Balls weren’t the only things flying at the Baker University men’s soccer match against Hastings College Sunday.
Obscenities and disparaging comments coming from the stands have caused controversy and sparked a discussion about fan attitudes at Baker sporting events.
Conflicting stories can be heard about the details of Sunday’s events, but several Baker students were asked to leave North Park Soccer Facility after an official asked the fans to watch their language during the game. After police arrived, ten men left the premises.
Assistant Athletic Director Theresa Yetmar was the university administrator present to oversee the contest. Yetmar said she asked two students to leave for their use of inappropriate language and offensive behavior.
Yetmar said the Baldwin City Police Department got involved only as a precautionary measure.
“We asked other people to get involved to make sure the situation didn’t escalate out of control,” she said.
Junior Zac Kliewer was one of the students in the group. He said fans from Hastings had encouraged the group through mockery. He said once Yetmar had come, the group had already stopped using profane language after the official’s request.
Kliewer said the two were asked to leave after aperson yelled “I hate you” at an opposing player. He said once the two were asked to leave, the entire group decided to vacate the rainy fan area where they had placed two couches. He said he felt Yetmar wasn’t fully aware of everything that had happened throughout the game.
Associate Professor of Political Science Bruce Anderson said the group was not so cooperative.
“This crowd of young, drunk men started in on (Yetmar),” he said. “They ridiculed her in a very demeaning way. “
Anderson said the comments made before the group came into confrontation with Yetmar were beyond the norm of soccer hooliganism.
“A certain amount of heckling is appropriate for soccer. It’s starting to get way out of hand as far as cussing at officials,” Anderson said. “We had a number of people in the stands who moved away.”
Kliewer said he saw nothing out of the ordinary in the way the group of men was acting Sunday.
“I know for sure we are not nearly as rude as other schools,” Kliewer said. “I definitely don’t think that we are more offensive than other fans in the way we talk or heckle the other teams. We don’t go over the line or under the line.”
Yetmar said she was reluctant to discuss the events, but was willing to discuss the ways fans behave at sporting events in general.
Dean of Student Development John Frazier said he spoke with the men involved early in the week about the use of disparaging and insulting comments, profanities toward other teams and blatant disrespect of the officials.
“They have accepted responsibility and acknowledged that what they did was not accepted by Baker or by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics,” Frazier said. “We’re dealing with these students through the judicial process.”
Yetmar said the use of obscenities was not in direct violation of any regulation but goes against the NAIA’s Champions of Character program’s values, which endorse sportsmanship.
After the incident, Frazier, Yetmar and Athletic Director Dan Harris began engaging in conversations on student behavior at games.
“We understand that our key is ‘let’s get out there and support them,’ but language cannot be tolerated,” Harris said. “This is one of the sports where fans are very close to the game. The emotional level can get out of control.”
Yetmar said obscene behavior at sporting events is nothing new, but still needs to change.
“I would say the behavior ebbs and flows. Sometimes it’s based on the game. Sometimes it’s based on a particular rivalry, but I’d say it’s happened for a few years,” Yetmar said. “It’s an athletic event that’s not just for students. There are children. There are families. Behavior needs to be appropriate.”
Frazier said such behavior does not just stay at the game, but stays in the minds of observers.
“It was blatant disrespect, and the bad part about that is their behavior reflects Baker University and the student body when the majority of students behave themselves in an inappropriate manner both on campus and outside the university,” he said. “It’s definitely something that we don’t condone and something we just won’t tolerate as a campus community.”