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Just wondering where the class of some of my fellow fans has gone to?
Honestly people, yelling things like "f***tard" after the "who's he? nobody" chant just ruins everything. Seriously, stop making the rest of us look bad.
It's one thing to point out a stupid call by the ref, but to spend the entire game making stupid comments about the officials being homosexual or shouting obscenities the whole time is just stupid and classless.
I honestly don't care if anyone who was doing that posts on here... in fact, I hope they do.
I'm all for yelling and trying to get our players into the game, and EVEN yelling at the opposing team, but at least make a freaking effort to keep it clean, at least for awhile.
One kid even said he was going to throw his bottle of Dr. Pepper onto the ice... Who the hell would even THINK to throw trash on their OWN ICE?
I may seem like I'm just whining, but in all honesty, there were a lot of people down by the glass who were getting very annoyed by the kids making asses of themselves.
Anyone else hear this garbage?

I've e-mailed the AD's about this behavior before and never received a reply. Sadly, I no longer sit in the student section because of ass clowns like that.

The sad thing is, you find that wherever you go, in every single sport.

Decent people like yourselves leaving the student section is not the answer. If anything, we need more people like you in there to help some of this crap subside. Unfortunately, I think professional sports and the culture that it promotes has a lot to do with how college students conduct themselves at sporting events. They need to realize that they are not at a professional sporting event and that the product before them is that of education, not capitalism.

Here is the bottom line, I think: people don't give a damn about how they act at professional sporting events because the increasing ammount of money invovled in them has effectively disenfranchised many people from their favorite teams. For example, whereas people a decade or two ago would have thought of the Cleveland Browns or Detroit Lions as representatives of their respective cities, they now feel that they are simply corporations that happen to be associated with their city. The egregious commercialization of college hoops and football has helped, I think, to establish the foundations of this conceptualization within college athletics, as well.

The question is, how do you get across the point that college athletics - especially hockey - is not of this corporate mold and should never be thought of in that way? I don't have that answer, but I think we as fans and athletic directors across the college hockey world need to begin to deal with the root of the problem. Remember, young people develop a sense of what sports are and what their role in society is long before they get to college.

Here's an idea, though: move the student section. Start small and build Section A back up. It's GA, and you may have to get to games early to secure your seats, but it would give a small group effective control over crowd activities and actions. Just a thought.

I don't know, I guess I just get so disappointed by this stuff. I mean, it seriously sounded like I was surrounded by a bunch of Toledo or Miami fans (and this is not an unwarranted comment after what I've gone through at the 2004 BGvUT game and a Toledo Storm game). All you hear at these places is "HEY [insert name]... YOU SUCK/YOU'RE GAY/etc.!" Clearly that's not something we need at our arena. And honestly, for the amount of hatred people seem to have for UofM and Miami (and Toledo, though they don't have a hockey team), they sure are ok with using their bastardized chants all the time.
Seriously kids, stop using the ripped off goal chants and penalty taunts and stick to your BG roots for god's sake. Do you have any pride? Any shame? To sit there and repeat these unintelligent, vulgar, homophobic ripped off chants over and over again makes ALL of us look bad. It's one thing if you want to make an ass of yourselves, but if you keep that crap up, it's going to start to reflect on the rest of the fans and the University. I've heard stories about the BG Ice Arena being THE PLACE to be for a hockey game, but with all of this going on, even I am discouraged from attending.
I can't tell you how angry it makes me to hear these kids destroying the goal count and the lineup taunt. I want to see BG students represent the University in a positive light and make the arena a great place to be, no matter what age.
On top of that, to see these same kids stand there and cheer about one of our players slugging an opposing player when we're already down a man and losing by 2 with less than 2 minutes left makes my blood boil. Do you kids even want the team to succeed? It's juvenile, it's classless, and it makes for a crummy experience at the games.
I guess I just hear all of the stories about the way things used to be in BG's heyday and wish these kids could drop the vulgarity and try to sound intelligent.
But maybe that's just wishful thinking. I'd like to hope not.

Bleeding Orange wrote:Here's an idea, though: move the student section. Start small and build Section A back up. It's GA, and you may have to get to games early to secure your seats, but it would give a small group effective control over crowd activities and actions. Just a thought.

I actually thought about that tonight as I suffered through the vile comments and behavior of those kids. I'd like to try it, but I think I'd need some more support. Hearing about the way sections A&H used to yell back and forth makes it seem all that much cooler. I'll have to think about that.

I'm an advocate of moving the student section to the North end around the ice/goal official. You get the band right there to help lead cheers.

It also helps to have officials who enforce the vulgarity rules.

BGDrew wrote:I'm an advocate of moving the student section to the North end around the ice/goal official. You get the band right there to help lead cheers.

It also helps to have officials who enforce the vulgarity rules.

It would also help if the band would tell their drummer he should try to restrain himself from beating out the rhythm of all the vulgar chants. If the pep band is going to support the negative cheers, then people are going to feel they are OK, and no progress can be made.

