What Oregon Fans Did To Love & His Family

by Nestor on Feb 28, 2008 4:32 AM PST in Basketball Comment 47 comments

Following our game against Oregon in Eugene, Stan Love was so upset about how Kevin and his family were treated by Ducks fans that he said this:

"I've had several people say — several — that if that was the last school on earth, I wouldn't send my kid there," Stan said.

I will be honest with you. Reading that quote I thought at the time that it was a bit too much from Mr. Love, especially given the fact that Pat Kilkenny, Oregon's athletic director had apologized to UCLA for his fans’ behavior and that he reportedly left messages for coach Ben Howland, athletic director Dan Guerrero and Stan Love.

However, now I am not so sure if it was an over-reaction on Mr. Love’s part. If you haven’t done it yet, check out SI.com's a must read article on what Oregon fans did to Kevin Love and his family leading up to and during the game in Eugene. From Grant Wahl of SI.com:

Kevin Love knew it would be bad. But not this bad. Sure, he'd chosen UCLA over Oregon after being the consensus national player of the year as a senior at Lake Oswego (Ore.) High -- but what happened to his home state's rep for peace, love and understanding? On Jan. 23, the day before the -Bruins-Ducks showdown in Eugene, Love found more than 30 voice-mail messages on his cellphone when UCLA stopped for a layover in San Francisco. He listened to the first one: If you guys win, we'll come to your house and kill your family. He played another: We'll find your hotel room and blow your f------ head off with a shotgun. He -didn't bother to check the rest. "I mean, these were death threats," Love says. Shaken, he called his mother, Karen, and had her cancel his cellphone service.

Robert Husseman knew it would be bad. But not this bad. A sophomore math and business major, Husseman is a member of the Pit Crew, Oregon's rabid, 1,500-strong student fan club. He had attended the weekly Pit Crew meeting that Monday, heard that Love's cell number was circulating among members, but did not dial it himself. While nobody has ever called the Pit Crew PC -- its members once printed a thousand copies of an embarrassing picture posted on Facebook of Stanford's Fred Washington at a party -- Husseman -couldn't believe the chorus of homophobic chants directed at Love from the McArthur Court student section after UCLA took the floor. "I -didn't even bother with [saying] the chants," Husseman says. "I hoped they would die quickly, but they -didn't."

Stan Love knew it would be bad. But not this bad. Stan, who is Kevin's father and the sixth-leading scorer in Oregon's history, arrived at his alma mater that night in a party of seven including Karen, Kevin's 13-year-old sister, his grandmother and his uncle Mike, a cofounder of the Beach Boys. But good vibrations were in short supply. Stan says his family was pelted with popcorn cartons and empty cups, as well as a barrage of profane -insults ("every filthy word you can think of"), including screams of "whores" that made Kevin's grandmother cry. "There were six-year-old kids with signs saying KEVIN LOVE SUCKS," says Stan, who -endured a hail of one-finger salutes to snap photographs of the worst signs. "It was the grossest display of humanity I've ever been involved with. To think I'm sitting at the school where I played ball, and just because my kid -didn't pick Oregon he gets abused like that? I'll never go back there."

Read the rest of it here in which Wahl uses the incidents around Love and Eric Gordon (IU freshman who ditched Illinois for the Hoosiers) when they came back to their home state to describe how the environment around certain college programs have gone down to a disturbing level.

I wanted to put this issue behind us, especially given the fact that the Oregon AD had issued an apology. However, reading the article makes the Oregon administration which at first tried to make the excuse of "free speech" in justifying allowing this kind of behavior look extremely disingenuous to be kind. I wonder now if that apology from Oregon AD would ever materialize if not for the national humiliation that put extreme pressure his athletic department.

Now we be careful not to broadbrush the entire Oregon fan base because of the absurd, classless, disturbing, and threatening actions instigated by some idiots of Oregon's Pitt Crew. To their credit there were number of Oregon fans, who were appalled and disgusted by the behavior of their student section. That said reading that story from SI.com made me appreciate our student section that much more who never thought about treating Luke Walton (even during our darkest years under Lavin) the same way. It also reminded me of the stories we heard about what Toby Baily had to endure in different Pac-10 arenas where nimrods were hurling racial slurs based on his background. It was disgusting. I hope we never have to read any article about our students/alums treating anyone (no matter what team he or she plays for) that was. That is simply despicable and unacceptable.

