Should College Athletes Be Booed?

No way, unless they do something egregiously unsportsmanlike a la that ASU guy on the punt return a few years back.

Basically, I’ll boo the road team when they’re coming out onto the field or if they’re celebrating a score, or being jackasses at any point and thats about it. I’d say its justified to boo a team that seems to have just given up, but that happens so rarely that its almost not worth mentioning. Also, I always boo $C, but thats implied by being a member of this site I guess.

I remember sitting in section Q last year and hearing Riley get booed in the 3rd quarter of the OSU game. Actually, he was playing quite well but with Cal being 5-0 and a little Jack Daniels in a barnocular can make the most loyal Cal fans somewhat obstreperous. I was pretty impressed with Riley at the time. One of the receiver commits said “Riley put on a show.”

Will I boo Longshore? Probably. I just don’t like him as a Cal player. The whole Jessica Simpson going pro his junior year thing was just too big headed for me. Ayoob, a fuckup’s fuckup if there ever was one, shows up at a game to visit with his old teammates—that’s really cool. But I think that no matter how much loyalty fans show him, Longshore’s already out of here, NFL or Arena2. By way of comparison, Marshawn loves his teammates. It shows.

Lastly, I went to Cal. We went to Cal. Cal was a tough, tough place. I belong to a Facebook group called I don’t need sex because UC Berkeley fucks me every day. I learned not to agree with everyone and to fight for every point all semester long. Sound familiar? I got sent to Tang from nervous exhaustion and someone puked in my EE 40 final from pressure. I still hate my Engineering SAO. Tough fucking school.

Golden Bears not golden boys.

than I do about who starts at QB. First of all, Jeff Tedford is god. And if God thinks that Nate Longshore should start, so be it. I trust Tedford 100%, and if he feels that for whatever reason Nate can help us more than Kevin, that must be true. Secondly, even if Tedford were to be mistaken in who he chooses, Longshore should never, ever deserve to get booed. College athletes are there to develop, to prove themselves, and get themselves to the next level. Do you honestly think that Longshore doesn’t know that he did anything wrong when he throws a pick six in the fourth quarter on national television? Booing Longshore is unnecessary and ridiculous. In the NFL, however, the men get paid to do a job. And people pay to watch them. And most importantly, they are grown men, not college kids. So it is very appropriate for a Raider fan to voice his displeasure with the team, but for a Golden Bear fan, it is useless and rude. And as for booing the visiting team, that’s fine. I booed John David Booty and all of the USC players because of the rivalry and the tradition, not because I dislike them as people or football players. But bottom line- NEVER EVER boo a college player on his home field for making a mistake. EVER.

...then you are an asshole. Groaning, exhaling, staying home, these are natural and reasonable reactions to sloppy play. Booing is being an asshole. Don’t be an asshole.

is down to 5.5 points on BetUS.

Get used to it.

Neither he nor Riley will clearly outplay the other in practice and JT will give the nod to experience. But JT also talks about “taking the first snaps”. That sounds like no “starter” will be named until someone earns it on the field. So I expect to see Nate play the 1st half and Riley to play the 2nd, unless Nate pulls a Riley AFB.

Booing serves no purpose. Why do people boo? Because they want to voice their displeasure with X or Y. But it’s not like the players or coaches don’t know that the fans are displeased if the team is losing or if X player dropped the ball or whatever. Booing has no positive effect, only negative. There is nothing more disheartening to players when their own fans turn against them.

Booing only shows the measure of our displeasure, but no alum goes to a Cal game to boo our team. When we boo, it is because we’re frustrated, unhappy. It also means we’re paying attention, we’re demanding and we’re there.

It doesn’t mean we’re turning against them. That’s just a ridiculous strawman. If we were turning against them, we’d be cheering the other team. It’s just natural frustration, plain and simple. Milan opera fans throw their shoes.

If you go on the road and stick your flag into the opponent’s logo you deserved to be booed. If you crush a player in a punt return before he even gets the ball, you deserved to be booed.

Otherwise no.

However I think it’s fine to express disappointment at the situation of the team by saying “Fuck”, sighing, etc. But not the players.

The idea of Longshore getting booed is bringing back bad memories. Two instances, two quarterbacks, one game…

USC at home in 2005 and 2007. I don’t think I’ve seen such vitriol as I have seen directed towards Longshore at the 2007 USC game. I think fans were just coming to terms with the idea that our season was officially down the drain after three consecutive losses. And the fact that it was cold and raining didn’t make it any better. Bitterness.

Well, except for USC 2005. I think that was the first time I felt genuinely sorry for Ayoob. Every pass was booed.

So, in short, no, never boo a college athlete, especially your own. It will only make them worse.