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H 22°, L 6°For many, Badger fandom is life at the University of Wisconsin. Students use Badger football and basketball games as opportunities to escape the rigorous pressures of academic life. Traditions have been built and upheld by fans, while UW student sections have gained notoriety for their enthusiasm and are considered among the best in the nation.
Unfortunately, UW’s reputation was tarred with infamy in 2003 when visiting fans filed numerous complaints citing serious incidents of both verbal and physical abuse. Most of these incidents occurred surrounding Wisconsin’s Oct. 11 victory over Ohio State, and, since that game, the UW athletic department has sought means to improve the game-day atmosphere for opposing fans.
Last winter, UW Dean of Students Luoluo Hong headed a series of forums to discuss solutions to the unruly fan behavior that plagued the previous football season. From these forums, UW student organizations initiated the “Rolling Out the Red Carpet” campaign at the advent of the 2004 football season. The operation employs the use of fan ambassadors who greet visiting fans at athletic events and the crusade debuted public-service announcements in UW stadiums during games discouraging negative fan behavior.
By all accounts, the “Red Carpet” campaign has been a success and complaints were at a minimum during the Badger’s home football season.
“From my personal experience, handing things out to fans, the people really appreciated the effort,” fan ambassador Gina Pignotti said. “It was just a more welcoming environment”
Still, UW’s student fans are continually criticized for their use of vulgar and un-sportsman-like chants. ESPN’s Chris Fowler, host of the network’s College GameDay, bashed the student section after visiting Madison for the Badgers’ Big Ten season opener, citing their use of “constant, collective F-bombs (that) are lame and tired … for the moment, [UW] is not home to the best football crowd.” Athletic Directors Pat Richter and Barry Alvarez have both asked UW students to quell the crudeness, but to little avail.
On the home stretch of the finest UW football season in recent memory, and on the advent of heavily anticipated basketball and hockey seasons, student fans will once again be in the spotlight. While we understand the misbehavior of few is not indicative of the whole, students must be aware during sporting events they are as representative of their school as the players on the field. More than anything, Badger fans are known for their devotion and zeal. Let’s keep it that way. Have your fun, but remember to keep it in context. At the foundation of Wisconsin and Big Ten athletics is a commitment to sportsmanship — a most admirable quality we should all strive for.
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Hey Chris Fowler….Eat Shit
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fowler is a dumbass disney employee, no one should care if he doesn’t like to hear profanity. when maryland basketball had a hubbub about chanting “fuck duke” all the time , all the stupid espn shows came out like it was some kind of a moral outrage. everybody likes chanting fuck and shit, people that say they hate it are either uptight asswads that think it is not “classy” because they are pretentious morons, or they are just full of shit.
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fuck you, eat shit
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I think the point is that profanity is unnecessary, and makes the student body look like uneducated children. I don’t really have a problem with swearing, but it’s s real indicator on the intelligence (or lack of) of the fans. It’s childish to be so up in arms over the right to say a word. But everyone has that right. They also all have the right to look like fools, and make the University look bad.