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Why booing fans bother me so much

holychicken Apr 30 2008 10:35 AM

I hate to keep bringing this up but it is what has really been bothering me the most about this team this year. I hear people make points about the fans' "right to boo" and I have to agree with them on pretty much every count. So I keep asking myself, "why does it bother me so much that people are booing if I agree with their right to do so and I understand why they do it?" And I think I have found the answer. It is about being a teammate. In a way, I feel like I am part of the Mets team. Sure, I am never out there in the field nor in the dugout nor even in the clubhouse cleaning jockstraps, but in a way I feel like I am part of the team. . .as are all Mets fans. I have never played professional sports, but I played on a bunch of Little league teams (baseball, soccer, basketball), I played on teams in HS (lots of soccer teams), I played on teams in college (soccer and fencing) and even after college (racquetball, soccer and squash). The one common thread between every team I played on is that teammates rarely chastised other teammates for just screwing up and when they did, someone else on the team would always jump in to defend the person. This is why it bothers me so much. We are all on the same team and, basically, a huge chunk of the team is telling the rest of the team, very loudly and publicly, that they suck. Get the word out! Scream it from the top of the hills! We have got to get Mets fans to realize that they are part of the team, and thus part of the problem AND part of the solution. And that is that for my daily rant.

AG/DC Apr 30 2008 10:43 AM

What do rights have to do with anything? You can defend your choice to do many things by saying that you're within your rights. It doesn't make your coice any more rational or less obnoxious. Things I'm more or less within my rights to do: Fart in a crowded elevator. Respond to every post on this forum with a profanity and a link to "Never Gonna Give You Up" Vote for Ron Paul Root for the Yankees Wear orange pants Stop questioning my rights!

metirish Apr 30 2008 10:51 AM

] The one common thread between every team I played on is that teammates rarely chastised other teammates for just screwing up and when they did, someone else on the team would always jump in to defend the person. This is why it bothers me so much. We are all on the same team and, basically, a huge chunk of the team is telling the rest of the team, very loudly and publicly, that they suck. We don't know if there are players being called out in the dressing room , there probably isn't but how do we know , for me at least I don't even think about such things when I hear fans booing . I find it embarrassing at times , like last night I wanted to turn the channel when Heilman was taken out but I didn't. In some sports a leader on the field barking out orders and being critical is seen as good leadership , doesn't work in baseball but it has it's place.

AG/DC Apr 30 2008 10:57 AM

The Mets are a half game out of first. Just thought I'd say so.

seawolf17 Apr 30 2008 11:12 AM

Fuck off. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_moia-oVI

Benjamin Grimm Apr 30 2008 11:15 AM

AG/DC wrote: The Mets are a half game out of first. Just thought I'd say so. Yeah, but they suck anyway because they haven't clinched the division yet.

TheOldMole Apr 30 2008 11:15 AM

I believe I've described my philosophy on baseball and fandom before, but in case I haven't, it's this. Let me root, root root for the home team If they don't win... It's a shame. It's not a national disaster, like a Ron Paul or George Bush presidency, it's not a personal betrayal of me. It's a shame. Doesn't stop me from root root rooting again the next day, or the next year.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 30 2008 11:24 AM

Well said. If the Mets make the playoffs it will add some fun to my October. If they don't, then October is just an ordinary month. Last year's collapse was painful to watch, but it didn't adversely affect my life. One theory is that Mets fans are still "hurting" over what happened last September. If a fan who's, say, 16 years old or younger feel that way, I can kind of understand it. I'm even okay with people up to 20 or 21. (The age where people think they're grown up but they really aren't.) But anyone whose adult life is underway should have a sense of perspective. It's only a game, and whether the Mets win or lose really doesn't reflect on us at all. I find it hard to believe when people who are even older than I am (and I'm 44) get so angst-ridden over a trade or a loss.

