Duke taking on North Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium and the arena is silent? Is this what we as a society have come to? Can fans no longer boo opponents?

What makes college basketball unique from the NBA is that its fans do not sit on their hands all night long. In most college arenas the student section stands for the entire game, shouting chants and cheers for the home team.

Sure most of these students have a little liquid courage, but a lot of the students, however, are there supporting their team with every breath, because they love the game.

When Kevin Love returned to his home state of Oregon, to battle the Ducks, fans weren’t feelin’ the ‘Love’, because their hometown hero chose UCLA over UO. Some of the students at that game got out of hand and started chanting “Homo! Homo!”

Other than that, I don’t really see the problem with heckling an opposing player. As long as the chants aren’t racially, sexually or ethnically motivated I think the athletic departments shouldn’t apologize. In Kevin Love’s case, some of the words Oregon fans were shouting might have been offensive, but nothing to warrant an apology from the university.

When Eric Gordon went down to Assembly Hall to battle the Illini, who he committed to play for and then backed out, it was a different story. Fans booed Gordon every time he touched the ball with chants of “Liar! Lair! Lair!” raining down on the freshman guard. I’m sure there were a few other things said to Gordon by Illini fans, but why did the athletic department feel the need to apologize for booing and chanting “Lair.” The only act that should have been apologized for is fans throwing beads at IU supporters. University officials apologized for booing and the lair chant and that was not necessary.

The story that doesn’t get printed most often is that there is usually verbal bashing going on between the opposing fans.

When your team loses a heated game like this, sometimes your emotions get the best of you. In no way am I making excuses for the actions of a few fans, but emotion does run high in a game like this one.

College sports are filled with passion, desire and pride. From the students, to the athletes, to the alumni, everyone is filled with these emotions while enjoying college sports.

If athletic departments want to start apologizing for every fan in the building, tell the secretary to go out and buy some more university stationary. You can’t possibly control 100,000 people much less 20,000.

At college sporting events there are going to be words shouted at opposing players and coaches, that’s just how college athletics have been. As long as it doesn’t cross the line, athletic directors need to put the pen or keyboard down and just let it go.

Athletes have dealt with heckling for many years and at various levels of their respective sports. When universities feel the need to apologize for booing, I think we as a society need to relax.

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