Update

The other day I was reading my schools newspaper and an article really pissed me off. It was titled "Fans should be more respectful at Tech athletic events". Here it is in part:

“…fans recognize the magnitude of this tournament and are filling the coliseum long before tip-off. With the clock winding down before the game, I know that the visiting team will have a hard time operating in this environment. However, I am quickly embarrassed when the visiting team enters the arena.

Boos, hisses, and unrepeatable words are spit out in an effort to discourage the opposition (as if they did not already realize that we are there to root for our own team, not them).

I suppose it is natural to let the visiting team know what they are getting into, and nothing accomplishes this better than producing a deafening roar. I know as well as any other Tech fan that the atmosphere we create makes our arenas some of the hardest to play in. But sometimes this rudeness leads to reputation issues.

Why can't we just chant "Let's Go Hokies" as the opposing team enters the court? Must we act like idiots? It would be ideal for other schools to actually look forward to playing in Blacksburg because they feel welcome here. And imagine treating a team as equals and beating them solidly based on talent. Now that would be the ultimate victory.The collective "Oh!" during the Star-Spangled Banner is one more inappropriate aspect of the pre-game festivities that I can count on.

While this is just another way to voice our excitement, I think there are better opportunities to show unity than interrupting the national anthem to yell a single syllable.I especially hate this cheer when we have a guest singer.

This is a shining moment for them, singing in front of thousands of people, and nothing makes them feel less appreciated than when they are drowned out by the crowd. It's OK for us to get excited and make noise, but show respect for the anthem and our guests.After getting through the pre-game merriment and the game is well underway, I find that we sometimes have problems supporting our own team.

During last Wednesday's game against Morgan State, Tech led by a large margin and head coach Seth Greenberg took out the starters to give the other players an opportunity for some game time.

The crowd exploded in excitement as the substitutions were made. However, there was one teammate the crowd preferred and quickly quieted down whenever anyone else on our team gained possession of the ball.

What kind of message does that send the team, when the crowd only wants one player to have the ball?This also happened during football games, when Beamer switched between Glennon and Taylor.

The crowd clearly showed favoritism between these two talented young men and failed to support the team as a unit. These games are won or lost by teams, not individuals. Cheering for specific players and ignoring others sends the team mixed signals and compromises their motivation. I would rather concentrate on Tech's wins during the first two rounds of the NIT, but I cannot help but be reminded of how inappropriate the fans were being.

I believe that we have an impact on the outcome of the game by helping to generate energy and motivation for our beloved Hokies. I would love for the fans to show a little more respect, not only for their own team, but for our opponents as well.

Let us make Cassell and Lane the best arenas in college sports in terms of respectful unity and challenging atmosphere.”


Well this article pissed me off so much that I wrote a response:

The column "Fans should be more respectful at Tech athletic events" (CT, March 26) show a lack of knowledge and research by the columnist.
I would first like to point out that the crowd does not at a team be disrespectful, but to make the environment more intimidating. The objective of the student section is to create "Home Court Advantage". According to Rivals.com, the best college arena is Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. This is due to their home court advantage because of their intimidating student section surrounding the court. Teams fear going there. That is the objective. We don’t want teams to “feel welcome here”, we want them to say, “O man, next week is going to be tough; we have to go to Blacksburg!”
Next, I would like to explain the “Oh!” during the national anthem has traced back to the 1970’s during Baltimore Orioles games, when the entire stadium erupts with an “Oh!” for the “Oh say…”. This has continued at Capitals, Wizards and UMD sports events. Due to the fact the majority of the school is from northern Virginia, which is part of those fan bases, it is not surprising that the tradition has carried down to Blacksburg. I’m, for one, sick of hearing people complain about it.
Lastly I would like to touch on the author complaints of rooting for one player. I do not know if you are referring to Marcus Travis, the former walk-on who now is a senior and has gotten little playing time in his career but works just as hard if not harder then the other players, or Tom Amalfe, the freshman walk-on who the crowd wanted to score his first points as a Hokie. Everyone loves the underdog, and that is what the crowd was rooting for.

Needless to say, it got printed the next day and I'm really proud of it. I just get so sick of people writing about stuff they don't know