Booing your own team.

[a0161613]

As he left the pitch following England's disappointing 0-0 draw against Algeria, Wayne Rooney turned to the television cameras and, his voice dripping sarcasm like honey dripping from a knife, said: "it's nice to see your own fans booing you."

Following England's abysmal performance last night at the World Cup, Wayne Rooney has come out and criticised the fans for booing the team off the pitch.

Is he right to do so?

The way I see it, the fans would have paid out a fortune to get out there, for tickets and to stay out there. Compared to the millions that they get paid in a year & whatever stupid amount they will get for their 90 minutes work, I believe fans (especially those who have made the effort to get to SA) are well within their rights to voice their frustration.

England screwed up last night and although this group should have easier, we are making hard work of it again. We as fans are fuming and rightly so. So isn't it obvious the boos are going to come out?

 

[Leeds Guy]

I agree Numbers. If your team isn't performing against lesser opposition then we as fans are well within our right to have a go at them. It's just England. At Leeds United last year we had a spell from Christmas were we couldn't win a game.We struggled against teams that were struggling to stay in the league. So a majority of fans made our feelings known with chants. At the end of the day, the fans pay alot of money to follow clubs and international sides around the world. I would be fuming if I paid to go to South Africa and watch my team play like England did last night. Hell I was fuming from just watching on TV. It was no way good enough.

Don't get me wrong I'm not expecting England to win the tournament, I wasn't before the world cup started but we should have pissed our way through this group with ease. Lets be brutally honest, The USA are not a great side. Algeria are fucking terrible and Slovenia look half decent at best. England walked all over our qualifying group finished top having only lost when we qualified. The nation expects England to play well. At the end of the day they are playing for our country in front of the rest of the world and at the moment we are an embarrassment...thats what the fans are pissed about

 

[Ferbian]

It's all about freedom of speech really, Wayne shouldn't be complaining about the fans booing him because he, and his whole team didn't perform at the level of which they have the talents to do so.

Like I said in the Bar room to Lee, they pay their hard earned money to go there and watch England loose, Wayne complaining about them not being loyal is bullshit because of the fact that they actually did travel half across the world to South Africa to support the team.

Wayne needs to take into consideration whether he would rather have thousands of fans booing him, or zero fans cheering him, because that's what it's gonna come down to, either the fans are there to cheer or boo him, or the fans aren't there, and all you hear is people supporting other countries.

And to top it off, Wayne shouldn't be complaining about the fact that they go there to boo him, they're paying for his massive paycheck, if less fans buy tickets, he gets less money.

So I feel it's absolutely okay to boo your team, to hate on it, to talk down on it, as long as there's a reason behind it, a performance like England's yesterday is boo-worthy, and that the fans does that, is completely understandable.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

We have every damn right to boo our team, the fact is these guys get paid a heck of alot of money, money which they dont bloody desereve!.

They played with no heart and no love for the game and it's starting to get on the ticket payers nerves.

they keep drawing and basically don't care about the fans nor the game, they couldn't even care less if they qualify, and this is supposed to be our England team?, in a game that is overshadowed by players who only care about how much they get paid rather then actually caring about there team winning the damn championship why should we care about them?.

They have given us no reason to care and if they dont step up the team wont only have to worry about booing from the fans, they will end up never playing for the england squad again which i think most of these guys deserve.

 

[Slyfox696]

You English people are nuts, when it comes to this subject. Do you really think these guys don't want to win? Do you really think they're not out there giving everything they have? Do you think they wanted the embarrassment of drawing with the historically weak American team?

Get a grip already. Can you boo your own team, sure, but what purpose does it serve, especially in a situation like this? Instead of acting like a bunch of asses, you should support your team, and encourage them to do better, not try to tear them down and embarrass them further. Say what you want, but these are still HUMAN BEINGS and no one likes to hear criticism, especially when they're already upset about something they care very much for.

Get a grip.

 

[Ferbian]

One of the problems with that Sly is the fact that they have all the talent in the world to perform at such a better level, and they played so god awful yesterday, they've played god awful through the whole tournament.

I'm not English, but I support the team, but do you expect me to sit back and say "oh well, better luck next time" when England is facing a potential elimination in the Group rounds, a group they had every talent in the world to win, and win big time?

Supporting a team is something that needs to be done yes, but that's mostly during the game, I don't see what limits our us to not boo them after the match, a match that ended in a bad result.