The notes in that SI.com story are simply unbelievable. Oregon students and their athletic administration (who initially tried to play this off as a "free speech issue") ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Anyway, let’s move on and focus on tonight’s game. Hopefully Kevin and co. will come out with the same tenacity tonight like they did in that ugly night in Eugene.

GO BRUINS.

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Bibbys

When I was at UCLA, whenever either Bibby came (Mike, PG for Arizona, or ex-Bruin Henry, then coach of USC), the entire student section would chant, "Your dad hates you!" or "Your son hates you!", as the two of them didn't get along. Oddly enough, this wasn't in the news until Oregon started the same chants, and the media ripped them for doing so (which I read probably a year after I heard it being done at UCLA).

I don't think this is as bad as throwing things at people or leaving death threats on voicemail, but in the eyes of the media, at least, it was inappropriate.

So I guess this kind of thing goes on at all schools, but some schools get put under the microscope more?

GO BRUINS. HOOK 'EM HORNS.

by uclawarren on Feb 28, 2008 6:56 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

That's a stupid comparison

That's a little different than hurling racist, homophobic slurs at another team's player. I don't think students at UCLA would ever get away with shit like that.

And that's also a little different than death threats.

So don't try to play the line we are just as bad as them too.

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 7:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I know

that there is a tendency to automatically refute what I say, but perhaps you should have read the part that said,"I don't think this is as bad as throwing things at people or leaving death threats on voicemail, but in the eyes of the media, at least, it was inappropriate." I said it was INAPPROPRIATE, not the SAME. I think it is fair to say that when an entire crowd chants something that could be hurtful (especially when it is possibly true) to another player/coach, it can be considered over the line (as Wahl points out about Ernie Kent and his denied mistress).

All I'm saying is that for saying the same thing, Oregon got in trouble and UCLA didn't. It doesn't mean that what the fans in Oregon did to Kevin Love and his family weren't horrible and wrong, it just means that either the media chose not to say something when Bruin fans did something or they didn't realize it until Oregon did.

But then how could I possibly think that any Bruin fan would be disrespectful or unnecessarily harsh after reading your response?

Oh yeah, and 2 years ago I said Jordan Farmar was a little overrated, in case you wanted to use that as part of your argument.

GO BRUINS. HOOK 'EM HORNS.

by uclawarren on Feb 28, 2008 8:30 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes you did call Farmar over-rated

That tells us a lot about how you know about UCLA hoops. I know you threw in that little caveat but by throwing in what our students said to Bibby that in no way equals what Love was subjected to you ended up throwing out the notion "we do it too."

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 8:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He didn't say it equals what they did

he explicitly says it doesn't! All he was saying was that even UCLA has its own issues and with this becoming a nationwide epidemic, we need to evaluate our own actions as well to make sure we stay classy. We don't have to do as much work as Oregon because we didn't go as far as them, but we have our own work to do, just as 99% of the schools in America do.

And I don't see how him thinking Farmar was overrated could tell us anything about what he knows about UCLA hoops. He misjudged a single player so he doesn't know UCLA basketball? I thought Kapono was overrated and couldn't believe a NBA team would take a shot on him because all he could do was shoot. Now look at him, leading the NBA in 3 point % and he's improved his defense and ball handling enough to not be a liability. Do I know nothing about UCLA hoops? I simple misevaluation is not a big deal.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 28, 2008 8:40 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Give this up.

This guy wrote:

Then I was at UCLA, whenever either Bibby came (Mike, PG for Arizona, or ex-Bruin Henry, then coach of USC), the entire student section would chant, "Your dad hates you!" or "Your son hates you!", as the two of them didn't get along. Oddly enough, this wasn't in the news until Oregon started the same chants, and the media ripped them for doing so (which I read probably a year after I heard it being done at UCLA).

