Any Pac-10 player who goes into Oregon’s MacArthur Court probably expects to face some hard-core haggling; their family does not.
While Oregon students’ haranguing of other athletes, including UCLA’s Lorenzo Mata-Real, has garnered them a reputation for hovering at the borders of poor sportsmanship and poor taste, the derogatory comments students made about Kevin Love’s family have clearly crossed the line.
Student athletes sign up to be in the spotlight. They know that their performance and physical statistics will come under vocal criticism not just from fans of opposing teams, but also from coaches, reporters and recruiters. Love’s performance on Thursday even suggests that certain athletes can thrive when that criticism is at its worst.
Family members, however, have not agreed to be in the public eye, and Oregon students had no right to bring them there.
Nor did the comments, which Ben Howland called “vile, disgusting, inappropriate innuendo,” end with the chants shouted by Oregon’s notorious “Pit Crew” or the signs they held up.
Several days before the game, Love’s cell phone number was leaked to some overzealous Oregon fans who used it to inundate Love with over 400 messages. The phone number was even displayed on some of the signs in the Oregon student section during the game.
This kind of heckling that extends beyond the court should be out of bounds for fans.
When questioned about Thursday’s haggling, a spokesman from Oregon’s athletic department pointed out that the students are protected under the First Amendment; technically, there’s nothing the university can do to stop them.
Oregon fans should think twice, however, about the message their over-the-top harassment is sending to potential future Duck athletes and their families.
Many thought that Love, an Oregon native, was guaranteed to go to the University of Oregon. After he chose UCLA instead, some Oregon students saw Thursday’s game as an opportunity to “punish” him for leaving the state. Future recruits, though, are unlikely to be swayed by the vindictive nature of this strategy.
It seems much more effective to draw athletes in by highlighting positive aspects of the Oregon program rather than threatening them with the negative consequences of rejection.
In fact, the most unfortunate outcome of the heckling scandal is that it has overshadowed what was otherwise an outstanding game.
Both teams gave great performances in a matchup that was incredibly tight. UCLA saw several players give unexpected efforts under the toughest of circumstances.
Student fans at other universities, especially attendees of UCLA’s Den should recognize too that the “Pit Crew’s” shouts were an exhibition of nothing but poor taste, and that because their conduct was so unacceptable, it would be neither gratifyingly vengeful nor particularly mature to return the favor when Oregon faces the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion in late February.
Finally, giving attention to the garishly cheap aspersions of the Oregon fans only gives them voice after Love indubitably silenced them with his outstanding performance on Thursday.
If Oregon fans wish to learn by example, they can look to the comments that Love had for reporters after the game, reflecting his truly transcendent attitude, unaffected by his graceless surroundings.
Unsigned editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily Bruin Editorial Board.