Quote:Sports
Georgia fans need to learn respect, loyalty, rules

By DAVID BETHEA
Published , April 13, 2005, 06:00:01 AM EDT




If you've ever cursed out your team from the stands, booed a player or tried to tell the coach how to run the team, you may be one of "them."

Who are they?

They called for D.J. Shockley to replace David Greene after Shockley outplayed him in the 2002 season opener.

They screamed for Greene when Shockley had a three-and-out.

They question every play that doesn't produce a first down.

Who are "they" you ask?

They are supporters of Georgia's athletic teams -- the most fair-weather fans in all the land. They excel at rooting the team on and generating excitement -- as long as things are going their way.

Over the years, Georgia fans have developed a legacy of wavering loyalties, and recent years are littered with examples of fans turning on formerly beloved players.

While it is not unusual for fans to get down on a player who isn't getting it done, it doesn't mean they should forget that player's contributions.

Look at former Bulldogs Quincy Carter, Terrence Edwards and Billy Bennett. Late struggles saw these players turn into marked men.

It's why every time a new quarterback steps on campus, fans look for a reason to replace the old one. When D.J. Shockley and Blake Barnes arrived, many fans called for the incumbent's head. With freshman Joe Cox coming in, some are calling for him to take over after Shockley.

They're fans that love the game without understanding it. They love the team but don't respect the players and coaches. The kind of fan that can't separate someone's athletic performance from his personal life.

They blame the Bulldog cornerbacks for every touchdown pass when the safety blew his coverage and criticize Mark Richt's play calling, not realizing he doesn't call all the plays.

They need coaching at being fans.

But before I'm run out of Athens, let me state that not all Georgia fans are bad fans. They're some of the most passionate and enthusiastic fans around -- they're just fickle.

So, until Georgia fans develop an unfaltering sense of loyalty to their team, a healthy respect for players and coaches and a knowledge of the game that allows them to understand its inner workings, I stand by my statements.

There is nothing more obnoxious in all the land than a fickle, uneducated Georgia fan.

-- David Bethea is a columnist for The Red & Black.

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Even in my most non-biased opinion, I think I'd have to agree with that.

JoltinJacket Wrote:Even in my most non-biased opinion, I think I'd have to agree with that.

I agree with him to a certain extent, but he needs to realize that every successful football program is littered with fans like that, not just UGA.

GDawgs88 Wrote:every successful football program is littered with fans like that, not just UGA.

Definitely. Look at situations like Nebraska. Frank Solich's team played for the nat'l title in '01, then went 7-7 in '02 and then got canned after a 9-3 '03 season. It was the unruly fair-weathered fan base that ran him out of town.

JoltinJacket Wrote:

GDawgs88 Wrote:every successful football program is littered with fans like that, not just UGA.

Definitely. Look at situations like Nebraska. Frank Solich's team played for the nat'l title in '01, then went 7-7 in '02 and then got canned after a 9-3 '03 season. It was the unruly fair-weathered fan base that ran him out of town.

Yeah, that was horrible. He got fired simply because he wasn't Tom Osborne. And what happens after they fire Solich? The team sucks and can't even win the horrendous Big 12 North.

There is nobody and I mean NOBODY that has more bandwagon fans than UNC basketball and Notre Dumb football.

I would agree with that.

A 2nd UGA poster? Am I seeing things? :eek:

JoltinJacket Wrote:A 2nd UGA poster? Am I seeing things? :eek:

Hopefully he'll stick around so I'm not talking to myself in here.

:stupid:

I would say Tech fans are bandwagon but since there are so few as shown at games.....I cant say it.

SouthLink02 Wrote:I would say Tech fans are bandwagon but since there are so few as shown at games.....I cant say it.