June 3, 2009
Idiot fans on the rise at lax games
by Chuck Jaffe/
The exponential growth of lacrosse has been great for the sport, but it also has brought a lot of knuckleheads, jerks and idiots off the couch or baseball bleachers and put them on the sidelines.
As a result, incidents involving “idiot fans” are on the rise.
There’s nothing wrong with being an avid supporter of your favorite team; a “fan” is, by definition, a “fanatic,” and the enthusiasm is great. But combine fanaticism with being an “idiot” — defined as being a “senseless or utterly foolish person” — and you’ve got a problem.
Idiot fans set a bad example, to the point of embarrassing the players they support. They are the ones who make the parents of teammates cringe, and who make supporters of the opposition crazy, which can lead to further idiocy. Through some combination of rose-colored glasses, ignorance of the rules, a superiority complex and a big mouth with no filter, idiot fans create ugly moments on the field.
Consider the following, all witnessed in 2009:
? A seventh-grade girl fouls her opponent with a cross check, then — when play is re-started — checks in the direction of the same girl’s head, then follows up by chasing down the girl and shoving her from behind. This happens in one run up the field, a span of 30 seconds in real time. On the third whistle, the offender’s outraged mother yells, “Keep playing defense that way, honey! The ref doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s just picking on you because she [the battered opponent] is little.”
? A boys high school game between league rivals is stopped after a cross check by the green team. A player on the white team retaliates well after the whistle with a two-handed clubbing that hits the green player at the base of the neck.
When the three-minute, locked-in penalty for the retaliatory shot is announced, a parent yells from across the field: “Come on, ref, you’re turning this into a game for sissies.” (Except his language was a bit more graphic.)
? At a girls high school indoor game, a blue player checks her opponent in the head. The victim of the illegal check is holding her ear, her goggles knocked to the ground. Meanwhile, a blue team fan is yelling, “C’mon ref! She never touched her! She’s just trying to draw the foul!” Opposing fans respond by talking about a “cheap shot,” stirring emotions further.
? A parent at a girls high school game starts yelling before the opening whistle, because the opposing team did not have three players in its offensive zone. He keeps it up on every draw — getting louder as his team starts losing — until being told that girls rules don’t require three players in the offensive or defensive zone on a draw (faceoff). Five players must be in the center zone of the field, but the remaining players can start at either end, in whatever number the coaches want.
This kind of behavior is extreme but not isolated. All of these incidents made the games less enjoyable. All any of the screamers accomplished by mouthing off is proving that they are an idiot.
In the first situation, the mother was not only wrong, but she stopped her kid from learning a key lesson, namely what to do to stop drawing whistles. In the boys game, only someone hoping to see a boxing match would suggest that refs go soft on vicious, after-the-whistle contact. In the indoor game, the idea of a player faking a stick to the head is preposterous; the victim would have had to have the presence of mind to drop her stick and grab her head as if she had been struck, rather than powering through a near check (as girls do until and unless contact is made). And the dumb offsides screamer could have saved his vocal chords (not to mention some face) by actually knowing the rules.
It’s easy to be a true lacrosse fan, rather than an idiot fan. All you have to do is:
? Cheer your team without tearing down the opponent to do it. Think about your reaction if someone from the other side talks about your kid. Don’t assume it is only “their” words that could get someone’s blood boiling.
? Applaud good play from both teams. If the goalie makes a sick save on a tough shot, they’ve earned your respect and applause even though they kept your team off the scoreboard. Great plays are enjoyable (and teachable) moments; when you see a “wow” play, take a second to appreciate it, even if it goes against your team.
? Recognize that no team is all good or bad. Too many players (and coaches) believe their team does no wrong and the opponent does no right.
? Stay off the refs. You may be right; from where you sit, the foul may look exactly as you saw it and the ref may have blown the call. But the ref isn’t “where you sit;” they have a different (usually better) angle, and if you were at THAT spot, you might have seen it exactly as the official did. Refs can only call what they see as they see it. (Moreover, your disrespect for officials encourages young players to act the same way.)
? Learn the rules. There’s a lot of nuance in the men’s and women’s lacrosse rule books. Most coaches do a bad job explaining those fine points because they barely know them themselves. Knowing the rules — and the idiosyncrasies of the game — will make you a better fan, player, coach, teacher and mentor, and a more helpful parent on those occasions when the calls go against your child or team.
? Don’t embarrass the players. Before, during or after the game — from youth levels up to the pros — try to remember that it not only is a game, but it’s THEIR game. They are the ones most emotionally invested; you are there to support them. Only an idiot would forget that. l
Chuck Jaffe is a longtime youth and high school coach and official. He is the founder of Cohasset (Mass.) Youth Lacrosse and the founder of BullsEye Lacrosse, which does specialized training and workshops for goalies, shooters and coaches. Contact him at feedback@laxjournal.com.