Sure they're human beings, and nobody likes to hear criticism, but aren't we always saying there's something called positive criticism? I know it's perhaps pushing it a little bit by saying "yep, let's boo them perhaps they'll be better next time then" but criticizing their game play last night is definitely not something we shouldn't be allowed to do.

Besides booing the team would shine through the fact that we're not satisfied with the efforts they put into this, they had good chances, but failed to capitalize on a decent handful of them, costing them the victory and ending in a draw instead.

If we don't boo them, the only thing they know is their own dissatisfaction at their game play last night, and self dissatisfaction isn't always the sole thing that's needed to make someone want to improve, I know that from personal experience that while I can be dissatisfied with my efforts on a test for example, the lack of satisfaction from family members can motivate me even more.

 

[a0161613]

The way I see it, English fans are as good as any in the world. The amount of fans over in SA only show this. But after a performance so dire when players could barely pass to each other or make a decent shot on target to work a very suspect goalie, any fan would be within their right to boo them.

The thing for me with England is that it's not the players fault so much. Sure, Heskey is crap and Wright-Phillips should not even be in the squad but really thats not the most important thing. They are only on the pitch because they were told to be.

I think the tactics and managerial decisions to pick these inferior players is frustrating the fans and that is the root cause of the boos.

Unless Capello realises this then the boos will follow and if we dont get out the group, then the entire squad deserves the criticism that they will get.

Most people don't expect the world from this team but the qualification is minimal for a team that should be in the top ten of the world.

 

[gd]

The only time your team deserved to be booed it when they're playing like dogs. If they aren't giving any effort out there, I'd say booing is acceptable to show them your displeasure.

However, if the team is going all out, what's the point? I doubt England was trying to lose. Jeff Van Gundy had a great point during one of the games in which the Cavs were getting blown out by the Celtics. He said the Clevland fans should start the "MVP" chant while LeBron was at the line, ever though he was playing god awful. Don't you think that'd help get the team going more than rattling them with booing? A lot of the time, fans who boo are only compounding the problem.

 

[TheAnimal]

The arrogance of these people is astounding sometimes. The players seem to believe their own hype about the 'golden generation'. When they give performances that suggest they think as long as they turn up then they'll win we have every right to be pissed off. These people have their egos satisfied so much that now there is talk of blaming Capello. Im sorry but this is a guy that has won trophies everywhere he has managed. He was given the job because he is a proven winner. They talk about his iron fist ruling, how is it that? Because he isnt star struck by the players, hasn't given them nicknames like JT and StevieG or because he isnt afraid to make changes (hope we see more evidence of that).

There is every right to voice displeasure, as football fans we get bled dry. The cost of the shirts, the cost of tickets, transport, accomodation etc. We go through a lot to support our teams so if we dont feel satisfied we have the right to say.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Do you really think these guys don't want to win? Do you really think they're not out there giving everything they have?

I have a New York Giants sweatshirt I like to wear to the health club. Last year, when the Giants were in the midst of a losing streak, people would see the shirt and ask:

"How can you be a Giants fan? They're not winning!"

I reply:

"How can you claim to be a fan of your team if you like them only when they're winning?"

Fans are fickle. In part, this is true because we're just spectators and it's frustrating to have the fate of our beloved team in someone else's hands. We're helpless; we can only watch.

To that end, it's understandable that many folks boo. We want our team to win and we hate when they lose. We have very short memories when it comes to our team: we can be booing the hell out of a baseball player who just struck out. Next time he's up, he hits a home run and not only are we cheering the same guy...... we don't even remember booing him 3 innings ago.

It's part and parcel of being a sports fan. We have the right to boo, even if we sometimes shouldn't. We have the right to claim the team has no heart when they lose, even though we cheered them the game before because we thought they showed tremendous heart.

The athletes, coaches and team management shouldn't worry about it one way or the other. They can see what's going on just as well as the fans. The difference is, they can do something about it. The fans can only boo.......and they often do.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Booing your hometeam is unacceptable. They are your team, support them. [/thread]

But since I have to ellaborate I'll say that you should always support your team because they are yours, in professional sports a team can just up and move, trust me I know. It's bad fan support that does it, of course fans aren't going to be pleased with bad performances by their team but fucking support them anyway, it's better to have a bad team that's yours than to cheer for a good team that's someone else's. That's really the just of it.

