It seems like many students need to be reminded that football players are friends, not food. Though people at football games are known for their rowdiness and verbal expressions, control yourself the next home game in Tiger Stadium.
I’ll never forget when our team struggled to find a solid quarterback, and the reactions from the student sections during the games were horrendous. Two years ago, there was one game in particular where I couldn’t believe my ears. Anthony Jennings, our starting quarterback at the time, messed up a few plays the game prior so the fans were ready to replace him with Brandon Harris. When Jennings was calling the plays and not Harris, the obnoxiously loud “boos” and “you sucks” from the student sections left me in awe.
As much as I enjoy football and want to see my team win, I was disgusted by the response from the students. I couldn’t help but to feel empathetic for Jennings and his family members who were in attendance. Our University brags about having the best fan base, but if we’re only supportive when our team is great, then that’s nothing more than subpar.
Even on social media, fans are extremely insensitive as if players don’t see their posts. You can’t tweet about how they suck when they’re losing but then give them praises and high-fives in the quad after they win. This takes away from the unity between the team and its fellow students because it gives players a reason to play for themselves and not the University. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to play for a team who could be so insensitive and harsh at times.
Death Valley is known for some pretty vulgar cheers; while I didn’t enjoy the “f*** Nick Saban” chant, I absolutely hated the “we suck” cheers throughout this season’s game to Troy University. Saban gets paid a surplus of money, as do professional players which is why I’m much more empathetic for our college players. It’s much easier to take harassment when you’re making millions of dollars rather than simply playing for the love of the sport.
We should remain empathetic and sensitive to all sporting teams and leagues. While I realize harsh critiques happen in stadiums other than Tiger Stadium, our stadium is where I’ve heard some of the worse.
Maybe my passion for treating teams with respect is because I attended a high school where we couldn’t even “woo” because it could be mistaken for “boo,” or maybe it’s purely because I have a good heart. Either way, you’re supposed to be supportive of your team whether they win or lose, especially when they’re your fellow classmates — if not, you’re simply an ill-mannered, disrespectful bandwagoner.
Clarke Perkins is a 21-year-old political science senior from New Orleans, Louisiana.
