Controversy surrounding behavior not unique to WVU fans

Let me start this off by clarifying a few things.

First of all, I strongly believe whoever threw anything on the court during the Pitt game Wednesday night is an idiot.

The technical foul that was called as a result could have been costly in a more closely contested game.

Throwing objects at anyone, anywhere is immature and potentially dangerous. Any moron caught doing it should be punished accordingly.

Despite this, I still can't figure out how or why this warrants the media firestorm that has surrounded these incidents.

This was a news story before anyone threw anything during the Pittsburgh game.

It initially became a story after the OSU game, and then garnered national attention after the "Karen Sypher" chants that were directed at Louisville's Rick Pitino at the following home game.

Was this jab at Pitino a bit excessive? Sure.

My argument is not that chanting obscenities or taunting a member of the opposing team are "classy" things to do.

However, the way the media has crucified our student section, one would think that West Virginia University is the only place these types of things happen. Well here's a shocker.
It's not.

Anyone who watched the Cleveland Cavaliers play the NBA's defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, on Christmas day can attest to that.

After a series of controversial calls, angry LA fans hurled debris onto the floor, and the game was halted until all of it was removed.

Then there are Duke University's highly esteemed Cameron Crazies.

In one of the many opinion articles that ran in The Daily Athenaeum about this controversy last week, the author described the Crazies as "legendary" and asserted that "if you watch any Duke game, you rarely hear vulgar language and the cheers are loud, but not disrespectful."

An article on ESPN's Web site refers to them as the "rowdiest, wittiest, best-organized college basketball fans in the land."

That same article went on to describe a top ten list of the "Crazies' best moments."

This list included the "Crazies" chanting "You suck, Dick" at official Richard Paparo, chanting "In-hale, Ex-hale" at a UNC player with the last name Hale who had recently suffered from a collapsed lung, showering an opposing team's player who had been accused of sexual abuse with panties and condoms, and throwing pizza boxes at another player who had been accused of stealing pizzas.

Duke students are also known to substitute the final verse of their fight song with "Go Devils! We're gonna win tonight, Carolina, go to hell! Eat sh--!"

Well, that last phrase sure sounds familiar.

Are some of these incidents excessive? Yes. Crass? Juvenile? Sure.

But things like this happen at competitive sporting events, especially when intense rivalries are involved.

These behaviors, however sophomoric or embarrassing they may be, are not exclusive to our student section and thus, are not worthy of all this attention.

Ghabra is a political science major at WVU.