Co-Ed Blues

[Guest Edgy DC]

In the spirit of freedom from the alleged tyranny of catch-all threads, I'm busting out of the "So You Think.." thread.

http://media.diamondbackonline.com/vimages/default/flag.gif Fan fervor by Nikkee Porcaro October 21, 2005 Many Maryland students swear strong allegiances to their professional teams of choice, whether they are in MLB, the NFL, the NHL or the NBA. But a disturbing trend I�ve noticed lately is that this fan fervor, in some cases, has been taken too far. Nikkee Porcaro Obviously, most people at this university hail from Maryland, but many do not. Students coming from different regions may � shock! � not be Orioles, Nationals, Ravens or Redskins fans. Between the new NFL season and the conclusion of the baseball playoffs, I have been noticing that what should be simple support for one�s team often turns into juvenile bickering, shouting matches and sometimes even destruction of property. As an aspiring sportscaster, I am immersed in the world of sports on a daily basis. A proud Jersey girl, I was raised on the Yankees and the Giants from birth, and I am supremely aware that every time I go some place in some sort of New York attire, I am bombarded with comments about my choice of teams � and these comments are generally of the insulting variety. For instance, during one of the Yankees-Angels games I was watching at Cornerstone in my Yankees jersey (and hat and necklace and jacket), some random man insisted on smacking his hands together like a deranged seal and pointing and yelling in my face every time the Angels got a hit. When someone doesn�t even feel comfortable going to a bar wearing their team�s attire for fear of being screamed at, insulted or having their personal space invaded, something is wrong. If I conducted a survey of a randomly sampled campus population, I�m sure about 93.46 percent would be Certified Yankee Haters. These CYH�s feel the need to impart their less-than-dazzling wit and �constructive criticism� on me, even if they don�t know me. I understand not everyone is a Yankee fan, particularly in Maryland. (Please get over the Jeffrey Maier thing already � it was nine years ago!) But do you actually think that, one, I�m going to listen to some random person screaming at me in a bar and, two, you actually have a chance in hell of changing my allegiance? �But Nikkee,� those of you who know me say, �you�re not exactly the most respectful person when it comes to sports.� Many have seen me in a full-out, drag-down verbal fight defending my Yankees. And of course, there was the little incident in Cornerstone last year during the MLB playoffs where I was �politely asked� to exit the bar � even though I was only engaging in self-defense, I swear. But I have never initiated invading someone�s personal space or destroyed their property because of a sports team. My freshman year, I plastered my door with Yankee pictures and signs only to find them repeatedly ripped off or with obscene comments written on them. They were bothering no one; some people � I�m assuming Boston fans, because this was during the �03 ALCS � just had to anonymously and cowardly assert their team allegiance through destruction of other peopes� things. Friendly banter for bragging rights, on the other hand, is not an issue, especially between two geographically close or historically rivalrous teams � in fact, it�s a central part of being a fan. (See Redskins/Ravens, Yankees/Red Sox, etc.) Everyone loves to hate the Yankees. I could write a whole separate column on the merits of my team and why I think CYH�s are wrong, but what�s the point? I�m probably not going to convince you to listen to me. But at least our star player doesn�t whine to be traded (ahem, Manny) or call out teammates on steroids (cough, cough, Raffy.) That�s the kind of thing that�s OK. I can take the A-Rod/Jeter jokes and all the payroll nonsense, but fan fervor crosses the line when people and their belongings feel threatened. So keep rooting for your team � I don�t care which one � but respect your classmates while they root for theirs, too. Nikkee Porcaro is a junior journalism major. She can be reached at cole120@umd.edu

[Guest Rotblatt]

Okay, so who wants to hack into that website and edit the column to read "Jeter Blows and A-Rod Swallows!"?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I like how her belongings feel threatened.

[Willets Point]

It seems ironic that a Yankee fan should be calling for civility, but the rudest, most unpleasant fan experience I had was at Camden Yards for a Mets-Birds game. One old lady apologized for the behavior of her Oriole fan brethren and complimented the Mets fans in attendance on their good behavior. I know some of our group encountered unwarranted hostility at the Nats game last summer too. Maybe sports fans in the Washington-Baltimore area are just particularly obnoxious?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I doubt it.

I think darling Nikkee (did her parents dream that she'd grow up to be a stripper?), like most sports fans, has a bit of a double-standard regarding where the lines of propriety should be drawn, and thus uses her cry-for-civility column to take absolutely cheap shots at her team's rivals.

Clearly the young woman loves jawing with people.

