WAC ruling on fan behavior not popular at Utah State

By Matt Sonnenberg

April 28, 2008 | In January, the Western Athletic Conference issued a memo regarding fan behavior to the athletic departments of all nine schools included in the conference. Included in this memo was information on a new policy to be put in place at basketball games, that the home crowd could be issued a technical foul for any chants the officiating crew felt to be vulgar or offensive.

Specifically pointed out to Utah State University was the use of the word "suck" by students after an opposing player commits a foul. It is a coordinated effort by the students that has been present for several basketball seasons thus far.

The ban of the chant was not well-received by students. Shaun Chatelain is a front-row regular in Utah State's student section at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, an arena that is regarded as one of the most hostile and fierce college basketball venues in the nation.

Chatelain said, "I think that when fans are policed, it's crazy. It's not referees' responsibility to control fans. They are there to call fouls and officiate the game."

Kraig Williams is also a front-row regular at the Spectrum, but more importantly the co-founder of a newsletter called The Refraction. The Refraction is produced for every home game and includes information about opposing players that may be useful to USU students to use against opposing players.

"I can see them getting upset with students using actual profanity in their chants," Williams said. "If they're going to get this upset over the word 'suck' then I can't help but be worried that they might eventually try to take it further."

The main concern among Aggie fans is that the new rule is an attempt to interfere with one of the most sacred elements of college basketball, the home-court advantage.

"Some schools have it and some don't, " Williams said, commenting on home-court advantage. "We have have it, and it seems a little bit like they're trying to take some of that away from us."

The concern on behalf of the WAC is that the more rowdy crowds in their conference might indeed take their behavior to a questionable level as some crowds nationally have been accused of doing.

Crowd behavior hit the national spotlight in 2006 when several schools the Atlantic Coast Conference used chants containing certain four-letter words aimed at J.J. Redick of Duke University. That same year Redick was forced to change his cellular phone number on several occasions due to opposing fans getting a hold of his number and harassing him via his own phone.

Concerns first hit the WAC that same year when students at New Mexico State University began chanting, "Nice shot asshole," every time an opposing player would make a free-throw attempt. Going into the 2006-2007 basketball season, the WAC first showed their concern for crowd behavior with New Mexico State hosting the conference tournament at the end of the basketball regular season. Then-head coach Reggie Theus even asked his student section to cease their usage of the chant with little result. The continuity of the chant eventually led the WAC to take action.

The issue bothering USU students is the fact that a word as mild as "suck" has been chosen to be banned.

"I may have grown up different than some, but suck is not a bad word," Chatelain said.

Regardless of the feelings of USU students, they are now being censored as part of what has become a growing concern this past college basketball season.

The two biggest stories of the season were centered around UCLA star Kevin Love and University of Indiana's Eric Gordon. Love, a top level recruit out of Lake Oswego, Ore., and also the son of a University of Oregon alumni, was expected by most Oregon Duck basketball fans to compete for the Ducks. Instead, Love opted to accept a scholarship to national powerhouse UCLA, which is also a conference rival to Oregon. Prior to UCLA's game at Oregon in 2008, Ducks fans obtained Love's phone number and harassed him in the days leading up to the game with violent phone calls and death threats.

Another such event occurred when Indiana University Hoosiers arrived in Champaign, Ill., to play the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Indiana star and elite recruit Eric Gordon had originally committed to play for the Illini out of high school before going back on his verbal commitment and signing with Indiana, causing anger among Illinois fans. Alleged to be behind Gordon's change of heart was the newly hired Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson, who had a history of recruiting violations. Sampson was under investigation by the National Collegiate Athletics Association for making improper phone calls and text messages to recruits.

Illini students welcomed the duo of Gordon and Sampson with a shower of boos and hostility. Several students held their cellular phones in-hand as they pointed toward Sampson repeatedly chanting, "Cheater, cheater, cheater."

Illini students were accused of crossing the lines of behavioral standards when several people made personal verbal attacks towards members of Gordon's family in attendance at the game. It was also alleged that Gordon's family members were harassed with garbage and beads being thrown at them.

While there was little debate over the treatment of Gordon's family and whether or not such treatment was out of line, the actual treatment of Gordon became a topic of debate on a national level.

Jay Mariotti, Chicago Sun-Times columnist and a regular contributor on the ESPN program "Around the Horn" attended the game. "It was pathetic," Mariotti said. "Under the circumstances, none of this is very smart."

Mariotti also expressed concern that an environment as hostile as the one created by Illinois fans towards Gordon was the type of environment that can become the start of a riot.

Asked what made the difference between the behavior if the Illinois fans and normal home-court advantage, Mariotti said, "Don't throw beads. Don't throw objects. Don't drop f-bombs the whole night. It was an ugly scene and these people should be ashamed of themselves."

Michael Wilbon, an anchor on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," had a different opinion on the matter than Mariotti. Wilbon said, "The kid got what was coming to him in this respect."

Back to Utah State where the concern has been over the word "suck." Utah State is undoubtedly an unfriendly place for visiting teams, as evidenced by their 142-12 home record over the last decade.

"I don't really care much for the word 'suck' in our chants," Williams said. "It's nice having coordination, but losing it won't be the end of the world. I just don't see that one word being part of this supposed growing problem in college basketball."

Whether or not fans agree, the ban on the chant is in place, and in turn putting Utah State students into the focus of a larger issue. It is a national focus to which they may not rightfully belong.

"People pay to go to games to enjoy it, and for some of us, going crazy and being mean to the other team is how we enjoy it," Chatelain said. "If players can't handle the fact that the opposing fans don't like them, then they shouldn't be playing."

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