My struggle with fans, maybe I am just too old

It gets worse (just like society) every year. That's one of the reasons why I watch more streams than attend games any more.

I'm not a prude, but my "favorites" are the derelicts who insist on screaming obscenities with kids around. I had one do it near me years ago when I was at a game with my then 5 year old kid. I glared at him and asked him if he'd like to explain to my kid just what those words meant. We had a little stare down and he modified his language for the rest of the game. Point made.
 
About the coaches.

I've gotten old enough to finally realize that some coaches lack experience and knowledge of the game due to their youth. I enjoy watching them get better every year by learning from their mistakes. It is a pleasure to watch a fourth-year coach compared to their first year. It is amazing to watch a coach with 30 years of experience win a game against a younger coach because of adjustments. Every coach will run into a tough situation and make the wrong choice. It is their experience that limits those bad choices.

I suspect every coach is trying to get better. No amount of yelling at the coach is as devastating to a coach as losing the game. Everyone gets better with experience and I think if fans would look at it from that perspective, they may not scream at the coach...as much.
 
my2sense said:
This.
That being said some fan bases are worse than others. All have their loser fans, but some are more arrogant and ignorant.
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A certain percentage of people are just jerks. Not fans or fan bases just people in general. So a team with a larger fan base may seem like it has more jerks. You could have a whole section of perfect fans and one or two jerks sound off and make their self known and naturally they are going to get all the attention. Now if you have a preexisting bias against a certain team , like everyone who frequents this site knows you do then you're going to think that fan base is worse. I agree things seem like they may be getting worse and age may have something to do with it . And I doubt anyone would disagree that social media has also contributed to the problem .
 
nupanther said:
My sentiments leans towards Zeeman in post #5. As we age our Internal BS meter gets thinner and thinner. These people have existed from the my earliest memories. I used to ignore them, sometimes laugh if they infused some humor in their rant. But I tolerate them because they're usually ill informed or generally bitter people.
One of the reasons I like to sit WAAYY away from people. Get my bathroom, concessions and 50/50 as soon as I enter the stadium.
And I have attended urban, suburban and rural games. Absolutely no difference in level of obnoxious
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As a coach the best part about COVID was minimal fan / parent attendance.
 
Yappi said:
About the coaches.

I've gotten old enough to finally realize that some coaches lack experience and knowledge of the game due to their youth. I enjoy watching them get better every year by learning from their mistakes. It is a pleasure to watch a fourth-year coach compared to their first year. It is amazing to watch a coach with 30 years of experience win a game against a younger coach because of adjustments. Every coach will run into a tough situation and make the wrong choice. It is their experience that limits those bad choices.

I suspect every coach is trying to get better. No amount of yelling at the coach is as devastating to a coach as losing the game. Everyone gets better with experience and I think if fans would look at it from that perspective, they may not scream at the coach...as much.
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Many coaches post covid are starting realize that there's more to life than Friday nights and are willing to let that part of life slide in exchange for seeing what else is out there.
 
3rd&north said:
I think generally there are people feeling powerless and frustrated with so many things these days and not having a outlet. I’ve also seen perfectly rational and calm people turn into Dr.Jekyl during football games. I think there is a lot more anger in society today unfortunately. It’s almost like a group venting of emotions. That’s my take on it. Not condoning it. Just trying to rationalize it.
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Many of us teachers / coaches have a theory going that because of the lockdown situations at the federal and state levels that parents felt they lost control / power so they turned all their energy towards schools and school based athletics as the last place where they could have a chance to exert some control. And well we're seeing the end results of that with teacher shortages and coaches leaving the profession left and right these days.
 
scbuckeye99 said:
Many coaches post covid are starting realize that there's more to life than Friday nights and are willing to let that part of life slide in exchange for seeing what else is out there.
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I watched this story play out in a youth sports league. A very good youth program that had many talented and experienced coaches and the program flourished. As time passed, those people made other choices and the program suffered. Those coaching positions were filled by less experienced coaches that had a good heart but not the skill. The league suffered and is nearing life support. Some changes need to happen in HS sports to make sure it doesn't suffer a similar fate.
 
Season ticket holder. Midfield. Girlfriend and I usually sit in the opponent end zone so we can watch the game in peace. If not available, we usually sit about the 20- or 25-yard line.

Been to NFL games at Three Rivers Stadium, Heinz Field and Browns Stadium. Got tired of dealing with antagonistic drunks.

