Too Much Noise at Tonight's ORU Game

[Dave in Green]

Hilltopper and I had a unique experience at tonight's ORU game. We were being our usual vocally expressive selves, loudly cheering for the Zips and reminding the refs when they'd overlooked something or seen something that wasn't there.

Late in the game, a young man seated immediately in front of us turned around and told us to "shut the f&*% up." We firmly pointed out that we were at a basketball game cheering for our team, and that it was going to get louder. An older man, who appeared to be the young man's father, turned around and gave us a dirty look. We told him he should go report us to an usher if he thought it was against the rules to cheer for the Zips.

At the end of the game, after exchanging dirty looks, we recommended that they find other seats for the next game. Actually, they probably had GA tickets and were sitting in empty reserved seats, as the folks who usually sit in front of us weren't there tonight. So I doubt we'll see them again.

On the way out, we stopped and told an usher what had happened, and he just shook his head and laughed at their stupidity.

But it did remind me that some of the younger Zips fans on ZN.O were recently complaining that the older folks weren't making enough noise at the JAR. So it was ironic that some punk kid tried to tell a couple of older folks that we were making too much noise.

[bandzip]

That is EXACTLY the same kind of complaints I've heard from my gf and a couple of her friends sitting in GA for every single game.

[ZachTheZip]

Hilltopper and I had a unique experience at tonight's ORU game. We were being our usual vocally expressive selves, loudly cheering for the Zips and reminding the refs when they'd overlooked something or seen something that wasn't there.

Late in the game, a young man seated immediately in front of us turned around and told us to "shut the f&*% up." We firmly pointed out that we were at a basketball game cheering for our team, and that it was going to get louder. An older man, who appeared to be the young man's father, turned around and gave us a dirty look. We told him he should go report us to an usher if he thought it was against the rules to cheer for the Zips.

At the end of the game, after exchanging dirty looks, we recommended that they find other seats for the next game. Actually, they probably had GA tickets and were sitting in empty reserved seats, as the folks who usually sit in front of us weren't there tonight. So I doubt we'll see them again.

On the way out, we stopped and told an usher what had happened, and he just shook his head and laughed at their stupidity.

But it did remind me that some of the younger Zips fans on ZN.O were recently complaining that the older folks weren't making enough noise at the JAR. So it was ironic that some punk kid tried to tell a couple of older folks that we were making too much noise.

Effing ridiculous. Something needs to be done to change the attitude of the "fans" in the JAR. One thing I've been advocating for a while is consolidating a student section. No students allowed to disperse through the GA seats. Mix them in with the Rowdies and hopefully they join in instead of sitting with their thumbs up their asses and mouths glued shut. If they don't, well, they won't have a place to sit and so we won't have to deal with the atmosphere of silence they create and try to enforce.

If you're not there to cheer and have fun, then don't go to the games.

[FromdaBurgh]

Dave In the Green and HillTopper...LET ME sit with you all the next time and I dare anybody to tell ME to shut the **** up....trust and believe I will handle them like Zeke handled dude when he blocked that got darn DUNK!!!!! NOW!!! :gun:

[jjackson123]

Pretty dissapointing, but thankfully/hopefully/IhopetoGodso these fans will be nowhere to be found Saturday. These next two games will be big for our overall fan support for the rest of the year. Saturday will be packed (although Im sure not like last year) and then Wednesday, vs Ohio and celebrating our soccer championship should have a nice crowd as well.

KD has back to back wins + 4.5 days + no travel + no injuries + no school for the boys... Can't ask for much more than that... No excuses vs Can't

[Hilltopper]

I will admit that I have a very loud voice, but this happened with a minute or so left on the clock and the Zips clinging to a 1 point lead. If a fan is not going to cheer his team on during that situation, when else? Earlier in the second half, I took advantage of the dead crowd to remind Bo Boroski and his crew, that the game was being played at both ends of the court. During ORU's second half opening run the refs swallowed their whistles on every Zips possession, but a bad facial expression by a Zip defender earned ORU a trip to the line. Soon after pointing this out the Golden Eagles were whistled for 5 fouls on one Zips possession! If only a few thousand fans are going to attend, somebody has to make some noise!

[Z.I.P.]

Hilltopper and I had a unique experience at tonight's ORU game. We were being our usual vocally expressive selves, loudly cheering for the Zips and reminding the refs when they'd overlooked something or seen something that wasn't there.

Late in the game, a young man seated immediately in front of us turned around and told us to "shut the f&*% up." We firmly pointed out that we were at a basketball game cheering for our team, and that it was going to get louder. An older man, who appeared to be the young man's father, turned around and gave us a dirty look. We told him he should go report us to an usher if he thought it was against the rules to cheer for the Zips.