In that paragraph he suggested both Oregon and UCLA student section engage in unruly behavior but somehow media unfair picks on Oregon. That was his lead off para in response to a story reporting the disgusting behavior of Oregon Students. And then he adds his little caveat:

I don't think this is as bad as throwing things at people or leaving death threats on voicemail, but in the eyes of the media, at least, it was inappropriate.

But then immediately goes back to his initial point:

So I guess this kind of thing goes on at all schools, but some schools get put under the microscope more?

... which is students at all schools do it. That's the main thrust of his stupid comment.

May be you need to get a little experience in communications, but that is the classic case of muddying the waters.

Oh and someone who was idiotic enough to call to Farmar "over-rated" doesn't know anything about UCLA hoops. Farmar v. Kapono is a little different. Farmar was one of the foundation of Howland's program. Same thing can't be said about Kapono.

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 8:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed*

by Nestor on Feb 28, 2008 8:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I will not give up

because of your most recent post. However, we clearly will not see eye to eye here so I will call for a cease fire because each of us has made our point and we are clearly not making progress. Differing opinions, nothing more.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 28, 2008 8:55 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't really care

It's not cool to lump our students the Pitt Crew. That will not work for me. As a former student/alum I am not going to let some guy get away with badmouthing our students indirectly implying they can be just as bad as the Oregon crew.

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 8:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

And your very valid opinion

has been heard. Some agree with it, some don't, but that's the way it goes. I don't think anybody can further this conversation in a positive direction so I'm done commenting on it.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 28, 2008 9:00 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't want to throw more fuel on the fire

But I was at UCLA when Bibby played for Arizona and Henry coached at South Central. I mostly remember chanting "Traitor" when Henry was in the house. But I do remember chants of "Your son Hates you." I don't remember ever hearing chants towards Mike Bibby to the extent of "Your dad hates you."

I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm just saying I don't remember it.

PS I still consider Henry Bibby a traitor, and I always will. If it was up to me I would ban him from all future UCLA events.

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden

by MexiBruin on Feb 28, 2008 8:45 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That's a little bit different

than a few hundred students screaming "faggot" or screaming at a player's grandmother and sister, calling them "whores" and then throwing stuff at them. No?

Would you even consider lumping those actions and making the argument "this kind of thing goes on at all schools," but somehow the media is being more hard on Oregon?

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 9:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He wasn't saying they're the same

read what he said:

"I don't think this is as bad as throwing things at people or leaving death threats on voicemail"

He explicitly says that it's not as bad. I think the point he was trying to make was that schools nationwide have an issue with going to far and while some might go farther than others (which he acknowledged was done), that even UCLA has issues of their own.

If I misconstrued anything you said uclawarren, please correct me, but I think I got the point you were trying to make.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 28, 2008 8:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

no you didn't

Nestor specifically wrote the incidents at Oregon specifically show how our students would never stoop to that level. While Warren did say they are not the "same" by throwing out that Bibby incident as an example he gave credence to the perception that somehow all student sections are the same.

They are not. Oregon student section was vile, disgusting.

To somehow lump our student section with those scumbags is just not right.

Then again this is a guy who is a bandwagoner who roots for UCLA hoops and UT football (kind of those losers in LA who root for UCLA hoops and SuC football).

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 8:36 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He didn't lump us in with them

he specifically separated the two student sections, then voiced his opinion on our own student section. It is a legitimate opinion IMO and I think he has a valid point. We have overstepped our bounds before and with such terrible antics spreading nationwide, we need to keep an eye on ourselves and make sure we keep our student section classy.

