Tiger fans have always been notorious for a number of reasons.
But in the past few weeks, LSU fans have elicited a substantial amount of negative attention from sports pundits and college football analysts for a brand new reason — booing.
The issue has become such a major ordeal, in fact, that Athletic Director and Vice Chancellor Joe Alleva sent out an e-mail last week urging season ticket holders and other fans to show their support of the program by not booing the team.
In the e-mail, Alleva said Tiger Stadium is “at its best when it roars as one voice in support of the Tigers.”
“But when some among the crowd are vocally disapproving of our own players or coaches, it is detrimental on many levels,” Alleva went on to say. “It impacts the morale of the players, it reflects poorly on our reputation, it sends a poor message of sportsmanship to the young people in the crowd and it delivers a negative message to recruits in attendance.”
Alleva’s concern might be warranted. But considering the hefty price they pay each year, it’s hard to argue that disgruntled season ticket holders don’t have a right to voice their dissatisfaction.
While neither side may be completely right or wrong, there is an important element of this debate that Alleva and other high-ranking administrators fail to realize.
The fan base — much like the head football coach — isn’t always rational. No matter how hard administrators try to urge fans to be patient and supportive, there will always be a portion of the fan base that is simply too stubborn and inept to reach.
This season, I’ve already heard enough brain-stultifying amateur observations from my fellow fans to make me question whether a football IQ test should be required to enter Tiger Stadium.
The first came during the home opener against Mississippi State when a purple-and-gold-adorned heckler in front of me defiantly stood up and yelled, “Why the hell can’t we move the ball against a Division III school?”
Even after his friends corrected him and told him Mississippi State was, in fact, a member of the Southeastern Conference, the fan refused to surrender. “No! Mississippi State is in the same league as Appalachian State and Boise State. Trust me, that’s a fact!”
Another brilliant fan made a similar mistake the next week against West Virginia, noting, “This is a conference game. We can’t afford to lose” halfway through the fourth quarter.
And then there are the racist remarks that sprinkle down from the more ignorant fans who are evidently stuck in the 19th century.
Based on their “expert analysis,” the only contributing factor to a player’s confidence is his skin color. So whenever Jordan Jefferson makes a mistake, it can be attributed to his skin color. But whenever Kelvin Sheppard or Patrick Peterson makes an incredible play, it can just be attributed to “pure luck and athletic ability.”
The double standard here is beyond obvious.
In the end, Alleva can try all he wants to placate the fan base. But there’s nothing he can do to prevent certain fans from vocalizing their discontent — no matter how irrational they might be.
That said, the majority of the fans deserve credit. Given the heartbreaking debaucheries the fan base has been put through the past few seasons, most fans have responded reasonably well.
Unfortunately for Les Miles, even the most loyal of fans are growing weary.
The grace period is over. His time is quickly running out.
And we all know how well he handles that situation.
Scott Burns is a 21-year-old economics and history senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter@TDR_sburns.
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Contact Scott Burns at [email protected]