March 4, 2007
Pump up the (fan) volume
In this weekend's Wall Street Journal there's an article (online by subscription only, unfortunately) on the rebuilding and reconfiguration of sports venues in order to maximize home court advantage. This includes giving the loudest and craziest fans the best seats, where they can shake visiting teams and encourage their own; replacing sound-absorbing surfaces with sound-reflecting; installing bleachers that make more noise when stomped upon; and deliberately designing seating to be uncomfortable so as to encourage spectators to stand.
Am I out of touch, or does this all seem grossly unsporting? I took my daughter to a rather sparsely attended Brown vs Princeton women's basketball game Friday night, and was looking askance at one Brown fan sitting courtside who would kick up a drumroll on the metal seats whenever a Tiger was taking a penalty shot. I was wondering when some official would confront him, but from the WSJ article it seems that that sort of fan harassment of visiting players is now the norm, embraced and encouraged by colleges and universities nationwide.
Posted by David on March 4, 2007 9:39 PM
I think you're out of touch. Baseball fans have heckled the other teams for more than a century. Hockey fans take great delight in harassing the opposing team, especially the goalie. And trying to distract free throw shooters in basketball is about as old as the game.
It's an expected part of the game. The players are supposed to be good enough not to get distracted. It's a real sport. It's not golf.
A baseball player is expected to hit a ball hurtling at him at 90mph while thousands of people are screaming at him. But a golfer can't be expected to hit a stationary ball with the slightest disturbance.
Posted by: Mike Rentner on March 5, 2007 8:19 AM
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