IMO high school soccer fans/parents are worse. Perhaps because a lot of them never played the game or haven't actually watched a match on television or the internet.
 
I have older kids as well as one still in high school- it has become nearly unbearable to sit in the stands. Football is better than basketball somehow- routinely have seen parents fighting in the stands at those games and the stuff they feel comfortable yelling is just shocking. Lacrosse is unbearable and baseball isnt much better. We have lost our way- it starts way too young and just ramps up over the years.
 
Largely agree with OP’s intents, here.

A couple general thoughts…

Behavior in Public
To no one’s surprise, lots of people everywhere have no clue how to act in public. Doesn’t matter if it’s Wal-Mart, the county fair or a HSFB game. S—t runs downhill. Everyone thinks they’re smarter than they are, everyone thinks they’re tougher than they are. Conflict and contention are both normalized in today’s times. Additionally, there is a dynamic of a) added numbers (diffusion of responsibility) and b) physical separation (diffusion of accountability) that feeds the behaviors of “I can say whatever I want.” Way different situation than meeting in the parking lot one-on-one (although that’s still a bad thing.)

We Internalize What We See and Hear; It Impacts Us
…yes. We do. And that’s OK! It is! Nothing wrong, whatsoever, on having a feeling toward bad behavior. It can bother us. It can fester like a sore. Any of you ever gone to a game where you can just sense ‘its about to go down? Hey, you didn’t pay $10.61 and sacrifice the warmth of staying inside to watch Jerry Springer’s show within feet of you. Comes with the territory, sadly.

We Kinda Do This to Ourselves…
We’re all veteran (adjective to signify longevity) HSFB fans, right? We’ve seen and heard some crap. It can bother us. Hell, we’re here on a sports forum crafted toward our unpopular hobby that defeats lesser men after all. We don’t tolerate fools on here, and if we had magic wands to wave we wouldn’t have to tolerate jamokes crapping up the experiences we hope are enjoyable (and worthwhile) for everyone in attendance and in competition.
 
Yappi said:
About the coaches.

I've gotten old enough to finally realize that some coaches lack experience and knowledge of the game due to their youth. I enjoy watching them get better every year by learning from their mistakes. It is a pleasure to watch a fourth-year coach compared to their first year. It is amazing to watch a coach with 30 years of experience win a game against a younger coach because of adjustments. Every coach will run into a tough situation and make the wrong choice. It is their experience that limits those bad choices.

I suspect every coach is trying to get better. No amount of yelling at the coach is as devastating to a coach as losing the game. Everyone gets better with experience and I think if fans would look at it from that perspective, they may not scream at the coach...as much.
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(y)
 
clarkgriswold said:
It gets worse (just like society) every year. That's one of the reasons why I watch more streams than attend games any more.

I'm not a prude, but my "favorites" are the derelicts who insist on screaming obscenities with kids around. I had one do it near me years ago when I was at a game with my then 5 year old kid. I glared at him and asked him if he'd like to explain to my kid just what those words meant. We had a little stare down and he modified his language for the rest of the game. Point made.
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Clarky clarky clarky, you gettin old bro, lol. I can tell you stories from old AAC rivalry games, Massillon vs. McKinley etc. that would make your head spin. The intensity today pales. And old municipal stadium fugetabout it, before during and after games.

I occasionally run into "mild annoyance" but honestly basketball games are worse for me. I hate being trapped indoors with idiots who object to pretty much every call, or no call. That is when I move to a different section.
 
Something I tend to remind myself in terms of any sporting event (honestly college fans are the biggest example of this) is that about 1% of the fan base is the loudest and those are ALWAYS the worst of the bunch, the ones doing all the things you noted. 99% of fans are great, but the 1% tends to ruin the perception. At least in my opinion.
 
Went to a game this past Friday. Didn't have a tie to either team playing. Sat with the lower seeded teams' fans. Many were drunk/drinking, and moms and dads alike were yelling to "rip the head off" the other team's QB. They yelled "holding" every play and I would say the ratio of yelling disrespectful things to yelling support for their own players was 50/50. I would have been embarrassed to have been part of their crowd on a weekly basis.
 
