BOOO Sportsmanship!!

It all started just a few months ago. I went to a BYU football game. All dressed in my BYU blue garb and ready to cheer on my Cougars. It had been two years since I had been to a BYU sporting event and the excitement was flowing through my true blue veins. As I stood in the student section with my friends and fellow Cougars I became quite worried when something caught my ears. At first it started off with just a few people, but giving it a few seconds it seemed like the entire stands erupted in a loud "BOOOOOOOOO." Supposedly the referere had made a bad call somewhere on the field that warranted a birage of insults and the occasional swear.

What is this?! We just had an opening prayer literally 14 minutes ago where I am sure something like, "and bless us and the athletes with good sportsmanship..." I don't believe there was any sort of clause that made it okay to BOO the ref if he made a call we disagreed with. If that would've been said I doubt I would've "amened" that.


What do you think gives us the right to BOO the ref? Do we think we could've made a better call? Do we think that the ref has it in for us and wants to watch us lose? Do we think that the other team paid the refs thousands of dollars to throw the game? I mean really?

Usually in most sporting events I am quite a distance away from the actual action, usually hundreds of feet. The refs are usually within 10 to 15 feet, if that. Additionally I have very little, if you can even call it that much, of knowledge of the rules of the game. Those referees have been doing this for years logging more than thousands of hours of referring before the reach the collegiate or professional level. I am pretty sure that as you get further away from the field, that your ability to make a good call diminishes, but I'm no doctor. Just a hunch.

I understand that there are plenty of instances of referees making a bad call and in some instances even a terrible call, but that gives us absolutely no authority or right to BOO them. Can you imagine someone coming into your workplace and booing you because you made an honest mistake? How terrible would you feel?

Some people have the sad argument that BOOing is part of the game. That without it there would be nothing fun to do. I soundly BOOOO such an argument. Never should insulting someone be a common occurrence.

May I say that I find no instance where BOOing someone is appropriate. May we all be a bit more considerate and kind. After all, its just a game.