Topic: HMMMM- Va Tech Fans Bad behavior - Roanoke Paper No Less!

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Roanoke Times, VA: Rough football crowd at VT not for faint of heart
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Friday, October 28, 2005

Rough football crowd not for faint of heart

When attending a Virginia Tech home football game, a helmet and shoulder pads should be required.

Instead of showing a ticket at the front gate to enter, fans should have to bring the proper protective hardware.

It's practically a necessity to coexist with the seemingly growing number of obnoxious patrons who seem to think the area inside and outside Lane Stadium is their personal playground to lose all sophistication on game day.

If the helmet and pads don't reach a certain level of sturdiness on a predetermined sturdiness scale, even the guy in the maroon wig should be turned away.

The university or athletic department might even put up a big sign in front of the entrance with the words, "No admission without adequate protection" for reinforcement's sake.

It would be a small price to pay for keeping your front teeth intact.

One might also breathe a little easier knowing he stands a better chance of coming out with all four limbs. Strict enforcement of this pre-game inspection would make one of these outings far less risky.

Anymore, those of us in the stands, sadly enough, almost need as much protection as the fellows on the field.

A venture to Lane Stadium these days doesn't seem much less dangerous than a skydiving expedition over the Grand Canyon. At least the skydiver knows the risks involved before he gets there.

Until a home football game against Georgia Tech a few weeks ago, I didn't.

Walking with my wife in a grassy field toward the stadium, we witnessed an exchange between a fan of Virginia Tech and a fan of the visiting team that mirrored the behavior you might see on a typical episode of "COPS" or "The Jerry Springer Show."

It started with some remark from the Tech fan about how the Hokies were going to whip up on the opposing side.

The visitor naturally responded that his team wasn't going to back down. That rebuttal prompted the Tech enthusiast to shove his evolving nemesis and deny the opposing fan's conciliatory declaration that "This is all just in fun, man," with a vehement, "No, it isn't."

The Tech supporter was so irate you would have thought the visiting fan had pulled out a 20-gauge shotgun and threatened to blow the feathers off the Hokie Bird.

For a moment, it looked like someone was going to have to be escorted all the way to January for a cool-down session. At least if any words were exchanged about someone's mama, it happened after I had left the scene.

Seeing a fracas of this sort begs a question older than Methuselah: "Why can't people just get along?"

These days, it seems that one is equated with a servant of the devil if he roots for the wrong team.

Several years ago, an occasional series of boos was enough to let opposing players and fans know they weren't going to get a dinner invitation.

Now, jeers laced in profanity unfit for the ears of inmates are the customary salutation.

To make matters worse, the unmannerly behavior in Lane Stadium isn't only directed to loyalists of the visiting team.

Those wearing the same colors on game day are equally prone to treat each without respect.

At another recent game, my wife and I spent two-thirds of the afternoon trying to avoid getting whacked in the head by a group of drunk Tech students in our section.

As they swayed from side to side, bumping into us more than once, I couldn't help but wonder if it might be more comfortable treading through a remote desert in the middle of July. At least the chances of sustaining a concussion would be less likely.

About midway through the first half, the group stood up on their seats, almost completely obstructing my view of the field.

By the time my neck was stretched farther than a giraffe to get a satisfactory view, it may have been a better idea to watch the game from the Goodyear Blimp. The viewing position wouldn't have been as awkward.

After awhile, my thoughts began to shift to the game. For the first time all day, the action on the field, rather than the actions of my neighbors, was stirring my emotions

Fired up after a big play, I yelled "Cary Wade, Cary Wade!" in support of my favorite Tech player.

That moment of personal jubilation was quickly ousted by the neighbors, who, in slurred unison, echoed me with a coarse adjective placed between the player's first and last name.

A pair of earplugs might not be a bad investment for the future if such an unsophisticated use of English punishes your ears like a cat-of nine-tails on bare skin.

Maybe next game, I'll bring earplugs and a bulletproof vest.

Around Campus is a weekly feature written by New River Valley college students. Jared Turner is a senior majoring in communication at Virginia Tech. Comment on this article at roanoke.com/messages.


Link: http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/cram/feature/wb/38181