Wittman's cheap shot

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A few more things -

1) Wittman absolutely left because of the chants. That was 100% of the reason. Why would you think I'm delusional about thinking that? That is rock solid.

2) As to my opinion that this wasn't classy - I stand by it. However, I don't think it was an "arrestable" or "kick them out of the gym" type of offense. It was a classless chant, nothing more, nothing less. I would have preferred the students not chant it, but I haven't had any trouble sleeping at night knowing they did.

3) And, after it all, I tend to slightly agree with the Big L in that if the choice is sitting back and being quiet and not chanting this, or being as loud as they were and putting up with it, then I guess I'd take the loud. However, I'd add that there is no rule that says to be loud and boisterous you have to be unclassy. They are not mutually exclusive. No reason you can't be rowdy and classy. Seriously. I've been to lots of gyms. The best student sections are the ones who are clever, original and funny. As I said early on in this thread, there was nothing particularly original, clever, or funny about "Fire Randy." I think the Barnyard should be able to come up with better. The "T-shirt" chant, for example, was great.
 

1) Wittman absolutely left because of the chants. That was 100% of the reason. Why would you think I'm delusional about thinking that? That is rock solid.
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It couldn't have been that the Wolves had a game could it or perhaps you asked him on his way out and he told he was leaving because of the chants ?
 

Blizzard said:
It couldn't have been that the Wolves had a game could it?
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Unless he needed to be at the Target Center four hours before the game, I doubt he needed to quit watching his son in one of the few times he'd get to see him in person.

Blizzard said:
perhaps you asked him on his way out and he told he was leaving because of the chants ?
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He told someone that's why he left. That person relayed it to me. That someone is close friends to the family, who I trust. He didn't want his son to have to hear those things and figured if he left maybe they'd quit. But, that said, I've never talked to Wittman personally, so you could well be right. Maybe I was too strong in claiming it was 100%, but the person who told me this told me immediately after the game that that's what Wittman told him. This person also told me that Randy felt really bad for Ryan about it all.
 

Question since we are on the topic. Lots of the old timers like to bring up that the barn is far from what it once was. Am I really to believe in the chaotic and noisy olden days that the average chant consisted of "Old chap, would you kindly miss this free throw?" There seems to be a bit of a double standard.
 

Classless? Man, maybe we are a bit prudish. It's a college basketball game. Students are going to chant some things that may be a bit, um, over the line. Get over it. I remember chanting some pretty bad things at Mateen Cleves' mother in 1999. As long as it's not racist or NC-17, it's going to happen.

I was one of the most outspoken here re: the Anthem fiasco (even getting in contact with our Ath. Dept. about it), but this is a bit much. Do the students need to clear everything with the administration before chanting? Maybe talk to the old folks 1/2 hour before tip to clear it with them?

The kid's dad is a head coach in the NBA, in this city, and he's terrible. He makes ass-loads of money while killing the local team on a nightly basis. I bet the Wittman's don't mind being in the public eye when they cash that huge paycheck every week, or Ryan calls daddy from his Ivy League dorm room wanting another G for a weekend trip to NYC. Please. I thought it was great, and I hope that it is why Randy left early. Grow a spine or don't go out in public.
 


tjgopher said:
Unless he needed to be at the Target Center four hours before the game, I doubt he needed to quit watching his son in one of the few times he'd get to see him in person.



He told someone that's why he left. That person relayed it to me. That someone is close friends to the family, who I trust. He didn't want his son to have to hear those things and figured if he left maybe they'd quit. But, that said, I've never talked to Wittman personally, so you could well be right. Maybe I was too strong in claiming it was 100%, but the person who told me this told me immediately after the game that that's what Wittman told him. This person also told me that Randy felt really bad for Ryan about it all.
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Wow! What a accomplishment! Some fans screamed at a players dad and forced him to leave the game. Well done, you should all be so proud!
 

Well the chant has paid dividends today, Wittman has been fired. Now I feel a little guilty.
 





U of M students are 2 for 2 in getting coaches fired, first Mason now Wittman. Although the latter had nothing to do with the chant...
 

I had no problem with the chant. Wittman is horrible. And frankly, if it got in Ryan Wittman's head, it was worth it. Randy Wittman is a public figure who (used to) get paid a lot of money. If a chant would have been directed at Ryan's mom, that would have been different. I don't think it was classless at all.
 

