn't mean that I am going to do the same thing. My "they probably weren't student" argument was proven wrong but 28 people were arrested...how many people were there all together? It's still a very small minority of people doing stupid crap.

And you missed my point...I love the Duke/MD rivalry....I think its great...Hell, I spend more time on this board DEFENDING Vazquez and Gary than most MD fans. Those guys are great.

But for the MD fans to have to celebrate like this, over a regular season win? I think that is beyond just a big rivalry. That's much more in the obsession range..They won't do that for any other kind of a win in the regular season.

That's because GT and NCST are not Duke.

[Mackus]

That's much more in the obsession range..They won't do that for any other kind of a win in the regular season.

Not true exactly. Students go down to Rt 1 to celebrate wins more often than its reported in the news. They were down there after the UNC win last year, although I don't think any fires got started or anything got broken. Its just a way of celebrating. Rather than everyone do it individually in their apartment or at various bars, we like to flock. It gets out of hand when a few people decide to take it too far and then the police get called and it becomes a nightmare. We were down there after the ACC tourney win, although that's not regular season obviously, and I don't think any fires or anything got started there either, although the cops were called and shot at us with rubber bullets, which was uncalled for.

We did it after the women's national championship, we did it after MD beat FSU in football in 2005, we did it after MD won at Florida in 2003 when Florida was #1. There just weren't any fires started, it was just a gathering of a lot of people to celebrate a win. Its not only after beating Duke.

[Satyr3206]

It used to be refered to as kids being kids. Now it's made into a big production. I seriously doubt that todays students are any worse than students from 20 or 30 years ago. In fact I know because I had friends and girlfriends that went to Maryland then. This era of political correctness and trying to control everyones behavior has gotten wwwaaaaaaaayyyy out of control.

[tvz1997]

It used to be refered to as kids being kids. Now it's made into a big production. I seriously doubt that todays students are any worse than students from 20 or 30 years ago. In fact I know because I had friends and girlfriends that went to Maryland then. This era of political correctness and trying to control everyones behavior has gotten wwwaaaaaaaayyyy out of control.

I'm not sure how serious an effort there is to try to control everyone's behavior when this continues to happen. The seemingly greater impact of the recent event is more likely the result of the pervasiveness of the media.

[The Epic]

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

Unhealthy, but logical. I mean, those two incredibly heartbreaking losses nine, ten years ago fueled the fire. That's it.

Also, really...people camp out for months on end just to see Duke face UNC. If that's not an unhealthy obsession, I don't know what is.

[Dr. FLK]

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.

This is like saying that more people die each year driving cars than sky diving with no parachute, therefore driving is more dangerous.

[Miller192]

If the University wants to sponsor a controlled bonfire somewhere, I'm all for it.

No way should spontaneous fires be allowed on a business or residential street because the school won a basketball game.

If I own a business there and my property gets damaged, I'm going to prosecute the school. It's just not safe and not worth the risk to let it continue.

As far as the chants, what are you going to do? My son is too young right now for sporting events but he will be going with me soon. I plan to have the "what you hear there stays there" talk.

I did give the Iron Shiek the finger once at a WWF match in Baltimore when I was a kid.

[frankpembleton]

The only reason this is getting classified as a "riot" is because riot police were there. To me it looks like a celebration that was escalated because of the police presence. I mean really, did the police really need to start firing bean bags and pepper spray because kids wanted to celebrate along route 1 at midnight on a Wednesday after a huge emotional win? The bars were full and kids wanted to celebrate - where else are they going to go - cut them some slack. The cops should focus on the idiots.

Check out this video:

Seems to me the police went way too far after a group of kids took down a no parking sign and some idiot climbed the traffic light. Also, pay close attention to what happens at the 8:10 mark - police brutality?

[Danielos38]

I think that my point is being generally misinterpreted here, and rightfully so. I put it in a way that was suscepitble to misinterpretation.

I do not like like the chants involving the F word at all. I never participate in them. When I talked about how "we" don't care about class, I meant "we" in the grand scale. The students section as a whole is FAR too caught up in the moment to worry about anything other than the game at hand. That results in the cheers you hear at the Duke game. Though I stronly disapprove of the F you chants and wish they would go away, I never worry about it because it's pointless to... they're never going away. So, I guess I just accept it as part of the deal.

As for the fires/"riot"/destruction of property, it is extremely stupid and should never be allowed or acceptable.

I'd also like to set the records straight here because I feel like I'm being portrayed as your classic ignorant, crazy-partying, college student. That is not at all who I am. First of all, I had absolutely nothing to do with the so called riots and did not participate in them in any way. I did go down to the fields in front of the chapel just to watch the madness from a safe distance away. Honestly, I'm the most law-abiding college student with a life that you will find. I rarely, if ever, drink, and haven't used any illegal substances in my life. I actually pride myself on making reasonable decisions, and had the opportunity to make some easy and horrible decisions after the Duke game. I chose not to make those choices. I spend about 4 friggen hours a day in the library working my behind off last semester, and did better in school this semester than I ever have in my life. I was just invited into a 5 year masters program as a freshman. I'm a huge Maryland basketball fan, but I behave appropriately at every game. The only inappropriate chants that I have ever participated in are the @ss hole chants when an opposing fan is in our section or screaming during our free throws, or the infrequent "bs" cheer, only when extremely applicable.

I really feel like a built up a reputation here as a well mannered, well behaved kid, and I feel as though I have sorta ruined it in this thread. Believe me, I am usually the last one to toot my own horn, (I was raised to be modest), but I feel like I am being viewed as something that I'm not.

I always try to be respectful to other people and authority. But sometimes, at a basketball game when passion and intensity are involved, kids lose their heads a bit. I know it reflects poorly on the student body and the university. But I ask you, especially those of you that went to UMD, to not judge based on the student's behavior at a game against a team that we passionately dislike. This kind of thing is in no way the norm, nor it is something that your average, hard-working Maryland student participates in. Honestly, I love this school far too much to do anything that would damage it physically or in reputation. I know that all of you do as well.

[i_miss_cal]

As a Duke fan, I love the passion and intensity of these games and I think it really started around the time when Maryland went to the Final Four and then won it all. The games over the last decade have been great and living in southern Delaware, I constantly here it from Maryland fans. I do find it a bit obseesive by the fan base to keep partying like there is no tomorrow when you beat Duke. To beat them at Cameron is one thing, but as a good team in the ACC, which Maryland is, you should beat them on your own floor. I find it funny that people riot and storm the court over a regular season win. Your ranked, its senior night, your all time leading scorer is in the house, the eneregy is electric, thats tough for any team to overcome.

As for the FU Chants, I think that is embarassing. My boss has season tickets and took his son to the game and he spent the whole night deflecting questions of what they were chanting. Needless to say he was not happy. I think you have to put it on the schools, not going to single MD out here cause its a growing problem everywhere, to stop this. I love college basketball because teams and kids play so much harder than the NBA and things like this need to handled better at all schools (Duke included)

[Bosibus]

I am going to say 50% of the rivalry games on ESPN have a F-U-(someone) chant going on at some time during the game. I recently heard it while watching Wisconson-Minnesota game when the Minn crowd was yelling F-U-Bo.