By Whitney Spencer

Athletes are taught at a young age the importance of sportsmanship in sports. They are taught to help a player who falls down, to tell a teammate ‘good job,” and to shake hands with their opponent – win or lose. Any true sports fan can tell you they hate seeing a player who intentionally attempts to hurt another in a game that is well out of reach. Yet, they love to see two players on opposing sides show each other respect with a post game hug and a few good words. To me though, athletes aren’t the only ones who should practice sportsmanship. It’s you too; yes, you the fans.
Inappropriate fan behavior disrupts contest and tarnishes the spectator experience. Fans form strong bonds and identify with their teams. The failure or success of their team runs deep within the heart of a fan. Still, this passion must be displayed in appropriate manners. If you think about it, fans are in just as much of a competition as the players in the game. Competing with the opposing schools fans with fight songs, cheers, and the traditional ‘who can scream the loudest’ mentality. Those things are what enhance the fan experience. It is when fans step outside of those boundaries the experience becomes tarnished.
I have experienced many different types of sports atmosphere. I went to one of the biggest football high schools in the state. I remember the fun of making signs, guys painting up, and cheering on our team in home and away games. Here at the University of Louisville just hearing the crowd during the announcement of starting lineups during a men or women’s basketball game gives me cheers. We love our basketball in Kentucky and here we love our Cards. Never was the fan connection as high as it was this past week during the Women’s Final Four and National Championship.
As anyone who doesn’t live under a rock already knows, our women’s basketball team made their first appearance in the Final Four and National Championship game. And as much as I saw fans sportsmanship on both sides, I know firsthand that some fans have yet to learn the ideals of fans sportsmanship.
As the Cards played the Oklahoma University Sooners on Sunday night in St. Louis, there were some Cardinals fans who had their excitement for the game diminished by the actions of band members for the Sooners. As the Cardinals made their comeback in the second half and these fans began to cheer, they so rudely called “a-holes” for cheering for a team that “didn’t have a chance.”
 Was that necessary? No, just one small comment like that can not only ruin an experience for a fan, but also send emotions steaming which could cause some conflict.
Conflict is just what occurred on Tuesday night as these same fans watched Louisville take on Connecticut.  The Connecticut band felt the need to yell “ugly” every time Angel McCoughtry caught the ball or took a shot.
Did she hear them? No, probably not so her feelings weren’t hurt, but fans who heard were offended because as I said before fans relate strongly to their team. Later in the night, as the game began to come to a close, the Louisville starters were being taken out of the game. These fans stood to give their players a round of applause for the hard work and good play. The UConn fans began yelling at these fans saying that they needed to “sit down because the game was already over” and that “they gave Louisville a bad name.” The fans continued to ignore them and were then called “sore losers.”
One Connecticut fan even began to kick the back of the chair of the Louisville fan so that it would continuously hit her in the back of her leg. When asked to stop the Connecticut fan just continued.  Conflict occurred security came over to ask the Connecticut fans to stop and they did for the moments that the security guard was present but the taunting continued. 
As fans of the University of Connecticut, they were being “poor winners.” The game was well in hand and the Cardinal fans just wanted to be able to congratulate their team. Is that so wrong? No, it’s not. The UConn fans crossed that boundary between being a fan to being rude and showing no sportsmanship. Don’t get me wrong. There were a few Connecticut fans that shook the hands of the Louisville fans as they walked out and apologized for the actions of countless others. As a whole, the University of Connecticut fans were far from good sportsman.
The NCAA has just recently began to implement a sportsmanship initiative titled “RESPECT” this year, in order to focus on the negative fan behavior and encouraging student-athletes and coaches to take the lead in creating a culture of sportsmanship and respect.
It’s easy to get emotional during a game. Whether it’s a close game or a big win, emotions run high and even I won’t deny that. But, there is a way to practice good sportsmanship as a fan. Cheer for your team and not against the opponent. Don’t get personal with your comments about any athlete, coach, or official. True, we don’t always like the calls that referees make or agree with a coach that leaves his starters in during a blowout win, but it’s not our place to comment. We’re there to support our team.  Always be cautious of what you say because what is all in fun for you may be offensive to those around you.
Lastly, be mindful of one thing – it’s not whether you win or lose, its how you play the game.