Taylor Hannon
thannon@uwyo.edu
“Stephanie you suck! Glad they put you back on this court so you can help your team lose!” This is just one example of some of the phrases heard at a recent women’s basketball game directed towards the other team. When did cheering for your team’s player become putting another team’s down? When does it become bullying?
When learning to become an athlete, some say we’re supposed to raise our children to take insults and “be strong,” that personal attacks come with sports and that we have to “get over it” and “stop being sensitive.” Individuals can be seen screaming such negative comments at University of Wyoming sports events, where their own children might be present. In the described case, everyone around was laughing, not even thinking twice about the effect it could be having on that player. Maybe it was all fun and games at the time, but this behavior is going to be passed down from him to people’s children and then future generations.
Where do we draw the line? Saying things like “air ball” and “scoreboard” are normal chants, but the fact that fans are starting to get personal with names and constantly attacking one player shouldn’t be acceptable.
My 11-year-old brother was pitching at his baseball game when parents of the other team started yelling at him, telling him he’s a terrible pitcher, which in return drove my brother into tears. These were parents yelling at a child during a little league baseball game. This is only setting a precedent for all other children present especially because at that age, kids are so impressionable. Who is to say this type of behavior won’t encourage children to quit the game? Bullying may be a strong word to use in these types of situations, but a simple definition is hurting someone else in a physical or mental way for personal satisfaction. Saying fans are bullying players may be extreme, but where do we draw the line between playful heckling and all-out harassment? Our society prides ourselves on being unbreakable yet we try to break others. And for what? Our own personal gain? Instead of our cheering being directed negatively towards the opposing team, we should focus our energy in a positive manner towards our own team and our own players. We teach our players to have good sportsmanship. However, many fans and other parents aren’t respecting the same rules that players are required to obey. Yes, team bashing is a social norm at this point, but singling out players only to degrade them more is unethical. Honestly, let’s be realistic they are probably getting enough criticism from their coaches anyways. To some this is all probably just part of the game. I mean, you can’t have sports without obnoxious drunk people, hot dogs and painted faces. But maybe we should just leave the name-calling and childlike behavior for the playground and out of the stands.
