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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2010 > March > 09
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Is booing the Flyers wrong?
So the big debate coming into Dayton’s A-10- Tournament opener with George Washington is:
Is it wrong for UD Arena fans to boo the Flyers?
I think I’d have to go way back to the Jim O’Brien days — back to when UD won just four games that one season — to remember a crowd as disgusted and vocal as the one at the Arena became Saturday night when the Flyers were upset by Saint Louis, 71-65.
It was UD’s fifth loss in seven games and completely deflated the team’s hopes of getting an at-large bid to NCAA Tournament. Now the Flyers must win the A-10 Tournament.
The warm fuzzies that began Saturday’s Senior Night soon were riddled with some boos when the Flyers went through a 10-minute span in the first half where they did not score. There were a few more boos as the players headed for the dressing room at halftime.
And there were some more vocal raspberries in the second half — as well as some fans openly voicing displeasure with coach Brian Gregory — and after the game those outbursts stirred some pointed debate on internet message boards and talk radio.
Were the boos directed at certain players?
Were they aimed at the coach?
Or, was it just an over-spillage of general frustration and displeasure at the way the team was playing?
One camp says you don’t boo 18 to 22 year olds. They aren’t pros, they don’t get paid and they are trying their best.
Others say just as you put players on a pedestal and cheer them so often during the season, you should — as paying customers with the right of freedom of expression — be able to make it known when you think they or the coach are under-performing.
I can say this, in all the years I’ve covered basketball games at Miami University, Wright State and Central State — at least not at the games I was at — I don’t remember hearing the fans boos their players.
I think that’s the way it should be.
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