Code of Conduct
University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable sports and entertainment experience by promoting good sportsmanship through its student-athletes, coaches, and spectators. Any offensive, obscene, racial, or sexist remarks or other threatening actions directed toward coaches, student-athletes, officials, fans, or team representatives will not be tolerated and can be grounds for immediate removal from the facility, as well as further disciplinary action. Patrons appearing intoxicated will be denied entry to the event, and those engaging in fighting or throwing of objects will be ejected from the facility. Patrons who choose not to adhere to these provisions will be subject to ejection without refund and revocation of season tickets and may be in violation of city ordinances, resulting in possible arrest and prosecution.


It would be sad if the Barn fans earned a negative reputation. Show enthusiasm and class. Cheer the team instead!
 

CollegeBBallFan said:
Code of Conduct
University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable sports and entertainment experience by promoting good sportsmanship through its student-athletes, coaches, and spectators. Any offensive, obscene, racial, or sexist remarks or other threatening actions directed toward coaches, student-athletes, officials, fans, or team representatives will not be tolerated and can be grounds for immediate removal from the facility, as well as further disciplinary action. Patrons appearing intoxicated will be denied entry to the event, and those engaging in fighting or throwing of objects will be ejected from the facility. Patrons who choose not to adhere to these provisions will be subject to ejection without refund and revocation of season tickets and may be in violation of city ordinances, resulting in possible arrest and prosecution.


It would be sad if the Barn fans earned a negative reputation. Show enthusiasm and class. Cheer the team instead!
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If you think the Barnyard is the only student section that gets negative then there is no hope for you. If you think that there is a student section at any basketball game in the country that doesn't chant negatively then, again, there is no hope for you.
 



Any offensive, obscene, racial, or sexist remarks or other threatening actions directed toward coaches, student-athletes, officials, fans, or team representatives

So where are the Witman chants covered?
 

Soooo Minnesotan!

This thread is stereotypical for the Uff-da/yah sure/"Loot-ern" Minnesota. For a demographic that is small when compared to the total population, it still amazes me how often this comes across.

It kills me when people complain about our student section. Apparently the Eat Sh!t/Eff You chants in Madison and the F- Michigan chants at OSU have nothing on the "Fire Wittman" chant from Saturday. Our student sections have always been lily white when compared to others across the country.

Can you imagine what would happen if they started an ES/FU chant here? My god...the world would come to an end. The U would abolish student sections entirely and issue a 1 page apology in the Strib. Look what the administration did when students started yelling "you suck" during Rock and Roll, part 2. The iron fist came down and the bands cannot play it anymore. Ridiculous.
 

I have never understood why some fans feel it is necessary to attack members of the student section for the content of their chants, cheers, signs, and any other form of expression. I have always felt that so long as no obscene, racists, or other highly offensive remarks were made, there is no problem.

As others have already indicated, there are much worse and much more hostile environments around the country. In fact, I wish the members of the student section would be more rowdy. The more raucous, the better.
 

Let's get back to the original topic of this thread, which was titled "Wittman's Cheapshot." People took exception to Wittman's antics. I was simply trying to explain that maybe Wittman's cheap shot wasn't without some instigation. I personally feel the chant lacked class and was not the right forum. Others feel otherwise, and that's fine. As I said, I haven't lost a wink of sleep about the chant and don't think it was worth kicking anyone out. I'm just saying that before we go nuts about "Wittman's Cheapshot" let's take the entire day in context. Not excusing the cheapshot, just saying sometimes good people do silly things when their family members get attacked.

And, yes, I'm all for a rowdy, loud, boisterous Barnyard. I'd like them to become more creative, original, and clever with their chants and cheers. They should get/steal some ideas from the Izzone, The Paint Crew, The Orange Crush, etc. I remember a game last year or the year before at Cameron Indoor when the Dukies were playing a game against a team with a kid named Walker. He travelled once and it wasn't called. The Crazies (everyone in the section) began making the traveling signal in unison (looked fantastic) and began chanting "Watch Walker Walk! Watch Walker Walk!" Everytime they yelled Walk, they motioned toward the Duke end like an official would. Announcers even mentioned it. Then, lo and behold, a few possessions later he travelled again, it was called, and the place absolutely blew up. Game specific stuff is awesome.

I think there is huge potential here. This is the best Gopher student section in at least 5 years, so that is awesome. I'm certainly not trying to lessen their enthusiasm. Just hoping they can direct that energy into a really good effort every night. They have been really, really good that last two games. Keep it up!
 