Parents/ fans are leading directly to the downfall of high school sports. Schools can't get officials, good people are not coaching and great kids are not playing. Three fall sport coaches at my area high school are not coming back at least in part to bad parent behavior. It's getting disgusting. We had a coach berated during a game over playing time, a coaches wife and kids cursed at after a game and another coach who was lambasted over social media... all with zero administrative support and full blown "investigations" into coaches. Administrators jumping through hoops to please the loud minority are making games intolerable and toxic to those of us who cheer quietly from the top row. Our school threatens year long suspensions for getting thrown out by officials... but if you act that way toward a coach, you are validated by these ridiculous drawn out investigations.
 
12penguins said:
There is some discussion about the "style" of some some fans support for their team, both online and at game sites on the Saturday Finals thread from yesterday. So I decided to come clean on my thoughts about what I am seeing and how I feel about it.

Shall we settle in that most every school has a number of fans who are clueless, crass and make fools of themselves with their comments on websites and at games? I say yes and unfortunately I see the number growing.
I had a game this season where multiple fans were calling for their side to "take out the knee" of the opponents star quarterback. I have had multiple games where any number of idiots would scream something inane on literally every play.
"Holding, they hold every play" "No way he had both feet in bounds" ( from 100 yards away across the field, obviously unaware that the player only needed one foot inbounds to complete the catch).."that play is not working, where did you learn how to coach" ( to a coach that had won 11 straight games but had fallen behind 6-0 in the first quarter) and last but certainly not least from a 45-year old still wearing his high school letterman's jacket "you are the worst f'ing referee, you must be from (opponents town). I will see you in the parking lot you f'ing cheating a'hole". And yes, as I got up from my seat and exited the game just too sick of (and slightly frightened by) the idiot to stay, I did point him out to the local police officer.
So yes, call me the grumpy old man, as some have done on posts on other threads, but even though they are in the minority, these ignorant, arrogant, clueless people are actually causing me to love less the games that I have loved and covered as a reporter for 42 seasons. By the way, none of these people are students and very few are young adults. It is almost always, in my observation, a 40 to 55 year old, male or female, and very often not a parent of any player, cheerleader or band member. Not every time, of course, but more often than not, those people simply cheer for their team.
Okay rant over. Have at me.
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Avon lake is the worst, they have 6-12 resident fans who purposely get lit up before a game and stand at the top of the visitors side and act like jack-azzes!
 
clarkgriswold said:
It gets worse (just like society) every year. That's one of the reasons why I watch more streams than attend games any more.

I'm not a prude, but my "favorites" are the derelicts who insist on screaming obscenities with kids around. I had one do it near me years ago when I was at a game with my then 5 year old kid. I glared at him and asked him if he'd like to explain to my kid just what those words meant. We had a little stare down and he modified his language for the rest of the game. Point made.
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JR, the master abuser!
 
hsfan60 said:
Avon lake is the worst, they have 6-12 resident fans who purposely get lit up before a game and stand at the top of the visitors side and act like jack-azzes!Nu
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Number of years ago a group of Canton McKinley coaches I presume (had those football coats on that coaches/teams wear) a a state itle game and man, I think they had a case of empty beer cans by the end of the game!!
 
chs1971 said:
We always though an orphanage would be the best coaching job.
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That was bad. I still laughed, though.

Eh, putting up with one or two bad apples is just a cross to bear for most reasonable fans, at least at my school. I was that way when I was 20, thankfully I grew out of it. Don't know enough about the game to second-guess the coaches (although I do want to know why we are running up the middle every play when we keep getting stopped ) :geek:.

Some days I think it would have been nice if my sons had been more athletically inclined, and then other days I'm glad they weren't. Who knows how bad I would have been if they were.
 
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12penguins said:
There is some discussion about the "style" of some some fans support for their team, both online and at game sites on the Saturday Finals thread from yesterday. So I decided to come clean on my thoughts about what I am seeing and how I feel about it.

Shall we settle in that most every school has a number of fans who are clueless, crass and make fools of themselves with their comments on websites and at games? I say yes and unfortunately I see the number growing.
I had a game this season where multiple fans were calling for their side to "take out the knee" of the opponents star quarterback. I have had multiple games where any number of idiots would scream something inane on literally every play.
"Holding, they hold every play" "No way he had both feet in bounds" ( from 100 yards away across the field, obviously unaware that the player only needed one foot inbounds to complete the catch).."that play is not working, where did you learn how to coach" ( to a coach that had won 11 straight games but had fallen behind 6-0 in the first quarter) and last but certainly not least from a 45-year old still wearing his high school letterman's jacket "you are the worst f'ing referee, you must be from (opponents town). I will see you in the parking lot you f'ing cheating a'hole". And yes, as I got up from my seat and exited the game just too sick of (and slightly frightened by) the idiot to stay, I did point him out to the local police officer.
So yes, call me the grumpy old man, as some have done on posts on other threads, but even though they are in the minority, these ignorant, arrogant, clueless people are actually causing me to love less the games that I have loved and covered as a reporter for 42 seasons. By the way, none of these people are students and very few are young adults. It is almost always, in my observation, a 40 to 55 year old, male or female, and very often not a parent of any player, cheerleader or band member. Not every time, of course, but more often than not, those people simply cheer for their team.
Okay rant over. Have at me.
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The easiest way I can put it, is that with age comes experience. I think you've probably reached a point where you can be realistic, but also enjoy a game with a little less emotion.
 
