Student section and profanity in your school's arena

[scsutommyboy]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

They don't monitor it at all at SCSU..

They use to monitor it at SCSU and they chased all the students away. Since then they keep shrinking the student section because fewer students want to go. Now all they have is a bunch of students who sit on there hands and never say anything.

 

[BobF]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

In the east here is an observation from a Maine fan who has been on the road for years! Most of the student sections these days lack any creativity what so ever. The only cheer they seem to know is the "You $uck" cheer! And it has gotten to the point that at many of the schools the pep band becomes a part of the cheer.

For anyone who has traveled to the Alfond Arena in Orono that is not the case, Maine has prided itself on developing cheers that our original while at the same time not being offensive. Your more likely to hear the coach $ucks than a cheer against a team.

Northeastern- Finally has a student section which is great but they have only ONE cheer and it is "You $uck"

UNH- Does have a $uck cheer, but by and large I find the student section to be original and have not heard any other profanities.

BU- Good student section and of course they have the obligatory BC $ucks cheer. Otherwise good student section.

PC- What's a student section?

Merrimack- The 'mack student section is small and what cheers they have are typically filled with profanity, but in that arena you can barely figure out what they are trying to say.

BC- Over the years I have heard some of the absolute worst cheers at BC. Including words I never thought I would hear in a cheer. That has changed the last few years at BC, but I still rate them atop the heap of profanity laced cheers.

VT & UMASS- All I have heard is negative things about both of these places. It has been years since I have been to the Gut so can't comment, but UMASS has the worst reputation in the league.

I would love to see originality in cheers, make things different game to game based upon the moment and for cripes sake get rid of the $uck cheers that pervade all of the arenas these days.

I do want to also give accolades to Miami. I had the pleasure of sitting next to their student section at the Frozen Four last year. They were examplary in their conduct. Don't know what their reputation is in the CCHA, but I was impressed.

 

[The Paragon of Virtue]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

They use to monitor it at SCSU and they chased all the students away. Since then they keep shrinking the student section because fewer students want to go. Now all they have is a bunch of students who sit on there hands and never say anything.

Considering all that, I'm still trying to figure out who continues to approve the use of the Jet song "Cold Hard *****," which they don't edit (though USCHO apparently does), as one of the songs played when the team comes on the ice.

 

[RedhawkBandMan]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

Miami's student section is relatively clean (and respectful of opposing fans), though certainly not due to a lack of energy. As far as I know, the administration hasn't really taken issue with anything coming out of the student section. We have the typical "see you in 2 minutes, a**hole" and the usual spelling chants (s-e-x, o-r-g-y, etc.) but otherwise the students seem to be largely self-regulating and err on the creative side rather than the vulgar. Every few games some bonehead will try to start something that crosses the line (see: a-b-o-r-t-i-o-n = get it out), but the students just refuse to pick it up if it goes too far.

However, the band was told last year to stop saying "a**hole," so our director suggested replacing it with "brass pole" or "casserole". That lasted a game or two before we simply reverted back and, from what I've heard, they haven't said anything about it again this year.

 

[Gibber]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

At Boston College, despite the fact that they scan tickets and actually count the number of people that go to the games (rather than tickets sold) and that BC annually is top 2 in attendance in the league, no one goes to BC games. At least that's what I heard on the interwebs (therefore, it must be true!).

So basically, unless those empty seats are swearing, the "fan" behavior is quite good!

still one of the funniest things I've seen (especially surprising from BC kids).. they had some signs up that were negative (though tame compared to most) and had to take them down, so they took (I think?) posters and wrote on the back of them:

pretty flippin funny

 

[joegrav]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

Gibber, that was so epic.

Before the game, they took away our signs that said "University of No Hardware" and a picture of an empty UNH trophy case. When they came over to take them I was incredulous because those signs were so trite and lame that there's no way anyone could really take offense. I said to the guy, "I can understand taking these on account of them being so cliche, but taking them because they're 'offensive?' really?"

So we all started making the positive signs. It was awesome. According to a friend of mine who's a security guard, one of the higher ups wanted us all kicked out for 'mocking' him, but the security guard rightly said that we weren't breaking any rules. In fact, we were following the rules that the security supervisor gave us - all signs must be positive.

One of my favorite memories from that game is when UNH came out for their second round of warmups, all of us in the front were holding up the positive signs, including ones that said "Good luck!" and "We respect our opponent!," while we chanted "We re-spect you! [clap clap clap clap clap]" The UNH players kept looking up at us and laughing.

 

[The Paragon of Virtue]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

That's one of the best things I've ever seen fans do at a hockey game.

 

[bostonewe]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

My favorite sign from college hockey is from a BC fan during the Curry years: "Curry: good on rice, not on ice"

 

[northeastern]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

At Matthews Arena (NU)..when you have the casual fans show up (mostly freshmen who won't go to more than 1 or 2 hockey gms a yr), that's when we have some level of profanity. They don't know the gm.. they don't care.. they just shout 'shoot' 'shoot' .. oh ****.. if the players are actually trying to set something up. They'll boo the away goalie & our own goalie as well.. because he gave up A goal..

