Perhaps it’s because I was raised next to the City of Brotherly Love, where toddlers’ first words aren’t necessarily “Mama” or “Dadda,” but “Boo!” or “You stink!” or “My Grandma’s better than you!”
Or it’s that I read a recent Sign of the Apocalypse in Sports Illustrated: A Wisconsin high school has banned the use of negative chants such as “AIR-ball” and “O-ver-RA-ted” at basketball games.
While it’s now difficult for me to believe Harold Ramis’ Russell Ziskey character in “Stripes” wasn’t truthful in proclaiming that he got his butt kicked there once, he could have been just as easily talking about Colorado.
Here or there, we need a timeout, a full one, and not one of those 30-second jobs in which coaches touch their shoulders.
This is touching all of us.
I had blender-mixed emotions last week at the policing of high-schoolers at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, where officials stood over them watching peers play for Colorado Classes 5A and 4A boys and girls titles as if they were Bart Simpson times hundreds.
We had record crowds, nearly 34,000 for the four days. The student sections were large, vocal and into having a good time. A lot of it was fueled by Fairview, Broomfield and Monarch, schools in Boulder Valley whose fans came out in droves. Regis, too, was relevant as it won both 5A gender crowns.
As far as I could tell, it wasn’t as if the Pope was hosting a service. It was a basketball game. But hearing what came out of mouths was the thing. Words such as airball and overrated weren’t any different from, say, fundamentals, start the bus, and, of course, boo. They’re banned.
It seems that when announcers in pregame inform us to cheer for our team only, they mean it — nothing negative or personal and officials deem the above chants to be both.
I’m always amazed at the power adults are convinced they’re entitled to have, although students test it. Not that long ago, kids took to holding up newspapers and pretended to read (my column?) while the opposition was introduced. Officials quickly classified it as disrespectful.
And if you were there last week, a couple of student sections took to tossing talcum powder near tipoff, a la Michael Jordan and LeBron James. From what I heard and saw, it was some of the wildest, enjoyable reactions. However, University of Colorado personnel just about freaked, fearing the powder would get into the air system and possibly turn on the fire sprinklers.
I happen to know a state official who privately chuckled. (I thought it was awesome.)
Seriously, we need help in this particular game, one that’s boxed inside a building, can change emotions quickly and has its crowds close to the playing surface. On one side, we have those running the show who have become fearful of unruly crowds. On the other, we have kids who want to support their schools and release with their friends free from hassle.
There has to be some middle ground. Officials shouldn’t have to fret, and attendees can’t do whatever they want.
True, we had trouble on the concourse at CU and earlier charges at Mullen, but Big Brother didn’t stop either one from occurring.
School personnel likes to tell us about the educational backing of high school sports, which I’m all for and have been willing to promote, but a playing field or court isn’t necessarily a classroom. No one will ever convince me that laughing at someone who failed in class is close to getting on them for striking out, fumbling or missing a free throw.
Hello? The cultures coincide, but remain different. One’s mandatory, the other voluntary.
The only thing I’m certain of as this finest of prep lines gets crossed over and over is whom to blame.
All of us.