Either way, I also don't see how his football allegiance has anything to do with this. Whether or not you like the way he roots, he stated his opinion and it is a valid one. He has no axe to grind and is looking at this from his own point of view. Even if he were "less of a fan" (which i don't think he is) for rooting for UT football, wouldn't that give him a greater degree of separation and allow him to view this more objectively than either you or I?

street, you obviously took his comments far different than I did. You were at least somewhat defensive over it and maybe I wasn't critical enough. Maybe the correct response is someplace in the middle of our two opinions.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 28, 2008 8:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

street isn't the only one

Warren's post on its face came across as lumping our student section with the Pitt crew. He was trying to advance "everyone does it" argument.

by Nestor on Feb 28, 2008 8:55 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Fine

than maybe both of you (or whoever else agrees with street) was a bit defensively while I was not critical enough. The correct response could still be in the middle of the two opinions. Either way, nobody is making any progress and I think it would be in everybody's best interest to move on. I've made my point and it's how I feel on the topic. You can agree or disagree.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 28, 2008 8:58 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yes

Calling someone to issue death threats, calling his grandmother, sister "whores" - those actions - should somehow be mentioned in the same breath about what UCLA students said to Bibby (and it looks like there are different accounts).

Warren indirectly equated Oregon's "students" to the "Den." He ought to be ashamed of himself.

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 9:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

More fuel on fire

Why isn't warren defending himself? I don't think you need to be his spokesperson.

As a BB season ticket holder from 1982 to 2001 I never heard the student section say anything that was derogatory enough to even be mentioned in the same sentence as the Oregon group and that time frame would involve a wide and varied student group.

Just my 2 cents

by artybruin on Feb 28, 2008 11:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Den comments

I am on record as believing that the Bibby comments, if they came from the Den, are way over the top and out of line. The idea is to be creative and that is the hard part, being creative but not debasing the other guy..... Try it sometime. It is a lot harder and would test the IQ's required of UCLA acceptable admissions.
Bill

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Feb 28, 2008 9:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

There was no Den then...

The Den didn't exist yet, at least in its current form, back then. If they did I strongly doubt that they would make comments such as "your dad/son hates you". That is way too personal. "Traitor" is fine, and funny.

I have been to a few games in my time and there are always bad apples in the bunch, but they usually can't overtake a whole crowd at UCLA. Usually people will come down hard on anyone who is inappropriate.

by tasser10 on Feb 28, 2008 11:15 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The student section self policed

Back in the 80's, we would regularly point out to the ushers those members of the crowd who had gone over the line. Back then, it was mostly chowderheads who threw things onto the court or at people. We had a great working relationship with the ushers, so they let us slide on some things (like building a human pyramid in the bleaches to lead an 8 clap), as long as we kept ourselves under control.

Bob O. (Signholder #3)

by TuneMan7 on Feb 28, 2008 12:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Chants

Up until the Oregon game, the worst I'd ever heard was back in '83 or '84 (somewhere in there) at ASU... the student section greeted Steve Kerr with chants of "P-L-O, P-L-O" after his father (a college professor in Lebanon) was gunned down in Beirut. I remember Kerr being so upset that he had to leave the game.

The chants from the Pit Crew against KL were worse than that ASU fiasco, IMO.

by Class of 86 on Feb 28, 2008 8:25 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

P-L-O and Steve Kerr

That is outrageous and should have resulted in the administrators at the game throwing those students out. There is no place for that in a controlled environment. Where is the judgment and common sense that UCLA students are supposed to bring to the table?
Bill

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Feb 28, 2008 9:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Read closely Bill

the PLO chants came from ASU students, not UCLA students.

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 9:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, thanks Blue

Bill, note that it was ASU's student section in Tempe that chanted that, NOT the Den.

by Class of 86 on Feb 28, 2008 10:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

My apologies

I had myself going there for a minute.... Thanks. My faith in the young and bright students at my alma mater, has been restored.
Bill

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Feb 28, 2008 2:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

By The Way

Not only was Steve Kerr's father a professor at UCLA, during that period, Steve was a ball boy for the UCLA Basketball team. This was mention rather prominently during Steve's reccruitment. It was used as evidence how far the Bruins had fallen, that we were unable to recruit a star player with an existing connection to the program.

by Bruin77 on Feb 28, 2008 5:39 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Wow are you serious?

That's worse than the Love situation by far though. You can't compare asinine threats with actual death ever. ASU, always the academic cream of the crop.

by bruinhopeful on Feb 28, 2008 9:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It was UCLA and I remember it well

The reason I remember the chants is that I remember his father: Malcolm Kerr. His father was the President of Beirut when assinated.

