This is college football

[IrishFaninTX]

I love Notre Dame football and when they lose it puts me in a really bad mood when they lose. However, when did it become ok to tweet threatening and just very ugly things to college athletes? Tommy didn't play a great game but then neither did a lot of other players. The OL is equally responsible for that 1st pick and though it wasn't a great throw, the 2nd pick went right off TJ's hands and into the defender's hands. These players are the ones out there in the heat during 2 a days and all through fall camp. They are the ones out there on Saturdays, giving it their all, bleeding and sweating with everything they have in them. Sometimes things don't go their way but if we think those losses are hard on us, how do you think those players feel? How do you think they feel when their own "fans" boo them and leave before the game is over? These are college kids. They have more to deal with between school work and football than most of us can imagine. Because they are so young, I might go so far to say that it's harder to deal with college life for them than it is to juggle kids and a job. They haven't quite learned to master multi-tasking.

I didn't get to watch the game until late Saturday night. My kid had a soccer game and as much as I love ND football, she comes 1st. We stopped for dinner and unfortunately there was a tv set to ESPN and we saw the score. It was like fate because that was the score that was up when we walked in. I wasn't too surprised, in fact that was the score I predicted on another board. But even knowing the outcome we still went home and watched every second of that game. We didn't choose not to watch just because they lost. And yet there were "fans" who left early and gave up on this team. Not every season is going to be like last year. I wish it were but we as fans can't give up on the team or send hateful and threatening tweets to players when they lose to a decent team (or any team for that matter). They are just kids and they are the ones who suffered that loss. Sorry to rant and sorry this is so long. I understand if nobody reads it or agrees with what I have to say.

 

[palinurus]

Imo, the only things that warrant personal invective towards a college athlete, and maybe even towards a professional athlete, are a lack of effort or unsportsmanlike/unethical behavior. Something is wrong when a kid is playing ball, behaving himself, and trying hard, and the attacks go from impersonal criticism of performance to personal attacks aimed directly at the athlete.

 

[Irishnuke]

Fans have a right to boo. It ends there though. They don't have a right to curse out the players when they walk by and they don't have a right to tweet horrible things to them.

 

[IrishFaninTX]

Fans have a right to boo. It ends there though. They don't have a right to curse out the players when they walk by and they don't have a right to tweet horrible things to them.

I don't like the booing, either, and was appalled that ND fans were booing Tommy last year when he came in and ended up helping us win the Purdue game. They may have been booing the decision to put Tommy in but to anyone watching, it looked like they were booing Tommy himself. I can understand booing professional players but booing college players and throwing things at them is going too far. Maybe boo a bad play or something but not a specific player, though I imagine it sometimes gets hard to differentiate what is actually being booed. But the booing I can handle a little, it's the tweeting at players that has me enraged right now. You want to tweet the players, then tweet them and tell them that they worked hard and you are behind them 100%. Don't tweet threatening and insulting things at them.

 

[aubeirish]

Fans have a right to boo. It ends there though. They don't have a right to curse out the players when they walk by and they don't have a right to tweet horrible things to them.

Fans do have right, but sometimes we forget that these guys are not pro athletes. They are college students. Like coach said, Tommy's got pimples.

 

[ACamp1900]

Wait,... you mean to tell me some morons were tweeting threats at Rees after the game??

 

[IrishFaninTX]

Wait,... you mean to tell me some morons were tweeting threats at Rees after the game??

Yeah it was on Facebook that some d-bag tweeted something like Break his legs and then had Tommy's twitter handle tagged. I can't get on Facebook at work to provide the exact tweet. I think there were some others. It made me embarassed as a fan. If fans think that stuff like this won't hurt recruiting worse than a loss will, then they are some dumb-a$$ mofos!

 

[NDohio]

Wait,... you mean to tell me some morons were tweeting threats at Rees after the game??

See Tommy's thread. There is a link. Pretty sad.

 

[ClausentoTate]

The boo'ing at Purdue was directed at Kelly for benching Golson. Things aren't always as evident in the stands as they are on the TV when the announcer has a direct line to a sideline reporter who is talking to doctors, players, etc.

The only boo'ing not directed at the refs on Saturday was for not trying to get some points with 42 seconds and 3 timeouts, again directed at Kelly. Totally justified. His response was that he didn't think we had a chance to get 40 yards in that amount of time so why even try. Pretty crappy answer, imo.

People really do take things a bit too personally.

 

[IrishFaninTX]

The boo'ing at Purdue was directed at Kelly for benching Golson. Things aren't always as evident in the stands as they are on the TV when the announcer has a direct line to a sideline reporter who is talking to doctors, players, etc.

The only boo'ing not directed at the refs on Saturday was for not trying to get some points with 42 seconds and 3 timeouts, again directed at Kelly. Totally justified. His response was that he didn't think we had a chance to get 40 yards in that amount of time so why even try. Pretty crappy answer, imo.

People really do take things a bit too personally.

The booing isn't really the biggest issue I have. I don't like it but I know it happens. Whatever. My main issue is the tweets directed at Tommy, either insulting him or actually wishing him harm/threatening him. That is totally crossing the line. He's just a college kid and when grown-a$$ people take the game so seriously that they have to do that after a loss, then it's time for them to step back and get some help because that's just not right and certainly not normal behavior. And it really makes ND fans look bad. And Tommy didn't deserve it despite 3 picks. Especially since the 1st 2 were not all on him. It's a team effort and Tommy didn't lose that game by himself.

 

[Booslum31]

Got to admit...I booed when we didn't try to get points before the half. Some are saying we are slow but I know we could have ran 40 yards before 42 seconds elapsed.

 

[Irish#1]

Fans have a right to boo. It ends there though. They don't have a right to curse out the players when they walk by and they don't have a right to tweet horrible things to them.

+1

 

[rocket66]

I was there and stayed until the end, but I could care less about anyone who left early. It's their prerogative to do what they want with the money they paid for with their ticket. The only thing that pissed me off were the lazy asses who tried making you feel guilty for standing or yelled at people in front to sit down. There were some exciting moments and I was shocked at the amount of people who wouldn't get off their butts. ND stadium is such a dull atmosphere with so many of these fans.

As far as yelling at players, etc,..I don't do it, but it's never going to change. Football has a ton of crazy and extreme fans and the bad times sometimes brings out the worst in people. It truly is what it is. People need to get over it.