GortonsFisherman011 said:
If you think the Barnyard is the only student section that gets negative then there is no hope for you. If you think that there is a student section at any basketball game in the country that doesn't chant negatively then, again, there is no hope for you.
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Well, that pretty much doesn't have anything to do with anything, but if you think it makes it cool...

The point is this: Some think chanting and screaming at a players dad, in the stands, is pretty classless. Others think it's cool because other fans do worse. To each their own.
 

No, that's not it

- some think it's okay to excuse a purposeful action because of words that instigated it. That's total bull**it. I don't care what was said. What happens if Lawrence gets hurt because of little Ryan's actions? Are you all still running to defend Ryan? Those who defend things like this are pathetic.

I can't stand the attitude that forgives actions like Ryan's. He proved he is a punk BY HIS ACTIONS!!! Lawrence didn't start the chant. He just proved he's a much better person than Ryan.

And if his Dad can't handle a 'chant' from a bunch of college students he shouldn't be a coach in the first place. Or maybe he shouldn't suck.
 

tikited said:
Well, that pretty much doesn't have anything to do with anything, but if you think it makes it cool...

The point is this: Some think chanting and screaming at a players dad, in the stands, is pretty classless. Others think it's cool because other fans do worse. To each their own.
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No, we think its cool because its funny and he sucked :)
 


So many explanations

and it worked.
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So this is simply a case of the ends justifying the means, I guess.

Let's see, we now have justification for the chant based upon:

  • other student sections behave worse than ours;
  • Randy Wittman makes too much money;
  • Randy Wittman is a public figure;
  • Randy Wittman isn't a competent coach;
  • if it gets in the head of an opposing player or team it's okay;
  • Lutherans exert disproportionate influence and reticence; and,
  • The students are young and thus cannot be accountable in their fandom.
I'm waiting for someone to blame it on Monson and Haskins. ;)
 

I will quote my late Father, when I was young: "Have all the fun you want, just do NOT hurt anyone or cause any damage." Yelling and chanting at games, if it does neither of the above, I say Gopher It!!!!! One of the reasons I had fun playing high school and college ball was to try verbally get into the head of my opponent. I did NOT hurt anyone nor cause any damage. Let the students have fun, as long as they do NOT......
 

Should the student section stop chanting "airball" then? That may hurt the player's feelings just like it did to Wittman's. He is a public figure, what does he expect?

As someone who went to a bunch of ACC games at Wake Forest, Duke, Carolina, and Maryland, I find it kind of funny that this is really even an issue to some.
 

G-I-I. Agreed totally with you. But if they do it, part of the game, if we do, not Minnesota Nice....Bulllllllllllll-------------. Agree...a non-issue. Have a good day, all.
 

You're absolutely right, GophsInIoway. Chanting "airball" at an opposing player is mean-spirited. A Gopher player may someday shoot an airball in a game, and we wouldn't want opposing fans to give him the business. Do unto others, doncha know.

And another thing...quit taunting players after they foul out. It only will exacerbate the negative feelings that they are no doubt battling. Marching them off to "left, right" is not Minnesota Nice.

We should try to be friendly to our guests in the Barn. Only cheer on the Gophers in a positive way; be quiet when the other team is attempting to play the basketball. As Snowman pointed out, it shouldn't matter what other students sections or opposing fans do, we are better than that and should treat Gopher games more like a meet and greet and a scrimmage game.

BE NICE!
 

MN Snowman

Excellent levity. I was getting bored with this thread and you somehow made sense of the rabble.
 

Actually, no one did anything wrong and no one needs to justify anything.
 

I agree with Tj

Not classy.
 

the accomplice said:
- some think it's okay to excuse a purposeful action because of words that instigated it. That's total bull**it. I don't care what was said. What happens if Lawrence gets hurt because of little Ryan's actions? Are you all still running to defend Ryan? Those who defend things like this are pathetic.

I can't stand the attitude that forgives actions like Ryan's. He proved he is a punk BY HIS ACTIONS!!! Lawrence didn't start the chant. He just proved he's a much better person than Ryan.

And if his Dad can't handle a 'chant' from a bunch of college students he shouldn't be a coach in the first place. Or maybe he shouldn't suck.
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You missed the point. I wasn't defending the player. I was saying how ripping on a players dad in the stands and screaming that he sucks is classless. If you think otherwise, well then, you are classless. I didn't see the play in question, so I can't comment on it.
 

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