There are a lot of things I like about college basketball.
The atmosphere, the sound of a pep band, the two, 20-minute halves ... even the cheerleaders are all aspects that make the college game special. And most importantly to the college game is a passionate and involved student section. It's what sets college basketball apart from any other sport.
But one thing that gets me more and more annoyed with every game I go to -- either as a "fan" or for work -- is fans riding the refs.
OK, don't get me wrong, I'm not some purist good boy that doesn't think heckling is a part of the game. But it's starting to get a little ridiculous.
Take tonight, for example. At Marquette men's basketball games, the media is seated in tables along the north baseline, directly in front of the student section. Pretty good seats, I have to admit and the pregame spread isn't that bad, either.
But every game ... every single game, the same group of knuckleheads in the front row make absolute fools of themselves every time a whistle is blown. They're ragging the refs, ragging the opposing coaches, harassing the players ... even their own.
Every foul is stupid. Every call is wrong. Every single thing is greeted with a string of larynx-straining vulgarity that would make my father, a former Marine, cringe. Personally, I'm curious to find out what these "fans" think is a good call.
Here's just a smattering of that the front-row geniuses had to say:
"Go back to high school, ref."
"I've seen better officiating at Foot Locker."
"Get off your knees, ref you're ..." well, you can figure out where that was going.
"How much are they paying you?"
"Blow the &^%$#@! whistle" and, conversely, "What are you blowing the &^%$#@! whistle for?"
My personal favorite came late in the first half, when it seemed one fan was particularly confused about a possible violation.
"That's a travel, isn't it? It looked like a travel. Wasn't it a travel? HEY, REF, THAT'S A TRAVEL!"
Those are just the printable ones, too. And it goes on. And on. And on. For 40 minutes straight. It's almost as if the game doesn't matter, just the officials. Just the opposing coach. Never mind the action on the court, let's just focus on the officials.
As the crew came off the court at halftime Tuesday night, there were greeted with a barrage of insults, catcalls and f-bombs. Sure, these guys are probably used to it, but what kind of impression do you think you're making on these guys, who will travel the nation over the next few months?
Then, of course, there's the berating of your own players. In particular, one guy who's struggling to find his way this season. It's got to really improve your self-confidence and desire to improve when your own fans are hurling insults from the front row.
While I haven't exactly been the biggest Golden Eagles fan during the Tom Crean era, I do think Buzz Williams has a good thing going and have actually enjoyed the atmosphere generated in recent years for some of the bigger games, so this isn't a knock on Marquette in particular.
To be fair, there are boneheads attending every sporting event in the country, no matter the teams involved or the venue. I've had the opportunity to travel to a lot of college basketball arenas and sit in and near a lot of student sections ... but this is getting out of hand.
It's not just me, either. Other media members that graduated from Marquette have the same complaints. I can see the looks on cheerleaders' faces every time these clowns pipe up. I've seen disgusted looks from fellow fans, too.
"Nobody said you have to be smart," my friend Todd, an employee with another local media outlet and a Marquette grad, said. "You just have to be loyal to be a fan. But this is kind of annoying."
The occasional, well-timed rip is appropriate. Sometimes, it can even be pretty funny. But when you're constantly riding the officials every chance you get with the same complaints every single game, you've ceased being funny. You come across like an ignorant fan with little basketball acumen and it's an embarrassment to your team, your fellow fans and your school.
No one, especially me, is suggesting that fans need to be polite and courteous church mice at games, but there is room for sportsmanship and decorum. Either start watching the games or maybe the school should put fans up front that will.
