the fans don't get any classier in college...

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May 30, 2013
1,442
83
Binghamton, NY
watched Mizzou/Oregon matchup on ESPN Replay last night.
inaugural game at Mizzou's brand-new stadium.

was taken aback at how raukus and rude the fans were,
in that they were badgering the HP ump almost non-stop throughout the game.
Surprised the telecast didn't have a way to filter-out that crowd noise.
(certainly, the tech must exist to cancel-out these specific sound frequencies?)

It was what you might expect at a 10U rec league game,
where the parents/relatives haven't yet settled-in to how to behave at a game.

Hoping none of the belligerent fans were players' parents! lol
 
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Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
watched Mizzou/Oregon matchup on ESPN Replay last night.
inaugural game at Mizzou's brand-new stadium.

was taken aback at how raukus and rude the fans were,
in that they were badgering the HP ump almost non-stop throughout the game.
Surprised the telecast didn't have a way to filter-out that crowd noise.
(certainly, the tech must exist to cancel-out these specific sound frequencies?)

It was what you might expect at a 10U rec league game,
where the parents/relatives haven't yet settled-in to how to behave at a game.

Hoping none of the belligerent fans weren't players' parents! lol

Can't answer the rest of it (fan behavior), but to get a bit nerdy the solution to cutting out crowd noise would be to put a gate on it. The gate opens when the announcer is speaking and then closes the rest of the time, preventing most sound from getting through. The downside of that technology is it has a kind of "pumping" sound which gets really annoying to listen to after a while.

If they had a crowd mic, maybe they needed to turn it down or shut it off.
 

Me_and_my_big_mouth

witty softball quote
Sep 11, 2014
437
18
Pacific NW
watched Mizzou/Oregon matchup on ESPN Replay last night.
inaugural game at Mizzou's brand-new stadium.

was taken aback at how raukus and rude the fans were,
in that they were badgering the HP ump almost non-stop throughout the game.
Surprised the telecast didn't have a way to filter-out that crowd noise.
(certainly, the tech must exist to cancel-out these specific sound frequencies?)

It was what you might expect at a 10U rec league game,
where the parents/relatives haven't yet settled-in to how to behave at a game.

Hoping none of the belligerent fans weren't players' parents! lol
I saw that, too, and was really surprised.
 
Oct 2, 2015
615
18
corlay, I watched that game on Watch ESPN also...
I thought the exact same thing you were...
You could hear some of the insults crystal clear...I was wondering if the acoustics of the stands/bleachers had something to do with it?
Because it was like someone was giving a rousing speech on a stage at times.
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
We were there Friday night, and the crowd was very vocal towards the PU. We were sporting enemy colors ;) and the Mizzou fans were joking and very nice to our family. IMO, they were taking their frustration out on the PU.


Mizzou Pitcher Madi Norman was illegal on every single pitch. Her back foot was at least 4-8" off, followed by a skip step toward home plate.

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Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Illegal pitching is a constant frustration. At 10U at least it makes some sense, though part of DD's lessons have been *learning to be legal*. But in college? It's crazy they let that go.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
the fans don't get any classier in college...

Interesting subject in the thread title. ...

TB is watched almost exclusively by players' parents and relatives. College softball attracts a broader audience. Not sure what that means for fan behavior. But it is a different crowd.

I watch a lot of UNC and NC State in person, and the crowds are well-behaved. You hear complaining and moaning, but rarely anything that makes you feel bad for the ump. They draw respectable crowds, but they don't have huge followings that require the kind of facilities that you see in the SEC. Plus, while both have had periodic success in the conference, they're not what you'd call major softball powers. It's not going to ruin people's days if they lose unless you're in the dugout.

I don't have answers, but I'm curious as to the dynamics that lead to some of the uglier fan bases.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
Here is what I figured out after about my third college game this spring during college tournament season:

The difference between college and all the other forms of softball is there are Fans and Students at the games! They have no relationship with anyone playing. You can really pick out the students easy. They don't know the rules, may have never seen a slapper before and love to ride the plate ump.

They are there for a good time. They are there because they are cheering on the alma mater or are retired and live someplace warm and a team from their state are there.

There is another class of fan too- fit and strong looking women who definitely look like former players.

I have met some really nice people who are there to watch softball. Most were retired. They wanted to visit. They wanted to know who your dd is, how the year is going etc. one guy would drive two hours with his wife for a weekend at his favorite school. On a good weekend he would watch 3-4 different sports and events.

College softball in a stadium, at night, with a crowd, with a rocking sound system and two ranked teams going at it was really, really fun.
 
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Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
the fans don't get any classier in college...

Interesting subject in the thread title. ...

TB is watched almost exclusively by players' parents and relatives. College softball attracts a broader audience. Not sure what that means for fan behavior. But it is a different crowd.

I watch a lot of UNC and NC State in person, and the crowds are well-behaved. You hear complaining and moaning, but rarely anything that makes you feel bad for the ump. They draw respectable crowds, but they don't have huge followings that require the kind of facilities that you see in the SEC. Plus, while both have had periodic success in the conference, they're not what you'd call major softball powers. It's not going to ruin people's days if they lose unless you're in the dugout.

I don't have answers, but I'm curious as to the dynamics that lead to some of the uglier fan bases.

We were typing at the same time! It took me awhile to figure out why the crowds were different, but that's it!

My dd takes fielding lessons from a former SEC player. DD went to a camp at an SEC school, a rival of the school she played at. When dd got back and was telling this coach about it, her coachkind of smiled and said "I hated playing there. Their fans are awful". It shocked me at the time. How could anyone be mean to our friend and coach? She is one of the nicest, most decent people I have ever met. Who would do that? Now I know!
 
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