Tuesday October 16, 2007

To Boo or Not to Boo?

To Boo or Not to Boo?
I am not sure Shakespeare was a big sports fan but I have read recent posts on Tigernet about booing and the subject is an interesting one so I wanted to give my three cents (inflation).

My sports teams have not been good lately. In fact my favorites have not won anything in years. The New York Yankees have not won the World Series since 2000. Sure American League Divisional titles are important to some teams but the Yankees only count world titles (26) therefore we have won nothing since 2000.

I don’t have a favorite in the NFL or NBA but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is my favorite NASCAR driver. It seems lately that just finishing a race is like a win for the 8 car. Little E has not won anything in so long it is hard to remember celebrating on a Sunday after a race.

Nick Faldo is my favorite golfer and he can’t break 80 right now. When was the last time you saw him play in a tournament not to mention compete for a spot on the leader board?

Clemson hasn’t really won anything in football since the Tigers won the ACC title in 1991. Sure a good bowl win makes you feel good and beating South Carolina on most years makes the off-season easier but no championships in 17 years for the Tigers is the bottom line. I was 22 the last time Clemson won the ACC. I actually had a full head of hair and about two less chins.

Therefore I should be an expert on the subject of how to act as a fan when things go wrong with your favorite team. The way I see it, you have the following options when your team is bad:

1. Boo.
2. Yell at the coaches/athletes during the games and tell them what they should be doing.
3. Buy tickets but don’t go to the games.
4. Don’t buy tickets and don’t give to the booster club.
5. Give up and become detached. Just disconnect your emotions and time invested.
6. Switch teams. Go with a new team or your rival.
7. Write letters, send e-mails, make phone calls to the suits (bowties in the college ranks) in charge. This correspondence should detail threats of future cuts in your patronage.
8. Change nothing and give your team full support.

So let’s examine each option.

Boo
I sat in Yankee Stadium on a Friday night this summer with my wife and kids and listened to the fans boo Mike Mussina and even Alex Rodriquez while watching the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays pound the Yankees. About ten days ago I sat in Death Valley and listened to a few fans boo the Clemson coaching staff.

I will say that booing a professional sports team, coaches or players is different than booing a college or high school team, coaches or players. I still don’t think it is right but it is much more acceptable to boo a professional. Somehow a few million dollars make it easier to ignore the sound.

I personally think that booing anyone at a college game is counterproductive. I hate losing but remember there are prospects watching and this hurts the long term outlook of your program. These prospects have a choice to come to your school or go to another one so give them the best impression of your level of support. Also the current players could have decided on another school but they chose your school and thus they are a part of your family now.

I understand those that argue that they are booing the coaches instead of the players but the prospects might not understand that and again I think it is detrimental to boo at a college game (refs and officials excluded).

Yell at the coaches/athletes during the games and tell them what they should be doing
This is one step below booing. Few in the stands have enough information to be giving advice on the subject.

Now I do buy the argument that says, “I am not a chef but I do know if dinner taste good or not.” I also argued that “I can’t play guitar but I can listen to music and tell you that Eddie van Halen and Eric Clapton can.” But there are reasons why coaches chose certain plays and they have more information and knowledge about the subject than 99.999999999% of the fans in the stands (I know some former coaches are in the stands so I left a little wiggle room there).

Give up and become detached. Just disconnect your emotions and time invested
Who are we kidding? What are going to do with your extra time? Have you watched TV lately? Does another episode of Nancy Grace excite you? Maybe there can be another reality TV show or another celebrity dance contest you can get into.

I would buy this argument if I knew you were going to go down to the local orphanage and volunteer but that isn’t happening either.

The fact is that you are too big of a fan to disconnect. You have invested a lot of your life to this and you are not going to give up now. “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”

Switch teams. Go with a new team or your rival
I just can’t look in the mirror and see Benedict Arnold. A Red Sox hat will not fit my head. Could you ever see yourself in black polyester pants screaming, “Go Cocks!”? Next option please.

Buy tickets but don’t go to the games
Discretionary income levels in the Plyler household do not allow for this option. Donate the money to your church instead. Retirement fund, girl scout cookies, lottery tickets….

Don’t buy tickets and don’t give to the booster club
There are two downfalls here. First you may lose seniority in your team’s seating plan. Also you hurt those that have little to do with your frustration. If you stopped giving to IPTAY then some student-athlete might not have the scholarship opportunities they currently have. IPTAY is a great organization because they have enabled so many to attend Clemson that might not have had the Clemson experience.

Change nothing and give your team full support
We all have heard that the definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing but expect different results. The Chicago Cub fan has continued to support a loser and it gave the club officials no incentive to try any harder. They were going to sellout if the team was great or if they stunk so there was no incentive to put money in the club. If my revenue is not related to my expenses then don’t expect me to increase my expenses.

Write letters, send e-mails, make phone calls to the suits (bowties in the college ranks) in charge. This correspondence should detail threats of future cuts in your patronage
Ah, finally the answer. This is proactive and it works. Ask Nebraska if it made a difference in their decision to fire the athletic director yesterday. The front office guys in pro sports and the administration in college sports are dependent upon the fans. The fans are the shareholders. They are the administrators’ constituents. College presidents, athletic directors and trustees have to listen to their constituency. They cannot survive without your money and your money buys you input.

I am not saying your money buys you the right to make the decisions but it does buy you input. Therefore I would say get what you pay for. I would express my opinion fairly often in the process. Whenever you are happy with your product or service I would encourage you to let the decision makers know it as well. I would not just be the squeaky wheel. Let them know when you are satisfied also. There is no law against a thank you letter or letter of support to a coach, athletic director, president or trustee. In this case if they take the praise then they must be accepting of the criticism as well.

In the end the question is do you want to be part of the problem or the solution?

I would rather be part of the solution. Booing, giving up, turning apathetic or turning to the rival is only adding to the problem. Be proactive. Get involved in the solution.

Do you have a second Mr. Steinbrenner, Mr. Earnhardt and Mr. Faldo?

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