College students are the most vulgar of any age group, that's the way it is. Any sporting event has students that don't show much class. Hell, Duke basketball fans threw condoms at a visiting player after he got a girl pregnent a few years back. This kind of stuff will always go on. And hey at least we have some students showing up to the games.

I'll tell you this much, if people at BG are like the people here... they are a pretty classy crowd. I've got many friends at BG, so I know it's true. It only takes one dolt to screw something up. But, if you and the people around you say something, or do something about it, it makes you look more mature. That would make you one of the classiest fans around. Heck, at the BG/Miami game, when the Miami students were hollering at the "Go BEEGEEE!" lady, after the game I saw 2? walk up and apologize for things they had yelled at her. I would assume BG is the same way. BG is, and HAS always been a good place. Great atmosphere, original, inventive. I would say it's a loss for me to have never seen a game in the Ice Arena.

All it takes is one word from one of the other students. "Stop." That's it. It makes an impression, and if the other students say it as well, then so much the better. I've yelled things I've regretted. I was too proud to apologize. I wish I could apologize now. But I can't, so I watch what I scream. Other students should take a lesson from you guys here.... it would make a world of difference.

*I realize I'll prolly get chastised for bringing up the Miami game, but I figured I could say something constructive, and I needed to support my argument.*

Peregrinner wrote: On top of that, to see these same kids stand there and cheer about one of our players slugging an opposing player when we're already down a man and losing by 2 with less than 2 minutes left makes my blood boil. Do you kids even want the team to succeed? It's juvenile, it's classless, and it makes for a crummy experience at the games.

That's just the nature of the game. Most, if not all, the students hear stories of how fighting used to be a big part of hockey. I can barely remember it. One of my first games ever was the bench clearing brawl against North Dakota back in the late 80's early 90's (PASS Sports seems to come to mind). Young people see hockey as a violent sport where fighting should be cheered. I'll admit, I'll cheer the occasional fight, if it is warranted. Yes, there are times when a player needs to take it upon himself to protect his teammates. Less than three minutes before the end of a close game is not the time to do it. In Hodgson's defense, he barely touched him. It was nothing more than a push after the whistle, like what had been happening all game. If the Ferris player didn't fall, there is no call. Too bad the ref didn't have the balls to call it as he really saw it....

Maybe it's just me.... but I don't think the cheers the crowd currently yells are so bad. (Well, unless they're adding profanity after the "who's he, nobody" cheer like Peregrinner says.) At least the crowd is involved and yelling something... and "jackass" and "they still suck" certainly aren't as vulgar as it gets. *shrugs*

I'd like to see the goal count and some of the other ones get implemented, too. But it'll take a lot of doing to un-implement cheers. That goes for in the band, too-- most members don't see any reason to change the current cheers. They've been happening for years, so in many people's minds, they are a hockey tradition.

It may be possible to have Paluch say a few words to the student section regarding the vulgarity before a game. I know that he would do it in such a manner as to show his appreciation for the enthusiasm of the students but also stressing the family atmosphere of Bowling Green hockey. If he does it in conjunction with the "Traditions" hand out it might get through their heads that there are better ways to give us a home ice advantage than throwing out obscenities. I've heard about too many instances where the some of the townies have stated that they'd never come back to a game due to this very problem.

This has to be done in a diplomatic way because we don't want to lose their attendance.

vulgarity is a sore subject for me.
As a parent i do not care for it, its like smoke I dont put kids in a place to overly exposed. I aslo fight with myself to keep myself clean around them.
As a fan and a vocal one at that it i at times sound like I have terets.
the root is free speach. Its all covered and if you dont like it, like I dont when I am in parent mode i will move rather than disturb anothers enjoyment and self expression. in fan mode if asked to refrain, I dont fight the request, but meet it with, i will try hold back but this part of how I enjoy the game, if you like i will look for a new seat between...qters, periods.
Tolleance is all that is people need and accepting that some folks like to cuss up storm while enjoying a game.
Why not a cussing section and none cussing....there are to many times that a Golly you roten son of a gun just is not what should be said.

I'm all for free speech and everything, but you can certainly make your point and make an impact without yelling "f*cktard" "c*cksucker" and "f*ggot" so loud that people over the state line can hear you.
I know people are going to be vulgar like that - hell, i usually drop the f-bomb like nothing - but there's an image to consider and a tradition/reputation to uphold. Unfortunately, I already know of a few people somewhat thrown off by the "f*ck Toledo" chants that got through to television for the BGvUT football game. I just don't want people thinking less of this school or its students.
Honestly, how much self restraint does it take? That being said, self restraint is a difficult task when you show up looking like you fell in a lake of alcohol and had to drink your way out.

As far as Hodgson's 'fight' goes, that's not really the only instance I was talking about, but I agree... the Ferris kid crumbled like a house of cards. I'm talking about people cheering the fights like they were at a Toledo Storm game, where it really doesn't matter one way or the other. I just wish people would show up for hockey and make an effort to appreciate the sport and learn the rules, rather than hoping for an amateur boxing match to break out.

I guess in the end this may be a somewhat pointless debate, but I feel like it needs to be said.