Sports Fans.

I love sports as much as the next person. Sometimes though, your “typical sports fans” can be a bit too much.

I went to an ice hockey game this weekend. SUNY Oswego was playing in the conference championship game against its rival, SUNY Plattsburgh. This rivilry is pretty heated. In the past, bagels and tennis balls have been thrown on the ice for various reasons, but we aren’t allowed to do that anymore. Anyway. I woke up early to get in line early because ice hockey is one of my favorite things about going to Oswego. And I wanted to get really good seats (which I did. Front row, right behind the goal). While waiting in line, I got knocked around by bigger men. I was not too happy about this, because it was harder for me to push back. Plus, they were probably drunk and I would rather not get punched in the face.

Not that I can really complain too much, because I did some slick pushing of my own. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but these are the types of fans who like to yell things at the players on the ice. Again, I can’t complain too much, because I like doing some cheering of my own. One cheer is to tell the opposing goalie it’s all his fault when we score a goal. But, some of the cheers go too far. For instance, our fans like to chant, “Hey [opposing goalie's name] is a p*ssy.” Maybe it’s just the type of person I am, but I’m not a fan of that chant. Children are at these games of course, but I feel like it just makes us look dirty.

My biggest complaint is when fans yell things that aren’t even funny. Do they not think about what they say before they say it? That’s embarrassing to them. I like chants that are more encouraging to our team members. Such as after our goalie makes an amazing stop, someone will yell, [opposing goalie] that’s how a real goalie plays! Yes, it’s still demeaning to the opposing goalie, but less so than calling him a p*ssy. And it makes our goalie feel like we have his back, which I like to think we do.

Sometimes, fans can take it way too far. Take New York Islanders goalie, Rick DiPietro. DiPietro is well-known for his injuries and his sub-par goalie career. Recently, a report came out that said he had suicidal thoughts, stemming from fan hatred, losing and his injuries. He later went on to clarify his statement, but the fans will still hate. Social media makes it harder to get away from fans.

Athletes (like any famous person) have to have a tough skin to continue to do what they love, but maybe we the fans could make it a little easier?