My face flushed with shame and embarrassment as I turned to look at my mother two seats away.
“Glenn, this is horrible,” she said with a look of utter disgust and disappointment. She said this as an overwhelming cheer of “F*** Loyola!” filled the Arena at Harbor Yard 10 minutes before the opening tip-off.
I searched for a legitimate reason to excuse my fellow Stags in the stands for their vulgar chant but all I could say was “I know, mom; I’m sorry,” while glancing down at my 14-year-old brother sitting between us.
My mother and younger brother, Daniel, had come down for Sibling’s Weekend and I wanted to show them what it truly means to have Stag pride.
Unfortunately, they sat amidst a red sea, many of its members under the influence of alcohol, shouting crude vulgarities at an opposing Loyola Maryland basketball team before the game had even started.
I felt my face burning a deep cardinal red, matching the color of my shirt, as waited for the fans’ rant to subside.
I found it difficult to focus on much of the game as I worried about what slur would pierce the air next. My mother moved two sections away to avoid the waves of remarks that would roll onto the court from the Red Sea next. So much for enjoying the game with my family.
I stayed with the Sea attempting to show Daniel the true meaning of Stag pride, but all I could think of was how we were representing our University and its community.
I know that there are many good students that attend Fairfield. I also know that a great number of them were in the stands that night. Some of them refused to cheer along with the rest while some also fell into the mob mentality that embodied the Stags that night.
A fierce rivalry exists between our Stags and the Loyola Greyhounds; but rivalry cannot be used to legitimize profanity.
It is also true that at a game two years ago, Loyola Basketball coach Jimmy Patsos flipped off the fans.
Patsos has made a habit of losing his composure against Fairfield, gaining technical fouls two out of three times the teams faced each other. Is the Fairfield animosity towards Loyola basketball a form of retaliation towards Patsos?
Patsos’s lack of grace on the sideline still does not justify the lack of respect from fans in the stands. If we stand there chanting “F *** Loyola,” haven’t we brought ourselves down to Patsos’ level?
By shouting such obscenities at the opposing team we show an extreme lack of class as well as a lack of respect, two qualities that Fairfield seeks to uphold. I’m not saying we should go give the opposing team high-fives and hugs when they score, but we should try to steer clear of vulgarity.
Booing happens everywhere but when profane language is brought into cheers, a basketball game changes from a family event to unpleasant atmosphere.
Greg Nero ’10, a forward on the basketball team agrees with this sentiment.
“It’s great when the fans are full of excitement and intensity, whether their cheers are for us or against them support from the fans always helps on the court,” he said. “But at the same time, Fairfield fans have to remember to keep it clean and keep profanity out of their cheers.”
Fairfield had the privilege this year of hosting the prestigious MAAC Championships and this is our way of showing respect and gratitude to MAAC officials. Before the basketball game began, vulgar language was being thrown at the opposing Greyhounds. Not all the cheering from the Red Sea was Stag-positive.
There were three influential figures at the game who could have at least attempted to quell the profanities pouring from the Red Sea: FUSA President Hutch Williams, Vice President of Student Affairs Mark Reed and University President, Fr. Jeffrey von Arx.
I was disappointed to see disregard rather than action on behalf of these three Fairfield leaders when the Stags’ cheers changed from friendly to nasty.
Most importantly, I was disappointed to see such a lack of class from our Stags. The Red Sea did not represent Fairfield’s ideals this particular night.
It is disgraceful that the families and everyone else at Saturday’s game were given a view that does not accurately represent Fairfield or its community.
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