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After pleas through e-mail, advertisements in The Daily Athenaeum and a pre-game lecture by West Virginia men’s basketball head coach Bob Huggins to "keep the language down" at Saturday’s game against Louisville, West Virginia University students seemed to limit their swearing.
A chant of "asshole" targeting a referee following a technical foul charged to Huggins in the first half of the Mountaineers’ 77-74 win over the Cardinals was the lone group use of profanity by the student section. The students seemed more mild-mannered, yet still boisterous, said Mountaineer Maniacs Director Cassie Werner.
"We made an effort to talk with many students and get their thoughts, and many were disappointed in the words that were being said and felt that it had crossed a line," Werner said about students who screamed obscenities during a game against Ohio State Jan. 23. "At the same time, we feel that our passion and enthusiasm is what makes our organization, and beyond that, our student section so important and so great."
Werner said the student section impacted Louisville Saturday, helping WVU to a 12-point comeback in the final minutes to secure the win.
"We did that without the unnecessary language," she said. "Moments like that, when our team pulls out a victory with the crowd rallying behind them, really make you proud to be a Mountaineer."
Huggins spoke to part of the student section prior to the game, and reports said he told fans to continue to be loud and passionate but to keep the bad language down.
"When (Huggins) talks, we listen," Werner said. "It’s just about a respect thing. He made a point to tell us to keep up the enthusiasm and that we had been doing a great job. That really means something. If something is important to (Huggins), then we make it happen."
Some Maniacs in attendance donned new T-shirts developed to support a positive atmosphere in the Coliseum. It is a tuxedo T-shirt, which on the back read, "Keeping it classy since 1863" the year West Virginia became a state.
"We wanted to encourage the students in a friendly, funny way, to remember that they represent something bigger than themselves," Werner said. "We know that we can have an important effect on the game while maintaining a respect for the line between intensity and vulgarity."
While the swearing and foul language was limited to few outbursts, students still found a way to get into the head of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.
The students started the chant "Karen Sypher" 10 times throughout the game, including two others prior to the start of the contest. Sypher is the mistress Pitino last year admitted to having consensual sex with in 2003.
The Maniacs, in their newsletter "The Maniac Musings," asked fans to chant that toward Pitino.
"If referencing Karen Sypher in the Musing offended anyone, then I truly apologize. However, the Musing is something unique to WVU and the Maniacs," Werner said. "It helps us unify our section and shares relevant information with our members. It is just a fun way to get under the skin of the opposing team and to remind students of important WVU athletic events that are coming up."
Midway through the second half after one of the "Karen Sypher" chants boomed around the Coliseum, Huggins motioned to the student section to stop the cheer. The students continued it later.
The negative fan behavior at the Ohio State game reached national press, as a post from an ESPN.com blogger discussed fans’ actions during the game. State newspapers and local TV news stations also covered the negative chants.
Vice President for Student Affairs at WVU Ken Gray and Morgantown Mayor Bill Byrne were the most vocal opponents of actions WVU students took toward Ohio State star Evan Turner Jan. 23.
After a 360 dunk from Turner, the Buckeye player motioned to the students, which prompted the section to chant "asshole" toward him for the majority of the game.
Following a story and editorial on the swearing in the DA last Monday, Gray sent out an e-mail through MIX to the students stating his disappointment. Last Friday, Gray wrote another letter in an advertisement in the DA, and the athletic department also put in an advertisement asking for students to behave better.
WVU senior forward Da’Sean Butler said the chants targeted at Turner were unlike the student section.
"As far as the students, from what I heard, the students have always been crazy and pretty much all the parents tell their kids to not pay attention to the student section and just watch the game," Butler said. "Rarely have I heard a student section come after a player unless he’s done something."
After the Mountaineers’ win over Louisville, WVU students cheered "Eat S--- Pitt" in an effort to ready themselves for Wednesday’s Backyard Brawl at the Coliseum.
12 comments
MURDER HIS *clap clap* CHILDREN *clap clap*This should REALLY get under his skin and possibly lead to not one but TWO technical fouls.