I thought this was particularly awful because Malcolm Kerr was a UCLA professor. I am sure none of the students in the 70's knew that but I know. I had him for Middle Eastern politics in the 70's.

Despicable.

Now the good news is that the UCLA AD apologized (there may have been similar chants at other schools) sincerely.

And, nothing like that I have heard about since.

The Den does the Dirt, but I find that to be creative etc.

Go Team Go!

by bruins grad and dad on Feb 28, 2008 11:37 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

There was an SI article I remember reading

about a year or two ago mentioning the incident. It was definitely ASU. If there was a separate incident involving the UCLA crowd, then that's different, but the incident under discussion here was about the ASU crowd.

by Tydides on Feb 28, 2008 11:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I have never heard

or read anything about UCLA students engaging in that "PLO" chant. Never heard it until this comment from this guy today.

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 11:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

First I've heard of it too

No citation = no dice.

by Tydides on Feb 28, 2008 12:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't smear UCLA students

It was definitely ASU, not UCLA.

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 11:55 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Citation

It is really sad how some of our guys here are intent on smearing our own students. From the Arizona Republic:

Closer to home, Arizona State University fans in the late 1980s chanted, "PLO, PLO, where's your dad?" at former UA basketball star Steve Kerr, whose father was assassinated in Beirut.

It wasn't UCLA students.

by bluestreet on Feb 28, 2008 11:58 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It was absolutely ASU

and NOT UCLA. It was their "rivalry" game vs. UA.

by Class of 86 on Feb 28, 2008 12:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Definitely ASU

And that's probably the worst of all time. Nothing, including the Duck-Love situation comes close - though it sounds like the Oregon fans tried to come close.

by mizzou on Feb 28, 2008 1:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Negative

Sorry dude. No citations means you have no evidence, which in turn means no go on dragging Bruins down to the same level as "students" at a glorified community college.

Also, Malcom Kerr wasn't President of Beirut (esp. in light of the fact that Beirut is a city, not a country). I assume you meant he was President of American University of Beirut.

Close but no cigar, friend.

by norcald503 on Feb 28, 2008 1:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Besides...

Even if, and that's a HUGE if, UCLA fans did something despicable in the past, that's not an excuse for Oregon fans (or any fans, for that matter) to do it now.

Assuming for the sake of argument that UCLA fans did, at some point, chant P-L-O when `Zona was in town during the Kerr years, that's no rational or logical justification for any fans in the present to do or say what they Oregon fans said and did to Kevin and his family.

I'm sure, a long time ago (and perhaps some of you might have been around), that before the great days of Jackie and Arthur, when UCLA was still in its infancy, that students in Westwood used all sorts of pejoratives for minorities. Does that mean, as their "Bruin descendants" we too are snarling racist idiots?

No. Time passes. We evolved.

Does past indiscretion give future actors a blank check to engage in morally bankrupt behavior because someone else did it in the past?

No. Time passes. Society evolves.

Sure, maybe UCLA students used to engage in questionable behavior. So, sure, maybe UCLA students once were jackasses like the Pit Crew. But they aren't now, and hopefully, they won't be in the future.

We evolved. We grew up.

Clearly, the Pit Crew hasn't.

by norcald503 on Feb 28, 2008 1:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Listen, That Makes No Sense...

...Dr. Kerr was popular with and respected by the students at UCLA. I know, I was one of them back then, a Poli Sci major. I was devastated when I learned he had been killed. He was brilliant and cool. UCLA students wouldn't turn around and chant about him being murdered at a basketball game or anywhere else. He was one of our own.

This was definitely NOT committed by Bruin fans.

Love My Bruins

by Bruingirl83 on Feb 28, 2008 4:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It was ASU

heres an article about it http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/oconnor/2003-06-13-oconnor_x.htm

He played to escape the pain. He even played the night an ASU crowd hit him with a sick chant of "PLO," sending Steve into a 20-point first-half rage.