Anyway, other than that the regular die-hards actually have pretty witty chants & mostly do a back & forth with the two great sections of dog house fans we've come to expect in recent years. The freshmen usually show up when we play schools from the city.. (including Newton nearby)

 

[BB_Cubs]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

The one thing that's always irritated me about the "sieve" chants at Wisconsin is that the Kohl Center staff actually flash "seive" on the electronic ad banner that rings the arena to instigate the fans. Its one thing for the student section to do it but its entirely another when its done by the home team's staff. Obviously it must be endorsed by Eaves and the leadership of the school. To me it just shows a complete lack of sportsmanship and class. I'm surprised the WCHA allows it.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

At Lynah swearing is always worse at the beginning of the year as some n00bs think they're being clever. When it's self-policed by upperclassmen by January it's pretty much played out. When there's a crackdown by university reps inevitably there's a backlash of grandstand civil rights activists which leads to more policing and a vicious circle.

In the rest of the ECAC, your mileage may vary:

Much obscenity/stupidity from adults*: Colgate (!!!), St. Lawrence
Obscenity mostly because of rug rats: Union (!!!), Yale
Polite, engaged crowd: Clarkson, Dartmouth, Princeton, RPI
Few fans = no obscenity: Harvard, Brown

* At Colgate the problem is the undergrads. At St. Lawrence it's the townies. In both cases, the real problem is alcohol.

 

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

One year at The Ralph students in the lower bowl had reserved seating. Me being behind the opponents penalty box was prime location for signs. My favorite was a thought bubble to be held above an opposing player who just got a hooking penalty. "I got 2:00 for hooking...mom got 5 years." Partway through the season security would look through the bag I brought in on Saturdays to see what new one I had for the game.*

*It was Saturdays because while I held them up, Dirty came up with the ideas and another SiouxSports poster actually made them...so I would get them from her in the arena on Friday and not walk in with them...

 

[dogs2012]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

Gibber, that was so epic.

Before the game, they took away our signs that said "University of No Hardware" and a picture of an empty UNH trophy case. When they came over to take them I was incredulous because those signs were so trite and lame that there's no way anyone could really take offense. I said to the guy, "I can understand taking these on account of them being so cliche, but taking them because they're 'offensive?' really?"

So we all started making the positive signs. It was awesome. According to a friend of mine who's a security guard, one of the higher ups wanted us all kicked out for 'mocking' him, but the security guard rightly said that we weren't breaking any rules. In fact, we were following the rules that the security supervisor gave us - all signs must be positive.

One of my favorite memories from that game is when UNH came out for their second round of warmups, all of us in the front were holding up the positive signs, including ones that said "Good luck!" and "We respect our opponent!," while we chanted "We re-spect you! [clap clap clap clap clap]" The UNH players kept looking up at us and laughing.

The thing about this is...I have no idea why you're sitting?

 

[joegrav]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

This is such a great timewaster at work. To run thru HE the way someone did for ECAC,

BC = combo day care & retirement center. No swearing.
BU = the F em up, BC sucks can be heard 900x a game, otherwise clean-mouthed [albeit very annoying] student section & very classy alum/casual fans in the middle sections
NU = honestly their vulgarity isn't that bad. they are BRUTALLY mean and politically incorrect, but usually not vulgar. and they're very spirited.
UNH & Maine = some weird older fans but I never hear vulgarity other than 'sucks'. lots of classy people at both places.
Merrimack = has no fans
Providence = pretty bad when their students are there. their regular fans are like BC fans. usually BC @ PC is 60% BC fans anyway.
Lowell= I haven't been there in three years, it was really quiet and mostly BC fans when I was there. Lots of parents with kids and such.
Vermont = the worst. F bombs raining down from alums and average people in the non-student sections. Every chant having a different swear word in it from the student section. I've never been to UMass but I doubt it could be that much worse.

 

[Beantown6]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

...Every chant having a different swear word in it from the student section. I've never been to UMass but I doubt it could be that much worse.

UMass is worse. Much, much worse than you can possibly imagine.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

Vermont = the worst. F bombs raining down from alums and average people in the non-student sections. Every chant having a different swear word in it from the student section.

This was true when UVM was in the ECAC, too. The whole atmosphere of the place was relentlessly nasty and childish. Really a shame since the Gut is such a great old barn.

It's funny how persistent cultures are. I haven't been in a Hockey East barn in 17 years, but all of my experiences in the late 80's and early 90's at BU, BC, NU and UNH check exactly with yours today.

 

[Gibber]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

The thing about this is...I have no idea why you're sitting?

because it was bw warmups and the start of the game?

 

[Dirty]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

One year at The Ralph students in the lower bowl had reserved seating. Me being behind the opponents penalty box was prime location for signs. My favorite was a thought bubble to be held above an opposing player who just got a hooking penalty. "I got 2:00 for hooking...mom got 5 years."

My favorite part about that was that they took away a sign that said "Fix the Huskies" but let you keep that one. Idiots!

 

[Sect8RowESeat15]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

UMass is worse. Much, much worse than you can possibly imagine.

Agreed. When you are telling 75-year old women to go F themselves...I'd say yes, that's much much worse. That's not my only example...Don't feel I need to rattle them all off...

In general (I know there are exceptions), the most classless student fanbase in the league.

 

[Dirty]

Re: Student section and profanity in your school's arena

Agreed. When you are telling 75-year old women to go F themselves...I'd say yes, that's much much worse. That's not my only example...Don't feel I need to rattle them all off...

The second game at the new REA, I told a 40 year old woman to "sit the F down and shut the F up" when she scolded us for standing up the entire game. I was going to apologize to her the next weekend but she never came back. Oooops!