Tomorrow night, the Student Senate will decide what, if anything, to do about the embarrassingly unbecoming conduct of student fans at our home football games. I’m glad the Senate is addressing this issue. As a fan who so far has sat in the student section for every home game this season, I can say that the situation definitely needs to change. More and more student fans at Autzen are behaving without any sportsmanship or class whatsoever.
I’m not just talking about the small number of fans at every game who get kicked out for assault or harassment. I’m also talking about the growing number of fans who refuse to behave with any decorum. A football game is not a tea party. But neither is it “Lord of the Flies.” There’s no reason to behave like a mob of savages.
Oregon has a classy football program. Autzen is a classy stadium. It’s sad to see a small but noisy group of fans doing their best to tarnish that image. Autzen has a proud reputation as one of the most intimidating stadiums in the nation. What a shame it would be to see that reputation replaced by a reputation as one of the most obnoxious stadiums in the nation.
When the opposing team comes out on the field, I like to “boo” them. But apparently I’m behind the times. The thing to do these days is to start screaming curses at them. Or at least that’s how it would appear from my seat in the student section.
One example that springs to mind is the USC game. It was the most-attended sporting event in Oregon’s history, yet I had the luck of sitting near the knuckleheads who decided to start chanting “Fuck You!” which eventually morphed into the only slightly more creative “Fuck USC!” I wasn’t surprised that a couple of jackasses would start such a chant. I was, however, surprised that most of the student section joined in.
If someone wants to start a chant of “Let’s Go, Ducks!” or “Oooooo” or even “De-Fense,” I’ll be chanting right along. But I was embarrassed that my fellow students decided to represent us the way they did. After that game, some student fans were downright hostile to the visiting fans. So much for hospitality.
The company that makes “Grand Theft Auto” should buy out the “NCAA Football” franchise. That way, subsequent versions of the video game can have a more realistic fan experience. Instead of seeing the fans do the wave or hold up their pointer fingers, we can see the fans flip off the other team. Instead of seeing the fans hold up a sign that reads “This is Our House,” we can see the fans hold up a sign that says “Fuck You and Your Momma Too.”
Fans who refuse to be sportsmanlike are a disgrace. I don’t think that a large number of student fans are obnoxious people. I just think they’re obnoxious when they drink, which is way too often. Any solution to this problem has got to address the issue of alcohol being smuggled into the games.
I have had beer spilled on my jacket at every game this season. I have had to avoid stepping on broken glass in the student section at all but one of the games this season.
It amazes me that some people can’t go four hours during a weekend afternoon without drinking. What are pre- and post-game parties for if not to drink? You have to drink during the game as well?
Luckily, many of these fans are gone by halftime because they were never really there to watch a football game anyway. But those who stay are often toasted enough to make up for those who leave.
There are times, especially after a big play, where the student section becomes a somewhat of a mosh pit. That’s a big part of the fun of sitting in the student section. However, when the drunken fool next to you is bumping into you every five minutes because he can’t stand up straight, that’s a problem.
I walk into every game with a water bottle in plain sight that could easily have vodka or wine in it. It’s no wonder that so much alcohol is smuggled into the games – I could do it in plain sight if I wanted to.
Tighter security and monitoring of the student section is the first step. Also, the ASUO should revoke ticket privileges for students who repeatedly need to be removed from the games. If they want to come to Autzen in order to get drunk and act like dumbasses, let’s take away their tickets and give them to people who actually want to watch a football game.

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