O.A.

by Ollie on Feb 28, 2008 4:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Certainly not limited to the west

The WWL's darlings, the Cameron Crazies, have certainly had their share. The worst being, imo, their chant of "Orphan, Orphan" at a UNC player whose parents had recently died as result of a murder-suicide (will look for a cite).

by bruinhoo on Feb 28, 2008 12:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Half Ass

was what Stan Love described the so called "apology" he rec'd form the Oregon AD in an article somewhere. I forget which one.

A lot of Oregon fans rationalize their acts by saying how Stan Love talked crap about their program and their school. How he said that Ernie Kent messed up the recruitment of KL. How if he didn't make disparaging remarks, they would not have been so vile upon KL's return. I say BULLSHIT. It's as if ANYBODY who is from Oregon MUST suit up for Oregon. If not, they're going to give it to you. Kyle Singler is lucky that he isn't playing for another Pac 10 team but is on the other end of the country. Shoot...by their logic, we should be doing the same for any California athlete that has left the state. Great logic Pit Crew.......

The Pit Crew is just what it is, a Pit full of retarded juveniles. They don't understand that their conduct reflects upon their school. Oregon is as much to blame as the Pit Crew. This isn't the first time something like this has happened and it definitely won't be the last. Oregon failed to take any action hiding behind "free speech". There should be some sort of code of conduct for ALL fanbases. A sort of behavioral constitution per se. This is an epidemic across college basketball. Hopefully somebody wises up but I doubt it.

by BlueReign on Feb 28, 2008 8:28 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Not to mention the fact

That if Oregon didn't use California kids, and lots of them, in both football and basketball, there is no way in hell they could field a remotely decent team.

They hate anything Californian, unless of course, it is Californians on their teams.

by Free the 16 on Feb 28, 2008 9:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It's not hate...

Let's not confuse hate with envy.

They don't hate everything Californian. Well, they act like they do, unless of course, it happens to be a Californian with a ball in hand and wearing God-awful green and yellow uniforms.

But that's not because of hate.

Just pure envy.

by norcald503 on Feb 28, 2008 10:56 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Nothing New At Oregon

The comments directed towards the Love family may have taken Oregon fan behavior to a new low level, but fan conduct at the Pit has been disgraceful for many years. There is no comparison to the behavior of UCLA fans. I certainly don't defend everything the UCLA fans say or do during games, but it is nothing like what goes on at Oregon, and what has gone on for years.

I remember in the 1970's during Dick Harter's "Kamikaze Kids" era, John Wooden got hit in the chest with an apple thrown by one of the people up there. Booker Turner, a longtime Pac 10 referee, said that games at the Pit were unquestionably his toughest games to work both because of the way Harter's teams played (constant fouling and flopping) and because of the fans. I remember those games as being very emotional. When Gene Bartow took over, he referred to the Oregon fans as "deranged idiots." The next year, one of them showed up dressed as "The Lone Deranger" (they are occasionally funny!).

Despite the pious hand-wringing that has gone on after the fact, I do not expect any change in the conduct of the Oregon fans. Bad conduct is something that they actually promote up there - why do you think the place is called the pit? I will say that most of the bad conduct seems to be limited to the student section - I sat among the other fans up there last year and they were prefectly nice. But the only way to stop the bad conduct would be to clear the student section if things get out of hand. I saw San Diego State do that at a football game a number of years ago, but I doubt we'll see it at Phil Knight University, which, as Bob Toledo once said, has the "best ownership in college sports!" but has the most disgraceful fans.

by bruin7982 on Feb 28, 2008 11:30 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

That's what I heard

My old man said the Oregon students used to heat pennies then flick them at the opposing players.

I think these types of situations are going to get worse until it spills over to where the players get involved (as it almost did here at UAB). College students today have grown up chat rooms and message boards, where they can post the most hateful, degrading things anonymously with little, if any, chance their identities will be found. Some now carry this bravado into public for all to see. Yes, there will always be idiots at every school who cross the line (of course, some schools have many more than others), but I believe this type of behavior is only going to get worse.

I was glad to see someone post that if a member of the Den become inappropriate, he is quickly stopped by others.

by bruinbabe2000 on Feb 28, 2008 12:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs