Fans maybe, but the wrestling discussion board here and elsewhere is of much higher discussion quality and much more thoughtful than football.Interestingly enough there was far more craziness in wrestling than football. Very “passionate” sport
Fans maybe, but the wrestling discussion board here and elsewhere is of much higher discussion quality and much more thoughtful than football.Interestingly enough there was far more craziness in wrestling than football. Very “passionate” sport
Oh it was hardly ever the wrestlersFans maybe, but the wrestling discussion board here and elsewhere is of much higher discussion quality and much more thoughtful than football.
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 .This.
That being said some fan bases are worse than others. All have their loser fans, but some are more arrogant and ignorant.
As a coach the best part about COVID was minimal fan / parent attendance.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
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.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.
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.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.
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.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.
Sad but I am sure the comment is sincere and shared by others in the profession.As a coach the best part about COVID was minimal fan / parent attendance.
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.
We always though an orphanage would be the best coaching job.As a coach the best part about COVID was minimal fan / parent attendance.
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.
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!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.
JR, the master abuser!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.
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!!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
That was bad. I still laughed, though.We always though an orphanage would be the best coaching job.
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.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.
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.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.