Grrrowling at rude Husky football fans
Sep 19, 2010, 6:13 PM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:46 pm
Between 15,000 and 20,000 Nebraska Cornhusker fans were at Husky Stadium to watch their team beat the UW 56-21. Some of them walked away saying Husky fans were extremely rude.
“I don’t know if they were sore losers or what but one guy spilled his drink on me and didn’t even apologize. It was deliberate, I’m sure,” says Jill McKendry, decked out in her red Nebraska clothing at the game Saturday. “It was a pleasure in the third quarter to watch so many Husky fans slink away and let us enjoy the easy win.”
“I understand being upset that your team is getting killed, but have some common courtesy for the fact that young kids are there too and grow up,” says Marc Engmore, a Nebraska native who now lives in Bellevue.
AP/Elaine Thompson photo of Washington quarterback Jake Locker scrambling against Nebraska in the second half.
Are Husky fans rude Dawgs?
I asked some friends on Facebook and Twitter that question and many seem to think they are, but obnoxious behavior at college football games certainly isn’t limited to the UW.
“Sadly, it’s a trend that’s spread across the college sports landscape,” says Erv Kuebler, of Seattle. “What began as giving the visiting team and fans a good natured hard time has become really just nastiness. What once was a bunch of students being clever with their barbs has turned into personal attacks that have no boundaries. There seems to be a lot of downright angry, mean people these days. It makes going to games much less fun, particularly around the student sections.”
What can you expect, says Raymond Arifianto, “Hormonal college students + booze. I think it’s way more universal than just Husky fans.”
Sports reporter John Bohnenkamp covers the Big Ten conference and says some schools are worse than others. “I think anymore in our culture, most visiting fans are treated rudely in most places. Nothing surprises me anymore,” says Bohnenkamp.
“If you want to see rudeness, go to a University of Idaho game when Boise State comes to town or vice versa,” says Mia Simpson. “While I am a fan of both schools, the student-fans of BSU can out-rude the best.”
Rowdy fans at college football games are nothing new according to D. Walker, a sports reporter and Husky fan who writes for the Bleacher Report. Earlier this year he listed the top ten “rude and arrogant” fans. UW didn’t make the list, but Nebraska did. The rudest college fans in America are:
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Texas Longhorns
- Florida Gators
- Oklahoma Sooners
- USC Trojans
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- LSU Tigers
- Oregon Ducks
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Boise State Broncos
Not surprised the Ducks are on that list, are you? Even a University of Oregon alumnus, who didn’t want me to use his name, admits Duck fans can get out of control.
“At Autzen Stadium in Eugene, many male Duck fans get super drunk and get rude and nasty to opposing team’s fans,” he says, “and many end up misbehaving and disrespecting others.
I don’t expect sports fans to sit in their seats and quietly clap during a game, but is the family-friendly atmosphere gone? You tell me, I haven’t been to a Husky game yet this year.
For many years 97.3 KIRO FM Sports Director Bill Swartz was a Husky sideline reporter, but he “watched the Washington debacle” from the stands Saturday.
Fans around him were “well behaved,” Swartz says. A few other things were annoying though – namely how difficult it was to move around the building with congestion at the concession stands and bathroom areas. It was also a challenge getting to, and leaving the game.
“We parked on campus and they didn’t let you drive back through campus to the West,” Swartz says, “Had to drive north on 15th all the way up to Northgate before you can head out to 5. Unbelievable.”
And then there’s the score – 56-21 – which made it a frustrating day for a lot of people.