metsmarathon Apr 30 2008 11:36 AM

as a teammate, if a teammate falters, i can provide either encouragement or criticism. if i choose to provide criticism, i can choose to provide either constructive or destructive criticism. constructive criticism is more likely to result in improvement by the faltering player. destructive criticism is more likely to result in continued struggles and a hostile atmosphere. as a teammate, if a teammate falters, i shoudl choose encouragement and/or constructive criticism over destructive criticism except in the most extreme of circumstances. as a fan, i can provide either encouragement or criticism as well. however, if i choose to provide criticism, it is extremely unlikely that i will be able to provide it constructively, as i lack access, immediacy, and a relationship with the player. as such, if i am to provide criticism, it is likely to be destructive in nature. since destructive criticism is more likely to result in continuing struggles and a hostile environment, why would i choose to provide it? ... it irritates me so that people continue to drag out the fans' right to boo as some sort of argument within the discussion of the booing of players, etc. who the fuck is questioning the right to boo? is anybody suggesting that the fans who boo should be refused service, that they should be booted from the stadium, arrested, and/or prosecuted under the patriot act as america-hating terrorists? its akin to somebody responding to a plea to conserve resources that a person has the right to drive whatever the hell car they want to, and how much. in either case, all i can think is "so what if you can, you fool - the question is if you should!" we've lost our collective minds as we no longer seem to recognize this demarcation. nobody is arguing that fans should be prohibited from booing. the argument is to the wisdom and efficacy of booing as it pertains to the improvement of play on the field. if a player is struggling, booing isn't going to help. if a player is injured, booing isnt going to help. if a player is still developing his skills, booing isnt going to help. if a player is trying, booing isnt going to help. if a player is getting old, booing isnt going to help.

holychicken Apr 30 2008 11:40 AM

I am 30 years old and it took me until this year to really learn not to take it too seriously. . .although, I didn't start taking it seriously at all until I was already 21. Really, it took last year's collapse and the beginning of this year to really wake me up. I remember that first loss against the phillies and how worked up I got over it. I thought to myself "it is the freaking the beginning of April, I can't get this worked up this early" and ever since then I have kind of learn to take everything as it should be. However, I do believe that for one to really enjoy a victory, one does have to really be affected by a loss. Saying "it is a shame," while true, almost makes me believe that a victory is nothing more than "not a shame."

Benjamin Grimm Apr 30 2008 11:45 AM

A lack of happiness doesn't have to mean sorrow. A Mets win makes me happy. A Mets loss fails to make me happy, but it doesn't make me angry or sad. It's a good place to be.

AG/DC Apr 30 2008 11:51 AM

Getting involved enough to risk a broken heart is one thing. Equating a player's failure with character shortcomings is another. Deliberately tryiyng to undermine a teamwith abuse just because you're a mook and you feel impotent in so many other areas of your life --- that's a third thing.

Willets Point Apr 30 2008 11:55 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: A lack of happiness doesn't have to mean sorrow. A Mets win makes me happy. A Mets loss fails to make me happy, but it doesn't make me angry or sad. It's a good place to be. Ooh, I like that. Good philosophy.

TheOldMole Apr 30 2008 12:45 PM

Chicken - no, that's the great thing about sports. You can have real emotional involvement, real joy, real despair -- but it doesn't really hurt you. The Bobby Thompson home run was the most painful blow of my young life -- now it's part of the nostalgia for my youth, of which the most vivid memory is that I saw Jackie Robinson play. The good stuff stays longer.

Centerfield Apr 30 2008 01:01 PM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: A lack of happiness doesn't have to mean sorrow. A Mets win makes me happy. A Mets loss fails to make me happy, but it doesn't make me angry or sad. It's a good place to be. I've been trying to get there since September of 2001. Every year a I get a little closer to it. Regular season anyway...I don't think the Mets could ever lose a playoff game without affecting me in some way.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 30 2008 01:56 PM

After Beltran was called out on strikes in Game 7 of the NLCS I went to bed and slept soundly. And the next day I just resumed my life.

Rockin' Doc Apr 30 2008 07:38 PM

I can experience either elation or disappointment depending on the outcome of a game (particularly in the post-season), but my personal well being beyond that initial, fleeting response is not impacted by the results of any game. I seldom boo at sporting events. When I do, I don't boo over a lack of performance or production, but rather my perception of a lack of effort. Not hustling or giviong full effort is worthy of booing in my mind. Dirty or malicious acts, such as throwing a bat fragment at another player while in a steroid fueled rage or disrespectful acts, such as spitting on an umpire or flipping the bird to the crowd are also worthy of a booing.

AG/DC Apr 30 2008 08:16 PM

Oh, sure. I think we all understand that. My issue is the tortured logic with which arguments are made that lack-of-success=lack-of-effort.

Willets Point May 01 2008 09:51 AM

AG/DC wrote: My issue is the tortured logic with which arguments are made that lack-of-success=lack-of-effort. Ditto.

AG/DC May 01 2008 09:56 AM

Thanks for reminding me after my last post in the Wagner thread. Let me know if I'm torturing logic too much over there.