By Cecilio's Scribe on Feb 08, 2008 with Comments 4
Photo: Getty Images
Where is the line between being a great fan and an offensive one? At what point do jeers and taunting turn from school spirit and passion, to something completely different. What’s the difference between a rabid Pats fan and a Masshole? (answer: it was a trick question…nothing, they are one and the same). Not to take a trip to serious town, but last night’s Indiana-Illinois game got us thinking about it.
If you’re a regular reader here, you probably know about Eric Gordon. If not, here’s the :30 version of the story. Gordon was one of the most prized recruits in the country last year coming out of high school. Draft Express currently has Gordon projected to go #3 in the 2008 NBA Draft (it’s widely believed this will be his only year in college).
Personally, I’ve seen him play three or four times this season and haven’t come away extremely impressed. Talented freshman? Absolutely. Natural scorer? You bet. A surefire NBA star? I don’t think he’s even close at this point. But, for now, we’re going to focus on last night…and a bit of the back story.
Last night Gordon’s Indiana Hoosiers played at Illinois. Before we talk about the game, you must rewind to last year. Gordon, the prize recruit, had verbally commited to Illinois. For the next 10 months, Illini faithful could barely contain themselves. Then, the teenager changed his mind. Following the arrival of Coach Sampson at Indiana, Gordon committed to his hometown Hoosiers.
Fast-forward again to last night. We’ve seen venom directed at players before. Chipper Jones and John Rocker at Shea. Stephon Marbury and Isiah Thomas at The Garden. There are countless other examples. But last night was rare. Last night 16,000 rabid Illinois fans (many of them students) unleashed their disdain on Gordon…every time he touched the ball…for two halfs…and two overtimes. Gordon clearly felt the heat and played pretty poorly. But as Pat Forde at ESPN detailed, the hatred for Gordon was uniquely strong.
Which takes us to our original question. What’s fair game? This is not an NBA veteran getting paid millions who’s failing to show an effort on the court for fans paying premium prices for entertainment. This isn’t a pitcher who managed to insult an entire city taking the mound. This is a 19-year old kid who was getting wooed by every college coach in America for years and decided to change his mind about where he’d was going to go.
So, what about the Illinois crowd’s reaction last night? Perfectly fine? Borderline over-the-edge? Completely uncalled for? What falls within the lines of appropriate fandom given a situation like this?
We’re not sure how we feel about it yet…but we’re guessing you might have an opinion. Let’s hear it in the comments.
Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: Eric Gordon • ESPN • Illinois • Indiana
About the Author: Cecilio's Scribe is the founder of The Legend of Cecilio Guante and a generally pessimistic fan of the Mets, Jets, Knicks and Rangers. A fine NYC-based gentlemen who hones his marketing skills as his primary trade by day. Husband, chef, father of a newborn and after-hours blogger by night. Proud alum of the mighty Big Red of Cornell. University. Hot sauce devotee. Staunch protester of the continued wussifcation of American sports. Sometimes I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme quick.
Photo: Getty Images
I thought the jeers were fine. “Liar, Liar”, “traitor”, etc. No big deal.
I have heard Gordon’s father was in the stands flipping off Illini fans and yelling expletives. That is pretty classless for a 40 year old.
I think booing, chanting, etc are fine, as long as the profanity is kept to a minimum. As soon as an idiot throws anything onto the court or in the direction of his family–batteries, ice, beer bottles–they’ve crossed the line and should be thrown out and/or arrested.
I don’t buy the argument that he’s only 19 and should be treated with kid gloves. In another year he’ll be playing in the NBA and better have thick skin. In the meantime, boo him all you want.
Bohannon from the Badgers went through the same thing at Iowa on Wednesday night. They started off with chants of traitor every time he touched the ball and switched to boo’ing him every touch later on.
I think they finally quieted down at the end when he kept making free throw after free throw after free throw to finish off the Hawkeyes.
He’s from Iowa and his dad was a football star at Iowa. It happened last year as well.
As long they keep it clean and nothing is thrown on the court, it’s all part of home court advantage.
Personally, I think they need to come up with some more original than traitor and boo’ing for next year.
I think the important thing to remember here is that the NCAA has done this to themselves. They have created a scenario where committing to a school is a huge deal and a part of publicizing the game. When I was growing up, I don’t remember knowing about any recruits before they showed up on the field or on the court.
Now with all that publicity, we have created a reality show out of these kids making their decisions, and the spotlight isn’t a good thing. Remember that these are high school kids who are trying to figure out where to go to college so they can be treated like a professional athlete, except for the paycheck.
I know this doesn’t answer the question, but I think the root of the problem is more important and that is the NCAA creating a scene around the recruit commitment process.