Let's see what Ms. My-Night-of-Terror is up to.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

There is nothing funnier than college newspaper opinion columns. Nothing.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Is it just me, or does Nickee look to be about 35 years old?

[Guest cooby]

I would have to say she is bickering like a juvenile. Where have I heard that expression?

[Guest Edgy DC]

="Yancy Street Gang"]Is it just me, or does Nickee look to be about 35 years old?

Yance, it's Nikkee. Get it straight.

[Diamond Dad]

What I want to know is why the U. of Maryland (nickname - the fighting turtles) has a newspaper called the "diamondbacks.com" Curious.

Hey -- if you pin up Yankee booster crap on the outside of your dorm room door, it's going to attract (at least) graffiti. Don't bitch. Keep the stuff in your room if you want it to stay pristine.

And if you want to watch the game at the local bar without being hassled -- don't wear your Yankee uniform.

geez!~

[Guest cooby]

As an aspiring sportscaster


So this one's an aspiring sportscaster

I'm getting quite a list of aspiring writers, sportscasters, etc to avoid when they become writers, sportscasters etc in real life.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The nickname is the terrapins. Diamondback is an alternative name for an Atlantic terrapin, and that's the alternative student paper.

[Diamond Dad]

Yea, like I said -- the fighting sea turtles

[Elster88]

Diamond Dad wrote: And if you want to watch the game at the local bar without being hassled -- don't wear your Yankee uniform.

Haha. I know. I don't condone the behavior, but it's hilarious when people are ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED (with exclamation points) when they hear shit from drunken slobs at a bar or the park if they wear an outside team's colors.

It's even hypocritical. You're being a peacock in foreign territory and then get all snooty when you get jawed at. Nothing like riding your high horse off a cliff.

I like the people who wear visitor's stuff and then get into good-natured arguments. I wouldn't necessarily have the balls to be that guy anymore, but I like the back-and-forth with them.

[Elster88]

Edgy DC wrote: Let's see what Ms. My-Night-of-Terror is up to.

She's not that bad. She even rips into the "mystique and aura."

]So let�s get it straight for those of you who don�t already know�when the Yankees need a big come from behind victory or something dramatic occurs, they have a direct line to the old ghosts of the Stadium and they simply call up their pals for a dose of destiny. So what�s their excuse when they don�t win? The line was busy?

She seems intelligent and has a sense of humor and doesn't buy into mystique and aura. Silver in disguise maybe?

Edit: Oops, didn't read the second half of the article before my post. Still seems halfway intelligent to me.

[Elster88]

]At least Bronx native, J-Lo has stayed away for the most part.

J-Lo wouldn't put a toe into the Bronx without 10 bodyguards and an armored car. But she's still she's still Jenny from the block.

I liked her in Out of Sight though. Still haven't gotten around to seeing her topless scene in Money Train. Anyone catch that?

[MFS62]

My daughrer was a MAryland Terp.
If I'd known she could have been associating with Yankee fans, I would have dragged her home.

BTW- nobody there could figure out where she was from. Apparently, folks from Connecticut don't have a readily recognizable accent.

Later

[Elster88]

MFS62 wrote: My daughrer was a MAryland Terp. If I'd known she could have been associating with Yankee fans, I would have dragged her home. BTW- nobody there could figure out where she was from. Apparently, folks from Connecticut don't have a readily recognizable accent. Later

Maybe Maryland just isn't far south enough? One state farther south and they had me pegged as a northerner, though they mistakenly thought New York. Probably since I come from a family of guidos.

[MFS62]

Elster88 wrote: Maybe Maryland just isn't far south enough? One state farther south and they had me pegged as a northerner, though they mistakenly though New York. Probably since I come from a family of guidos.

They could spot New Yorkers Jerseyites and even Bostonians right away, maybe because so many from there go to UMD.
But they couldn't peg a Nutmegger.

Later

[Theoldmole]

My daughter is now director of the study skills program at U Maryland, and an unreserved Met fan. I don't know how she let Nikkee slip by her.

Come to think of it, I don't know how a major university could admit someone named Nikkee.

[Guest martin]

first the girl with the technicolor text article, now nikkee, i feel terrible for these poor girls. i feel like a mean fella reading their articles in order to mock them.

the name is magnificently bad though. nikkee, ouch, tough break kid.

[seawolf17]

Yeah, an applicant with a name like "Nikkee" gets passed around the office and laughed at, much like "Special To-Me" (first and middle names, and no, I'm not making that up) did the other day.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Shows how out of it I am.

I thought "Nikkee" was a brand of sneakers.

[Guest KC]

Has anyone emailed her yet?