At the end of the game, after exchanging dirty looks, we recommended that they find other seats for the next game. Actually, they probably had GA tickets and were sitting in empty reserved seats, as the folks who usually sit in front of us weren't there tonight. So I doubt we'll see them again.

On the way out, we stopped and told an usher what had happened, and he just shook his head and laughed at their stupidity.

But it did remind me that some of the younger Zips fans on ZN.O were recently complaining that the older folks weren't making enough noise at the JAR. So it was ironic that some punk kid tried to tell a couple of older folks that we were making too much noise.

I think that the sound of two retirees talking to themselves amid one-thousand-nine-hundred "fans" sitting quietly at the lecture, I mean basketball game, might have sounded louder than it actually was. Give the poor punk a break! (I'm just glad Gozips wasn't in the area, or the father-son might have gotten their hair singed)

[RootforRoo44]

Dave In the Green and HillTopper...LET ME sit with you all the next time and I dare anybody to tell ME to shut the **** up....trust and believe I will handle them like Zeke handled dude when he blocked that got darn DUNK!!!!! NOW!!! :gun:

That block was AWESOME!!!

That was the best game all year to be at as a fan. Nothing better than watching Alex, Zeke, and Bardo hustle their a$$es off picking up their teammates on defense. I'm sure coach Dambrot agrees!

[RootforRoo44]

Hilltopper and I had a unique experience at tonight's ORU game. We were being our usual vocally expressive selves, loudly cheering for the Zips and reminding the refs when they'd overlooked something or seen something that wasn't there.

Late in the game, a young man seated immediately in front of us turned around and told us to "shut the f&*% up." We firmly pointed out that we were at a basketball game cheering for our team, and that it was going to get louder. An older man, who appeared to be the young man's father, turned around and gave us a dirty look. We told him he should go report us to an usher if he thought it was against the rules to cheer for the Zips.

At the end of the game, after exchanging dirty looks, we recommended that they find other seats for the next game. Actually, they probably had GA tickets and were sitting in empty reserved seats, as the folks who usually sit in front of us weren't there tonight. So I doubt we'll see them again.

On the way out, we stopped and told an usher what had happened, and he just shook his head and laughed at their stupidity.

But it did remind me that some of the younger Zips fans on ZN.O were recently complaining that the older folks weren't making enough noise at the JAR. So it was ironic that some punk kid tried to tell a couple of older folks that we were making too much noise.

Can't let that slide. Stand up next time and point down at the buffoons and yell loud so us real fans can see them.

We'll take care of it.

Thanks for trying to get the boring fans into it though. Also, those refs deserved an earful for a few of those terrible calls.

Bo Boroski has to be one of the worst refs we get every year. He calls an average amount in Fouls Per Game but he seems to really step it up against Akron. I cant believe how many calls he misses that are right in front of him that cross court officials pick up for him.

Box Score from Statesheet.com along with Boroski's stats.

[ZippyforPresident]

Every time I hear the name Bo Boroski I cringe. Also, I'm sorry you had some idiot fans sitting in front of you Dave, I wish I were in your group too, I'd give those people a lesson in what it is to be a fan. I also find it a little bizarre that a father was there with his son and his son cussed out two adults sitting behind him and then the father gave you all a dirty look. If my father witnessed me cussing out any adult as a young man I'd have had my head spun right out of the place (apparently fathers were less accepting of their children's vulgarities in the 90's). As long as you guys weren't being profane around children I don't see the problem. Heck, I've been in the GA area when it was crowded and have been given dirty looks by people in front of me for clapping loudly. A person in front of me actually moved a seat further down from me for that once. Just like you guys, I'm not going to apologize for cheering for my team. If you want to sit amongst others in complete silence, a library is a far more appropriate place than a basketball game. GO ZIPS! (Hopefully typing in all caps isn't too abrasive for some )

[Dave in Green]

Thanks to everyone for the support. I still shake my head in disbelief when I think about what happened. I've been attending sporting events for more than 50 years and have never had anything like that happen. If it has happened to others at the JAR, then that helps explain why the fans are not as noisy as they should be. That's a legitimate problem that UA may have to address.

I think that Hilltopper and I did all the right things in neither being intimidated and backing down nor overreacting and escalating the situation. But if it ever happens again, I'm going straight to JAR security, explain the situation, and ask them to come check the tickets of people sitting in reserved seats who are obviously not the season ticket holders.

A couple of clarifications. We never use foul language. We usually have younger kids with us, and we try to set a good example for them as well as respecting others around us. We don't make noise all the time, but when the timing is appropriate, we don't hold back.

Finally, I should point out that neither of us qualify as retirees. I haven't completely retired yet, Hilltopper is many years away from retirement, and neither of us look grandfatherly.