“Your team hates you”
February 8, 2006
Bryden Russell
I grew up playing soccer with two guys on the UBC Men’s Varsity Team, and catching up with them over the Christmas break, I found out they literally hate Trinity Western University. And it’s not just them, but the whole UBC team. The main reason for the hard feelings is not that TWU beat them in the CanWest finals last November, but that the behaviour of TWU fans at that game was appalling. TWU has the biggest school spirit of any school I’ve been to and isn’t shy about supporting its sports teams. However, much of the cheering at the CanWest finals consisted of cheering against the other team rather than for our team. It may have little effect on the field – if one team simply plays better than the other– but off the field, a crowd that negatively jeers at the visiting team reflects poorly on the school.
Christians (and students of a Christian school) are ambassadors of Christ. Although we shouldn’t live to please others and look “Christianly” on the outside, our behaviour significantly influences how others view faith in Christ. Heckling and discouragement aimed at individual players on the visiting team (called by name, thanks to the program) is common at varsity soccer games, as is chanting, “Your team hates you” after a mistake. Some UBC players even reported hearing, “God hates you” from the sidelines. As funny as heckling is (I thought it was hilarious at the time), maybe it’s not the best way to cheer. Redirecting our efforts into encouragement for our team, although perhaps not as entertaining, will have visiting teams leaving TWU happy with the game, instead of hating the school, its students,
and the God it represents. School spirit and cheering at sports games definitely makes a difference; it’s one of the best parts of “home field advantage.” In the worst case scenario, refraining from insults and booing the other team may yield a loss for TWU. Is losing the game that important when considering what the sacrifice could be? Take, for instance, the CanWest final against UBC — we won the game, but may have lost hearts for the Kingdom of God. It may sound like this is making a big deal out of nothing, but the world scrutinizes Christians. TWU may serve the homeless in downtown Vancouver, but we treated the UBC Men’s Soccer Team like garbage. Integrity includes being godly in all areas, including our sports enthusiasm. If we don’t have anything nice to say at games, let’s keep our mouths closed and redirect our zeal to building one another up.
Now you go...
5 Responses to ““Your team hates you””
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shows us just how “Christian” we are. Are we really? Thanks to our uncontrollable lust for winning, the team has won something material, liek a gold metal, and subsequently lost what this university teach as more important, the hearts and souls of those who need Christ. Good Game, Trinity
Its funny how something like this was written from someone who was not even at the soccer game. Interesting to say the least that a editorial comment would be published based on the comments a UBC soccer player said to his friend. I guess it could be expected since the soccer games (or any other games) are rarley covered in Mars Hill.
Just to let you know Bryden and anyone else who has never been to a UBC - TWU soccer game, UBC hates us as a soccer team and we hate them as a soccer team. This is nothing new. Every soccer team hates TWU because we are good and we shouldnt be. To berate the fans who came out and cheered is unfair since you were not at the game. Just to clear the air, nothing was said from the fans about God hates you. Trust me, I was there, I play for the team.
TWU has decent school spirit yet it still could be way better. Rather than remain sheltered as many people on TWU are, we should rally behind our teams and cheer them on to success. When we boo the other team or heckle them, they love it just as much as our players do because an atmosphere is created in which we love to play sports. Home field or court advantage should be an advantage as our fans should be there to cheer us on. Again as someone who was at the game, there was nothing done that was wrong or un-Christian like.
Just as your comment said about keeping our mouths shut if we dont have anything nice to say, my parallel comment would be this. “If you dont come to the game, dont write something based on the comments made be someone else. Come to the game and if you are still offended, you may write whatever you like.” GO SPARTANS!
I was at the game, and I’m all for cheering. The point of the article was that there’s a better way to cheer than making the other team feel like garbage.
I think that even though in your perspective, distracting the opposition is a way to make the other team feel like “garbage,” it remains in the perspective of many that it is simply a means of competing together with our athletes against the opposition. The distractions are not made through hate but through competitiveness. The rules of the game allows for such distractions to occur. Athletes expect as a challenge of the game, not as intentions of hate. You will that many athletes even laugh at distracting fans both from the home and away side if pay attention closely. Distracting fans is comparable to field players talking to each other into distraction. The rules of game allows it as a means of competition, psychological competition to be specific (eg.Michael Jordan). Fans are also given the same opportunity. Relating this to Christian terms. I think it is not wrong to verbally distract an opponent with the intention of competitiveness. With the intention to challenge the opponent in every way possible. If it was with an intention of hate and anger or any other malicious stand, then yes, that would draw the line. Every experienced athlete understands this concept.
If your team member scored on your own goal during the canada west final you’d hate him too. We were merely being the voice to the UBC team.