With the Big Ten season opener around the corner, the UW athletic department is asking fans to be on their best behavior during men's tennis home matches. The high-flying men's netter team is set to host two crucial intra-conference matches in the next couple of weeks at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
In light of last week's fan behavior at the USTA/ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championships, the university is urging students to 'conduct themselves in a manner demonstrating proper conduct for athletic contests.'
Students will receive an e-mail later this week from the athletic department outlining rules and regulations for attending upcoming home tennis matches. The text of the e-mail was released to The Badger Baloney.
Associate Athletic Director Vince Sweeney said visiting fans have reported a disturbing amount of inappropriate fan action.
'After what occurred last weekend, my phone has been ringing off the hook and my e-mail box is jammed full of complaints from angry tennis fans,' Sweeney said. 'The demeanor of our students was just plain offensive. That's the only way I can describe it.'
Sweeney is, of course, referring to several incidents that occurred during the first round match between the lady Badgers and Miami in the USTA/ITA tournament. According to numerous witnesses, the contest featured three court invasions, two streakers and constant chants of 'suck our balls' from the student section, nicknamed 'War is a Racket.' Police were called in to reign in the rowdy behavior and arrest the ringleaders.
'It was absolute madness for awhile during the Miami match,' UW-Madison junior Terrell Carpenter said. 'The Hurricanes were the national runners-up last year, and our ladies came out and just starting smoking their asses.'
Despite setbacks in the doubles matches, UW took the number three and four seed singles matches, setting off pandemonium in the stands above the hard courts.
The out-of-control nature of the match led to a flood of complaints to the athletic department and, consequently, the soon-to-be e-mailed letter to students.
The e-mail states that while the university is 'proud to have such enthusiastic support for Badger athletics' any actions that 'match officials or present law enforcement members' deem 'inappropriate or detrimental to the family atmosphere that UW strives to create' will be met with 'swift and harsh punishment.'
The men's conference season starts next week with Wisconsin hosting Northwestern and continuing at home the following weekend against Michigan State. Men's tennis coach Greg Van Emburgh couldn't stress enough how important it is that the student section act 'maturely' during matches at Nielsen Stadium.
'We love our student support at home matches,' Van Emburgh said. 'I think we've got one of the best tennis student sections in the nation. They're loud and very creative with their cheers, but it's all got to be done in the right manner. That is, respectful of the visiting players and fans.'
Reactions to the athletic department's warning were mixed.
'I think it's total crap that the school is trying to regulate what we can say or do at our tennis matches,' UW-Madison sophomore Eric Brown said. 'We're red, but this ain't f-ing Russia.'
