UW-Madison sports fans are the best in the nation. We are loud, and we are crazy. But when that craziness becomes an assault upon a father and a his seven-year-old son at a Badger football game and countless other incidents of harassment against fans of the visiting teams, we need to realize we have a problem. We must somehow figure out how to remain the greatest fans in the world without creating a hostile environment.
Chancellor Wiley took the first step in bringing attention to this problem. However, the Big Ten's suggestion of dividing the student section should not be considered any further. What he should do is change the fans' perception that there will be minimal, if any repercussions for drinking violations at Camp Randall. Losing your season tickets would deter many more fans from acting irresponsibly than simply getting kicked out of the game.
The chancellor is limited in his ability to control the situation since it is equally a community-wide problem. A glance at the police reports shows as many 40-somethings as college students arrested or cited at these games. Fans of all ages must differentiate between those who can appreciate trash-talk and a grandmother who just wants to enjoy the game without harassment.
A walk down Breese Terrace demonstrates the problem. Like Halloween, a street packed full with drunken individuals is guaranteed to have some problems. UW Campus Police must take a more proactive role in preventing the mob mentality which results in the unnecessary aggression against visiting fans. Issuing more tickets for drunken and disorderly conduct will go far in improving the general atmosphere.
Due to the current renovations to Camp Randall, the Regent Street gates are closed. This forces everyone to enter through the gates off of Breese Terrace, creating a bottleneck. This situation further exacerbates an already hostile environment. The university must do everything in its power to ensure the contractors remain on schedule to ensure this problem does not continue next season.
The Badger faithful could take a lesson from Duke's Cameron Crazies. These heralded basketball fans are generally regarded as the best home court advantage in college basketball. However, Duke has far fewer problems with belligerent drunks than Madison. UW-Madison fans' energy could be better spent on cheering on every third down than on belittling rival fans. The Blue Devil's show us true fan enthusiasm is not based upon drunkenness or harassing the fans of opposing teams, but on true sportsmanship.
