Booing shouldn't pe part of prep sports experience

When you've paid your money for a ticket to enter a high school sporting event and you've blocked out two or three hours of your time - and then should your team or the opposition enrage you with their performances - is it all right to boo?

It's not a question that came up back in my high school fan days, which were admittedly three decades into prehistory. It didn't even become a matter of discussion in my subsequent years at Northern Illinois University. Cheer loudly? You bet. But I don't ever remember a boo exiting my vocal cords.

So it was with a bit of embarrassed dismay that I heard DePaul's men's basketball fans boo their team repeatedly in Saturday's loss to South Florida. From the midpoint of the second half, the fans booed at every timeout, before the majority of an already small crowd got up to leave with less than five minutes to play.

But as I watched the Blue Demons fans turn on their team, I thought to some of the instances I have seen in high school. I once saw a single adult soccer fan determine that a player on the opposition was "dirty" and elicited a loud "boo" in the girl's direction.

On occasion, I've sat near student sections who, without booing, provide more than enough vitriol to curl hair. I have heard the chant - usually stopped quickly by administrators - that refers to bull excrement and the other that employs a rather pithy way of saying "you stink." If you've been to a sporting event, you know the words. If not, use your imagination.

So I cycle back to my original question of whether it's OK to do this or not. To help me in my journey into fan indiscretion, I called Ryan Estabrook, who sits in an interesting position at Geneva High School. He is the boys soccer coach, has coached girls soccer and also works at the scorer's table for boys basketball games. He competed in high school and college athletics. He's seen plenty, and I should mention there are easily 20 or 25 other coaches in the area who can speak from similar experience.

"I have noticed a lot of derogatory comments directed at opposing teams, especially in basketball more than in soccer," Estabrook said. "That's probably because basketball is such an intimate sport. Everyone is indoors and it's a confined space. You can't taunt as easily across a football or soccer field in the same way you can in a gymnasium."

Admittedly, the largest level of abuse is not directed at players but officials. But is there a line between "Hey Jones, you stink! and "Hey ref, you stink!" - in this line of discussion?

And while fans rarely shout "boo" - possibly because that word just doesn't convey as much as a stream of yelling - there is certainly plenty of nastiness. I have seen student sections scream into the ear of opposition point guards as they dribble past. Well-timed coughs or shouts when athletes shoot free throws is also now commonplace - though high schools fans aren't allowed to do the hand waving or choreographed balloon-waving you see at higher levels.

"I think to the Jerry Seinfeld show where he had a heckler in the crowd and he ended up going to the hecker's place of employment to heckle her the next day," Estabrook said. "These are kids who are performing. And even if the officials are getting paid, they are high school officials. We shouldn't expect professional, instant replay caliber officiating and we shouldn't expect that level of play from the athletes either."

There are two main arguments given by those who want to say whatever they want in a sporting contest. One is that they have spent their money to buy the ticket, and they then have a certain right to cheer, or boo depending on the performance they are watching. The other is that without the boisterous cheering, the game won't have any atmosphere.

We chanted things back in the late 70s that would be considered lame by today's students. One went like this:

Wash them in the river

Hang them on the line

We can be the De-mons

Any old time

As I said, that sounds positively Victorian. And I don't expect to hear that anywhere in the 21st century.

But there must be other ways of cheering. Estabrook said he's not a fan of the "I paid so I have a right" excuse.

"Paying your taxes in a city doesn't give you a right to vandalize city property," he said. "While some of the kids playing high school sports are very talented, they're still kids. Their self esteem and ego can be more easily affected by out of control fans."

School administrations do have a role to play. Nearly every school has a sportsmanship announcement read before every contest, though it is generally ignored. In it, fans are reminded to cheer for their team and not against the other and also reminded that the contests are an extension of the classroom experience. I'm not sure if having someone in the stands shouting "you stink" is in any way an extension of any educational process.

But there are positive stories. Estabrook said Sycamore's volleyball fans have a reputation throughout the Western Sun Conference for being intense but also for creating a great atmosphere.

He also said recent Batavia-Geneva boys basketball games have become tantalizing games from an atmosphere standpoint - something that wasn't always the case.

"(Batavia's) fans got to Geneva early and in great numbers and they showed a lot of school spirit," Estabrook said. "They had signs and a lot of chants, some of which were inspired by the cheerleaders. I was really impressed. And (Geneva's) student section responded really well and it was a great atmosphere."

By all means, cheer. Cheer loudly. Make a noise that rattles windows and leaves it difficult for people to hear each other when talking while sitting next to each other.

But the word "boo" is best left for Halloween.