Click Here to watch a video of student obscenities at games
With last Saturday’s win against Alabama, the LSU student section had reason to roar.
But the “12th man” has more to worry about than screaming louder than opposing players can think. With recent publicity concerning LSU fan sportsmanship, the student section’s reputation is on the line.
University cheerleader Brittany Day said she has mixed feelings about the recent banning of the popular “oh-wee-oh” chant.
“I know why they banned it, and I think it’s for a good reason that they did, but I don’t like how it had to come to that, how the students made it so bad that they had to ban [it],” civil engineering sophomore Day said.
Day said she dislikes when students add expletives to every cheer and chant. She said the vulgar cheers could portray the University in a negative light when football games are broadcast on live television.
“When we just do the bad stuff its kind of embarrassing because you don’t want to have that reputation of being dirty and disgusting,” she said.
Day said she doesn’t think the attention surrounding the student section’s behavior will affect the way current or prospective students view the University.
“I don’t think it would turn anyone away. There’s not going to be that one perfect student at a football game who is never going to boo,” she said. “Yeah, there’s booing, but there’s so much other great stuff that happens that booing is not a huge factor.”
However, the amount of booing in the student section has lessened since the 2009 season, she said.
William Judson, Tiger Band member and anthropology sophomore, said he misses playing the banned chants, but would join in the student section’s modified cheers if he could.
Brian Catanzaro, chemical engineering sophomore, plays trumpet in the Tiger Band and said if he wasn’t in the band he would be “pretty excited” to say the curse words the student section has injected into many classic LSU cheers.
Catanzaro and Judson both said LSU students should not boo LSU players, but booing referees’ calls is “totally okay.”
Kelsey Daroca, NREM senior, said she approves booing unfavorable calls against the Tigers because “the refs are often incredibly biased” against LSU.
Daroca said LSU students accused of booing their own players are often misunderstood. When students show their disagreement with coaching decisions, it is mistaken for booing LSU players, she said.
In response to recent booing, Athletic Director Joe Alleva issued a university-wide letter asking fans to participate “as one voice in support of the Tigers.”
Alleva said he thinks the unsportsmanlike conduct has increased since last year, prompting his letter and the request of the postponement of the “oh-wee-oh” chant. He said “oh-wee-oh” was taken off the band’s play list prior to his employment at the University, and he reinstated it in 2009 at the request of the student body president.
“Last year we played it and the good words were being sung,” Alleva said, “but this year we played the song and the bad words were being sung, so after a couple games I said that’s it. I just asked the band not to play that song anymore.”
However, Alleva said this behavior “is not unique to LSU.”
Alleva said the LSU student body is “terrific” and “great” — the changes that need to be made must come from within.
“I can’t police the students,” Alleva said. “I can’t say, ‘don’t say bad words’ or ‘don’t boo.’ I just hope they understand the negativity of those things … and hopefully stop it on their own.”
Catanzaro said if the student section keeps adding expletives, more cheers will undoubtedly be banned.
“It’s not a ‘do you think it’s going to happen’,” he said. “It has to happen.”
Judson echoed Catanzaro’s thoughts.
“If [officials] think it’s getting to the point where it may affect the school’s reputation, they’ll take it out,” he said.