Section A · Page 10
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, December 2. 1997
BUM STEER
--ball program in Columbia, Mo. Last season, the Missouri Tigers were quoted in the area newspapers saying, "We feel very honored to be the only scar on the otherwise perfect season of the Kansas Javahawks." Ouch.
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Basketball fans need to class up their act
First of all, booing the opposing team when it comes onto the floor and when its starters are announced shows a real lack of understanding of competitive athletics and needs to stop. Period.
Coach Williams has said it many times. The University of Kansas has the best basketball fans in the country. The loyal, die-hard fans in the student sections at the games play a large part in the high energy and excitement level in Allen Field House, which are unmistakable KU basketball trademarks. I am proud to be a Jayhawk and am proud of our basketball program.
As the cliche goes, though — that was then; this is now. The transition from Tiger Country to Allen Field House is a complete 360-degree spin. The first time I walked into the field house, I felt the Phog surround me — I felt the tradition that only Kansas basketball possesses. I have every hope for a perfect season of Kansas basketball during its 100th year. But as I was standing at the exhibition game and looked up to see Danny Manning's and Lynette Woodard's jerseys missing, I wondered if it could be a perfect season. Even though the jerseys are simply pieces of cloth, they represent a part of Kansas tradition.
Next, shouting intelligent epithets such as "You suck!" is both incorrect (they are NCAA varsity athletes
I would like to suggest that some of our zealous fans could use a little classing up. And I appeal to the large majority of fans to assist by asserting peer pressure on those who go too far in the stands.
To state it plainly — the jerseys need to be returned. Without the jerseys, Kansas basketball may suffer a slight tarnish on what would otherwise be a golden season.
whom I would wager could stomp the shouting fan in a game of one on one) and is too Antler-like to rear its ugly head in the field house. There's nothing wrong with razzing a player for something he does or riding a coach to sit down when he's overstepping but screaming about their mothers and making fun of their looks is inane. Personal attacks on players (or coaches) are unsportsmanlike and should be quashed in the true spirit of competition. You don't see our players acting like that.
do). It's OK to really want your team to win, but hey ... get in the game.
Third, the "Bullshit" chant is way overused (I'm no prudge, but I would be happy if it were never heard). To listen to some fans, you would think that no KU player ever has committed a foul. Believe it or not, the referees are right more often than not. I'm amazed to hear fans chanting "Bullshift" when they don't even know the rules of the game (but they think they
The antics in the student section add a great deal to the games, as long as they do not cross the bounds of good taste. I particularly like the "Perestroika" chant when a visiting Russian diplomat was announced at a game, and I still chuckle when the students on the north and chant what is printed on the reverse side of a sign when it is raised for the south end. Let's promote more fun and clever fan involvement and get rid of the negative derogatory comments.
Let's take a lesson from Coach Williams and get rid of the profane language. Most likely it will just take a quick word to the overly rambunctious fan to, "Keep it KU" or "Class it up a little."
Kelly Harvey Jefferson City, Mo., freshman
Fritz Edmunds Jr.
1985 and 1993 Kansas graduate
I'm from Tiger Country. I live 30 minutes from that excuse for a basket-
Missing jerseys tarnish Kansas tradition, season
SPECIAL "WORK IN PROGRESS" SCREENING
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS FREE ADMISSION* with voucher
8PM Tuesday, December 2nd @ Woodruff Auditorium
Presented in association with SUA For more information call 864-SHOW www.ukans.edu/~sua
- Vouchers will be distributed from the SUA office the day of the event.
Passes required. Seating is limited and not guaranteed. Please arrive early.
NETWORK EVENT THEATER*
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