The Impact of Fan Support

Today's blog post was written by Remy Lewis.  Remy is a Psychology Major at Purdue University North Central and is a former Division One Track and Field Athlete at Indiana State University.  He is currently an intern with Play Like a Champion.  He is also a Coach, Scout, and Trainer for Sports Prep NBA.

photo courtesy of gameday.com

Fan identification has been a major factor in sports competition throughout history. True fans wearing team colors all season, less-devoted fans only wearing colors after a win, never wearing colors after a loss, and even fair-weather fans switching teams just to be a part of a winning culture. Indeed being a fan can be a roller coaster of emotions during sporting events. But what about the athletes? How does fan support affect them? The roar of a loyal crowd can boost adrenaline levels for the home team and be overwhelming for the opposing players. They say keeping fans involved and giving them something to cheer for will always have an affect on winning or losing the game. However, sometimes it is not always about the win or the loss. Maybe sometimes it is about knowing that someone supports you whether you win or lose.

photo courtesy of cbsnews.com

Much of this was the case for the Gainesville Tornadoes in Texas. The Tornadoes are a basketball team for the Gainesville juvenile correctional facility which allows those with outstanding behavior to play for the team. They mostly play against the local private schools and have had success as a team. However, their fan base has struggled. Regular citizens do not see a need to support kids who they believe brought this upon themselves, and most of the parents are too ashamed or simply too busy to go and cheer for their kids on a regular basis, and of course, their fellow students can't attend. Many of their games are played with not a single fan in their corner cheering them to victory.

photo courtesy of usports.org

All of this changed going into their game against Vangaurd College Prep which stated they would refuse to play them at one point. Not because the competition was not there, but because they felt it was unfair for a group of kids to have to play against a school with a ton of fan support. So the players came up with an ingenious plan. First they informed the student body and parents that the Tornadoes had no fan base and wanted to give them supporters for the game. Then they had a random drawing to have half of the student body and their families dress in Tornado colors and sit behind their bench to cheer for them. They made signs, had cheerleaders, and as the game went on, the crowd assigned to the Tornadoes no longer felt like they were cheering out of the kindness in their hearts, but because the genuinely became fans and wanted to support their team.

In the end, this became a heartfelt moment that no one who was able to attend will ever forget. More importantly, the juveniles who parents never make it to their games, finally feel that they fit in socially and appreciate the fans and opposing team for still treating them like athletes and people. It is nice to see young athletes using their influence on their peers to act selflessly in the name of fun and sports.

  

Playing Until The Whistle

Today's blog entry was written by Paul Jones. Paul is a psychology student at Purdue North Central which is a regional campus of Purdue University. Paul is interning with Play Like A Champion this fall. Paul has a passion for sports and an eagerness to learn which makes him the perfect fit for our team. Paul was a key player in our Sports Leadership conference this June and during this semester, he is assisting with Play Like A Champion’s research, helping with our social media, leading several ongoing special projects and learning our curriculum of coach education. Paul is a “champion” to our program.

As an athlete you are told to play your hardest and play until you hear the whistle.  There is a difference between playing hard and playing dirty and intentionally injuring another player.  A prime example from this weekends collegiate football games is from October 3rd, when The University of Texas took on Iowa State University in a tight game where both teams played hard until the bitter end, and where both coaches objected to the officiating.

In the third quarter, Texas scored on a run from a couple of yards out, but after the play Texas was penalized 15 yards when wide receiver Mike Davis threw a low block on ISU defensive back, Deon Broomfield.  The play called for the wide receivers to block the defensive backs.  The replays clearly show the Texas back clearly crossing the goal line as other players from Texas signal and celebrate a touchdown.  As the celebration started, Broomfield slowed down, but that did not stop Davis from diving low into the knees of Broomfield. 

After the game, the defensive back, Broomfield, took to Twitter and said, "Mike Davis really tried to take me out." Davis responded on Twitter saying, "I play to the whistle ….. Sorry I was taught that."  Yes, it can get loud in a packed stadium, but regardless of the volume of the whistle, the play had clearly stopped and there is no need to attack a player when he is so far from the action of the game.  I am all for giving your all during the game and support the players who do so, but on a play like that, there is no need.  He wasn't playing to the whistle, he was putting another athlete at risk of serious injury. It was a good call by the officials, some are even calling for a harsher penalty, but the coach of Texas, Mack Brown, stood by his player and said, "He couldn’t hear (the whistle), There’s 70,000 people screaming their guts out."  He later said that he “thought it was competing.”  This is in a time where players are being penalized and suspended for "targeting" other players and this looked like he was targeting.  The Big 12 reprimanded Davis, but did not issue a suspension. The only punishment that can follow now would come from the Texas team itself. 

Here at Play Like A Champion Today, we teach building character through sports, and we expect the coaches to model good character as well.  It would have shown strength and character for Davis to admit that he was wrong. It would have shown good character to step up and say that he is not that kind of player and would play better next time. (Instead, he stated that in a similar situation, he would do the same thing again.)  It also would have displayed better character if Coach Brown had handled Davis's actions in a different manner.  At Play Like A Champion Today we work on winning the right way. When the final whistle blew last week, Texas won the game, but they did not win the right way.

The Dallas Morning News has more information on the game and the ensuing controversy here.