 

[Miko]

Apparently all the wages the England players get for playing for England go directly to charity, so it's not really a money thing.

England fans, myself being one of the more vocal are a funny bunch, we'll cheer our team all the way through the match, even if they're losing quite badly, we dont go home early like some of our foreign counterparts (I am looking at you Germany) and we keep the support up until the referee blows that final whistle.

When that whistle goes and we draw with teams like the USA and Algeria and just play badly throughout then we boo to show our displeasure. "We paid money for this, you can do better, we know it, you know it. Same time next week then".

You can guarantee the next game will be packed out with cheering and hopefull England fans, the team never loses it's support from it's fans, it just draws dissatisfaction sometimes, and sometimes dissatisfaction needs to be voiced before people start really listening.

 

[ThePeoplesChampion]

Its ok...cause your not boring the team just there performance...especially if alot is expected of them and they just flop.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

That depends on what you're booing them for. If they just lost, it's bullshit, but try this one on as a reasonable excuse to boo your team.

I pay top dollar for my Trojan tickets and I went to the home opener. We committed 140 yds in penalties, including fighting, many late hit personal fouls that were beyond inexcusable. I'm talking, we were hitting them 5-6 yds after they ran out of bounds. We kept turning the ball over for no good reason. We kept going for 2 even though it made absolutely no sense to do so. Just, fuck it, we're gonna go for two.

At that point, you're booing the conduct of the players, the lack of discipline the coaches have over these players, the lack of effort that seems to have been made during the week, and really inexplicable play-calling.

You're damn right we were booing. We don't pay top dollar to watch our players get ejected and get flagged every play because they can't control themselves. Not to mention, we had 120 yds of penalties the previous week in Hawaii on basically the same fouls.

Personal fouls are the most severe penalty you can get because it's a complete lack of discipline. If you have 8 personal fouls in a two week span it shows a lack of discipline on behalf of the team you're paying out your ass to watch play a game, not get ejected.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

I have every right to boo my team (the Washington Redskins) precisely because only about 3 members of the team have any heart. If your team goes out there and gives it their damnedest but still loses, you should NEVER boo them. However, if your team's players take you for granted and don't appreciate the fact that you are perennially disappointed but still remain loyal, then they should be fucking booed incessantly.

 

[People's Champ]

I have every right to boo my team (the Washington Redskins) precisely because only about 3 members of the team have any heart. If your team goes out there and gives it their damnedest but still loses, you should NEVER boo them. However, if your team's players take you for granted and don't appreciate the fact that you are perennially disappointed but still remain loyal, then they should be fucking booed incessantly.

As a Redskins fan, we haven't had much to cheer about. And you sort of brought up something that should be mentioned again. This is not a question of loyalty, or leaving your team. I think we can agree that no matter how bad the 'Skins are, we aren't just going to turn our backs on them. Most fans wouldn't dump their team, no matter how bad they play.

But when you see your team giving less than their best then you have every right to boo. Now, if its just your team is overmatched, don't have the players to win games, but their giving their best, then that's really all we as fans can ask for. But you can tell when your team isn't trying their best, and then you have a right to boo.

 

[ThePeoplesChampion]

That depends on what you're booing them for. If they just lost, it's bullshit, but try this one on as a reasonable excuse to boo your team.

I pay top dollar for my Trojan tickets and I went to the home opener. We committed 140 yds in penalties, including fighting, many late hit personal fouls that were beyond inexcusable. I'm talking, we were hitting them 5-6 yds after they ran out of bounds. We kept turning the ball over for no good reason. We kept going for 2 even though it made absolutely no sense to do so. Just, fuck it, we're gonna go for two.

At that point, you're booing the conduct of the players, the lack of discipline the coaches have over these players, the lack of effort that seems to have been made during the week, and really inexplicable play-calling.

You're damn right we were booing. We don't pay top dollar to watch our players get ejected and get flagged every play because they can't control themselves. Not to mention, we had 120 yds of penalties the previous week in Hawaii on basically the same fouls.

Personal fouls are the most severe penalty you can get because it's a complete lack of discipline. If you have 8 personal fouls in a two week span it shows a lack of discipline on behalf of the team you're paying out your ass to watch play a game, not get ejected.

