By Aaron O'Connell
University of Portland basketball fans might have to start getting a little more creative.
Two weekends ago, on Feb. 13, the Pilots tipped off against Saint Mary's University in a game to jockey for second place.
The players and fans knew the importance of the game. The first time Gael's center Omar Samhan stepped to the foul line, and the student section began to disconnectedly attempt to put together a cheer about chlamydia.
Whether or not the statement was actually true was wholly irrelevant. And so the view that Samhan had an STD was carried on by the student section for the rest of the night, taking the form of disjointed heckles or chants of "S-T-D."
The Thursday before that, they played the University of San Diego in a relatively unoccupied Chiles Center.
Despite the fact that the Pilots won the homestand, the games drew negative criticism. The disapproval, however, was not aimed at the coaches or the players of the venue; rather, it was concentrated on the Pilot fans, specifically, the students.
The complaints stemmed from largely from a perception that a large part of the student-cheering sections seems bent on merely heckling the other team; often with vulgar or demeaning chants.
This type of behavior is not uncommon in college basketball, but is of growing concern to the University of Portland Athletic Department.
Athletics-Marketing Director Tricia Miller received e-mails from concerned fans regarding the Pilots games on Feb. 11 and 13.
According to Miller, crowd control and student attendance can be a difficult battle. While student attendance and a certain degree of rowdiness is understandable, and even desirable, the vulgar chants and over-the-top insults are not something that the Athletic Department is willing to tolerate.
"We want (the environment) to be intimidating for the other team, we want it to be loud, we want that home court advantage," Miller said. "The last thing we want is to kick students out. But we can't just sit on our hands."
An e-mail written to the Athletic Department cites "a sampling of things heard from the student section on Saturday (Feb. 13)". Among the alleged insults are chants of "You look like you got s--t on #11," and "You look like a pedophile," and "Is that a shoulder tampon?" (directed at a Saint Mary's player who was wearing a protective shoulder-pad).
Another email suggested following the USD game on Feb. 11 that the handful of students responsible "definitely need some help, guidance and counseling."
OK, "help, guidance and counseling," is taking matters a little too far. Actually, way too far.
What's brewing in the student section is actually just a symptom of a larger, positive condition. UP basketball is doing well, receiving more attention this season than ever before, and the students could not be more excited to contribute, albeit in a way that only makes sense to (mostly inebriated) college students.
This problem of lewd comments and general rowdiness is not exclusive to the University of Portland, but pervades college basketball in general. Samhan is a favorite target of schools such as Gonzaga, who have created t-shirts picturing him being eaten by a Bulldog, or print out unflattering life-sized cutouts. In the past, Zag fans have even sent him Facebook messages, turning his responses into creative chants.
Duke fans once threw inflated condoms and panties at Maryland player Herman Veal when he had been charged with sexual misconduct.
Recently, in the week leading up to a Mississippi State and University of Kentucky game, Mississippi fans got a hold of DeMarcus Cousins' cell phone number and repeatedly texted and called the player, some of the comments racial slurs.
Later in the game, a water bottle was even thrown at the official.
So going into all of this, let's have some perspective; attending NCAA basketball is not for the debonair gent. Its a contest where a loud and rude sixth man can play a pivotal role.
No, it absolutely does not significantly tarnish our basketball team's reputation (or our Universty's for that matter) when a few lewd comments are thrown out.
The problem lies in the fact that lewd comments make up most of our cheering.
What's the difference between what other, big basketball schools do to cheer and what we do?
I'll tell you: they put a hell of a lot more effort and creativity into it.
Sure, UP students can be loud and obnoxious, and that is a requisite step in intimidating the other team. But when we have to revert to using numbers instead of names, and the most creative thing we can think to say is, "F--k you # 4", there is a problem.
We have made ourselves the philistines of the basketball heckling community. Other schools have refined heckling and taunting to a science. While here at UP, we somehow think swear words are a decent substitute for clever and demeaning commentary.
Do we really think we are rattling anyone with disjointed, often unheard insults? Well, maybe. But the only people really reacting to it so far are the other fans.
Why not make a unified effort to not disrupt the other Pilots supporters (who are on our side, by the way) and make chants that alert the other team that we actually know who we're playing?
There needs to be a level of communication between the fans before twenty seconds into the game.
The student section needs more than just a "Pilot Riot" sign and two rows of fans screaming that number 11's parents hate him. We don't even know his last name and we are jumping to conclusions about his parents? Yeah, that'll make him miss.
Maybe, we should do a little research and taunt him with something that has more than a slight chance of being true. And maybe the student section should actually organize into recognizable cheers other Pilot fans actually support, and the other team can actually hear.
Aaron O'Connell is the Sports Editor of The Beacon.
He can be contacted at
oconnell11@up.edu
