CONTENTION: The recent varsity football game against King High School brought out the Poly student section’s unruly side.
By Joseph Nakatani, Staff Writer
There is nothing more exciting than a charged game against one’s school’s cross-town rival. The people in the stands cheer loudly, following the lead of cheerleaders or Johnny Football, and the lights shine brightly on the field. Overall, it is an exciting experience for all parties involved. But what happens when the crowd gets too excited?
At the Poly vs King football game on September 20, the Poly student section became a bit too passionate and began to chant obscene phrases at the referees such as “B*******” and “Suck my a**.” Poly managed to win the game, but the crowd’s inappropriate chanting inflicted multiple penalties against the team, making the game harder to win. Now administration is left with the tough choice of whether or not to punish the indecent Poly student section. But the real question that needs to be asked is why this problem arose in the first place, not what Poly’s administration should do.
Administration decided to make some big changes this year. They added a new schedule, re-painted campus buildings and promised reforms in the attendance system. But all of this money that was spent on improving our school is useless if we do not show the proper school spirit. It is our responsibility as students to represent our school in a dignified manner—neither administration nor our parents can do that for us. If we don’t do it, then no one will.
So while it’s fine to cheer for our team, chanting indecent remarks at the referee does not help our team win the game. If anything, it will hurt the team because it can be penalized for the actions of the crowd.
If we continue to chant obscenities at referees, what will others think of our school? Poly has a proud tradition and is well-respected throughout the Riverside community. With all of our proud heritage, how can we afford to waste it by deciding it might be fun to yell inappropriate comments at the referee against our better judgment?
It’s always fun to win the big game against one’s school’s cross-town rival. However, hecklers in the crowd detract from the game and ultimately hurt their team in the process, all because they couldn’t keep it civil.