I never forget years ago my son played on a very average football team. We were playing a team that had one fast running back and he was running sweep after sweep to the opposite side of the field from my son you played outside linebacker and they were just eating up yards. Some lady behind me said we need to do something and right then my son ran from his side to the other and hit the running back a ton and he did not get up. I turned to her and said taken care of. She responded I did mean that and I responded back it was that or we don't stop him. I guess my sportsmanship could have used something but we did win the game.
 
I will say I do have a bad habit of criticizing players and then find out their parents are sitting right near me. (After I have open my mouth and put my foot in it.) I am old and still have not learned at the OSU wrestle offs I was yelling at the ref to call stalling because the wrestler was trying to crawl out of bounds, his parents were right in front of me. Will never learn.
 
Something I've seen in recent years is fewer fans that don't have a direct tie to the team. I look around our stadium and see parents of players, parents of the band, parents of cheerleaders, parents of youth football players that will be the next generation, and a small group of lifelong fans. The casual fans are still coming but it is mostly that one game or the beginning of the season.

Those casual fans that should/could be lifelong fans just don't have the same amount of interest as in the past. I think these seasoned pros (I count myself in this group) know the rules and know how to act...for the most part. I think we have alot of seasoned pros on this site and they are the glue that hold HS sports together. The yelling craziness is usually the fans that don't realize there is a big difference between yelling from row ZZ at the Buckeyes/Browns/Bengals game and yelling at the HS stadium from 75 feet away from the sideline with around 1000 fans.
 
Yappi said:
Something I've seen in recent years is fewer fans that don't have a direct tie to the team. I look around our stadium and see parents of players, parents of the band, parents of cheerleaders, parents of youth football players that will be the next generation, and a small group of lifelong fans. The casual fans are still coming but it is mostly that one game or the beginning of the season.

Those casual fans that should/could be lifelong fans just don't have the same amount of interest as in the past. I think these seasoned pros (I count myself in this group) know the rules and know how to act...for the most part. I think we have alot of seasoned pros on this site and they are the glue that hold HS sports together. The yelling craziness is usually the fans that don't realize there is a big difference between yelling from row ZZ at the Buckeyes/Browns/Bengals game and yelling at the HS stadium from 75 feet away from the sideline with around 1000 fans.
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This is something that I have discussed a few times with people and on here. When I was a young lad all of our youth coaches were the same old guys year in and year out. Those same old guys were yelling at us when we were varsity at football games and basketball games. They were the boosters, worked concession, filmed and reffed many games. They also continued to coach the youth.

Now it seems like its parents and just a few old timers. Some parents are good but most are just grossly uninformed and don't even know what they are seeing. Made worse by following a Wing T team where even the commentators on the livestreams don't know what they are seeing. The reality is that also the schools act like they just want parents to go away when their kids graduate. They leave a lot of booster money on the table with this attitude for sure.
 
The worst treatment that I received as a stringer writing for a small weekly paper and now that I'm on Yappi, has been from the casual fan and the parent that lives vicariously through their child. I can't count the number of people that threatened me, called out my kid, treated my kid badly, and were just horrible people, while writing and posting. This included teachers and a couple of coaches.
At the end of the day, I have been supporting high school sports for the better part of 45 years through playing, coaching, covering and then financial support of our kids and I can see the change in the demeanor of posters on Yappi to the bad within the last 3 years. There are certain areas that the posters are worse than others.
My generation, the parents were too busy working to provide to waste time on sports and the ones that did coach, they were salt of the earth. Most were veterans. 👍
We need to, as a country, learn to respect each other's opinions, respect our freedoms and respect the privilege it is to have these sporting events in our towns. No, because your team won the state title, you are not a higher class being than those that haven't.
 
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