Sidelines
Venomous fans cheapen
college footballSO our streak of classiness extends another week.
No more booing. No booing. Please.
Do not diminish the boo. Don't cheapen it. At least make it mean something. You boo BYU. You don't just boo the first person who shows up.
You don't boo Alabama. You just don't do that.
You don't try to boo down opposing fans when they're rocking the stadium with their traditional cheer.
(Yes, it's silly, maybe even annoying. It's what these people do. In Arkansas they shout "Piiiiiiig-sooooey!" Try living in Nebraska for several years without having a mental "Go Big Red" breakdown.)
These people may as well have invented college football. They love it, they live it.
We boo them?
Boos?
"Roll, Tide, roll" was one of the cooler things to happen in Aloha Stadium in the last few years. The booing was not.
When did going to a game stop being a positive thing, something you look forward to, an experience focused on fun?
Now, for too many, it is nothing more than an excuse to spew hateful venom.
Forgive me for expressing an unpopular opinion here, but that is not "home-field advantage."
That is not the way to act.
Yes, I'm sure some SEC teams shout insults at Alabama, they boo and tell dirty jokes at the Tide's expense. But they love each other, and hate each other, and have played football together for 100 years.
You can fight with your brother in the backyard. That's OK. Do the same with a stranger and it's only distasteful. It's only a bad feeling and a bad reflection.
Where does this anger come from?
Hawaii people are better than this.
As Sam Wyche famously said, "You don't live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!"
(Of course, that was before Cincinnati became a bad word.)
Have pride. Have fun. Be a good person to sit next to. Make going to the games a positive experience again.
Make the boos count. Save them for the Cougars.
We often wonder why a winning team can't fill the stadium when in years past Hawaii football was the hottest ticket in town. There are all kinds of theories, from traffic to bag searches, but nobody can really put their finger on where all the fans are that should be filling all those seats.
Maybe they're embarrassed.
>> "TIMMY GOT hit," Jones said yesterday. "But we knew he was going to get hit." You've got that right. Alabama sent everyone after Chang but Reese Witherspoon and that girl from "The Bachelor."
>> I tried to write a column in which June Jones goes to a Gambler's Anonymous meeting, but it just wasn't happening.
>> The pass to Abu Ma'afala was perfect. It should have been a touchdown, and if nothing else, I give Jones a lot of credit for finally putting in a play with a tight end.
>> It was refreshing to see another style of offense on display at Aloha Stadium. Three yards and an infected turf burn.
>> Will Alabama come back?
>> Will Coach Fran come back?
>> Will Pisa come back?
>> Yes, a big maybe, and, after 19 tackles, I wouldn't bet on it.
>> Good showing by the hoops Wahine against the national champs. We'll have to see in March if good showings are good enough.
>> In a season long on miracles, Castle needs one more. But a win might be just as big to a St. Louis program looking to get back on top.
>> We'll see if the San Diego State name still means something at the turnstiles.
>> NFL television announcers can't seem to say "Ashley Lelie" without adding "rookie from Hawaii." Exposure worth its weight in gold.
>> Once again, Hawaii coaches and fans are bemoaning an NCAA bracket.
Did the Wahine get robbed? Probably.
Did they get swept in their only appearance against a top 5 team? That, too.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com