Thats totally right...its not booing your team and leaving them...its booing there performance, conduct or play calling...im a bears fan and ive booed alot (Rex Grossman is all i have to say) and recently Lovie has made some dumb calls...booing in that situation is pretty much telling them hey we the fans dont approve of what your doing.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

As usual, I have to take the maddening "business-centric approach" to this question.

In professional sports, the fans are the customers, and the team is the company providing the products and services for those customers to purchase.

Just like in the capitalist systems in the US and UK, if at any time a consumer feels the products and / or services they are receiving are sub-par or that the company doesn't represent their needs, then those consumers have every right to voice that displeasure in any way they want. And you know what? If the consumer gets upset enough and no change is made, they will stop spending their money with that company.

Athletes who criticize fans for criticizing them need to be slapped.

Without the fans, the athletes would not have jobs. The only reason professional sports exist is because the fans - the customers - are willing to pay their money / time / effort to watch / cheer for the team.

So put aside "freedom of speech" for a moment and realize this is about the freedom that currency provides you - if you're a customer of a pro sports team and they are not performing, you can use that dollar and that voice in any way you so choose. If Wayne Rooney doesn't like it, then guess what - he's free to leave soccer and take a job working anywhere else.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

On the flip side of this, how do you feel about what David Price and Evan Longoria had to say about NOT having fans?

Personally, I have no problem with it. I would be fucking pissed two if we were in first place in the best division in baseball and a whole 10,000 people were showing up.

Fuck, they had to give out FREE tickets to get a "sell out" the other day. Free fucking tickets for a first place team? Tampa Bay doesn't deserve that franchise. Worst fan base ever.

 

[Барбоса]

You clap, cheer and praise your team when they perform well or put in maximum effort so why would you not boo them should they perform particularly badly or not show the enthusiasm or heart while getting paid to play?

It is the fans (not always now with trillionaire owners) that hold the team hierarchy to account for their effort and performance by voting with their feet and their wallets

 

[LSN80]

I live in Pittsburgh, so I know a little bit about watching my home team lose over and over and over again.

While the Penguins and the Steelers are thriving franchises, the Pirates EXTENDED the record for most losing seasons in a row by ANY sports franchise, to a mind numbing 18.

The sad part is, i love going to a baseball game. You can't beat the atmosphere. while I enjoy going to hockey and football games as well, the slower pace of baseball makes for a much more relaxed, "home" like feel. The problem is, the team seems to regress every single year. so as long as myself, and the 20, 000 or so that turn up at a game to inevitably watch the Pirates lose pay for our ticket, sure we have a right to boo. I think it shows you care more then anything when you do show up and boo, it shows youre actually invested in the team. Excellent thread topic.

 

[The Crock]

I don't think you should ever boo your team. They try as hard as they can and win or loss, you gotta cheer for them. Part of being a fan is sticking with your team through thick and thin. It can't always be good times for your team but if you stick it out and cheer as hard as you can... eventually their time will come.

As for the whole England-Rooney scenario, I can see where Wayne is coming from. The English players were criticized constantly during that World Cup, that must have gotten to them. Then on top of that, to be booed by your own fan base, your own country, it must have been devastating.

 

[People's Champ]

I don't think you should ever boo your team. They try as hard as they can and win or loss, you gotta cheer for them. Part of being a fan is sticking with your team through thick and thin. It can't always be good times for your team but if you stick it out and cheer as hard as you can... eventually their time will come.

The thing about it is, we invest a lot into our teams, time, money, emotions, everything. So I think most real fans can see when their team is really putting out their best effort or not. And when they aren't, fans should be allowed to let them know that they aren't happy with the effort. Its not so much about the wins and losses but about the effort.

I would also add that booing may not be directed at the players themselves but toward management and ownership. If the coach has shown poor management of the game, then you would probably hear boos towards that. Or if ownership has shown that they haven't gone out and do all they can to bring the best players and put the best team they can on the field (in the eyes of the fans mind you), then you're going to hear boos. So its not always going to be directed towards the players themselves.

 

[Miko]

The thing is, like I said before the people that boo their own team will also be the people that pay shitloads of money to go and see them again to cheer them on, in the hopes that this time it'll be better.

As for the athletes who cry about being booed, they earn enough money for what they do, they're doing it at a substandard level and people are voicing their frustrastions, instead of bitching about it how about grow a pair, get your head down and work for your money.