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00Ram

00Ram

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For several years now, VCU basketball “fans” have been transforming into something I’m not proud of. There will always be disagreement amongst fans and often times heated discussion. Never in all of my life have I seen such embarrassing displays of human interaction and immaturity from supposed college graduates over something so - sorry to be blunt - unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

I’ve always been proud of the VCU fan base when I travel to other arenas and see opposing fans shouting obscenities, getting in fights, and basically throwing temper-tantrums. We’ve become those embarrassing fans.

I went to the game this weekend with my 65 year old mother (UR grad) and my 70 year old step father (VCU grad). The twenty-something VCU “fans” behind us were an absolute embarrassment to VCU and everything it stands for. Cursing in front of young children, kicking chairs, picking fights with UR fans, and worst of all - bad-mouthing our beloved RAMS.

I’ve tried to turn some fellow VCU alums onto these boards but they have refused to visit because of the behavior on here. Now many of the more immature “fans” on the boards will say “good riddance,” but by doing so you’re destroying the growth opportunities for VCU and the money that comes with it.

This has to stop, and it stops here - in these forums - with our most passionate fans leading by example. Some of us are destroying the VCU brand and embarrassing ourselves. Most of us are adults on these boards - act like it.


P.S. I run the web division at the largest agency in town and deal with attorneys daily. They have stated that 4runningram has an open and shut case. These are people who prosecute on this very issue. Yesterday, I PM’d the poster to give him a heads up that he could be sued, but he chose not to change his signature.
 
Unfortunately fans like the ones you mentioned are a product of the success of the program. I remember my freshmen year, 2002-2003, where we would be lucky to draw 3,000 people for a mid-week game. The students that came out during those days were hardcore fans, they loved VCU and what it stood for. They didn't care if it was sleeting or snowing, they would come out to support the Rams, in a mostly classy fashion.

The team has had tremendous success over the past several years and with that comes more fans. More fans means the chances increases of some fans being obnoxious idiots. Add in that most of these new fans will be college freshmen and there's your answer. Students make up a huge percentage of fans in attendance. These fans are kids, and they will be obnoxious and stupid, because that's what they do unfortunately. I hated just as much as you do, but it comes with the territory. Kids do dumb things and just want attention. If we keep winning we'll get more of these "fans." They are the same fans who may not show up next game because we've played like crap the last four games, so be it. But if this team is going to have continued success we are going to have more and more of these obnoxious dweebs.

I can relate to you and your troubles at UofR, as I've encountered many of those myself with fans who give a horrible impression of VCU. At the end of the day we just have to go out, you and I and most ;) other posters on this board and give the best impression of VCU we can, and when neccessary apologize on behalf of other people and let opposing fans know that we are in the majority and the d-bags that are being obnoxious are the outliers.

Go Rams!
 
I agree. Even I am guilty of throwing some very loud boos and jeers, but I leave it at that. I do my very best to limit my obscene language to PG-13 and even then keep it at a talkable level. I definitely dont appreciate when people are dropping f-bombs and the like, especially now that I bring my 3 year old daughter to home games. I will say that I have in the past been guilty of some pretty embarassing language though. What stopped me, an older Ram fan turned around and called me out on it. I was so thoroughly ashamed that it was an eye opener. As I said, I still can be guilty at times, but no ones perfect.

I dont get what your postscript has to do with the main post though. Seems like everyone wants to put their 2 cents into that debacle.
 
Two very good post and observations. I suspect that most of these VCU fans that show behavior that makes us look bad are young immature students who will eventually grow up and not take the game so seriously. I suspect that all schools have this problem which is not unique to VCU.
 
I would have love to been one of those classy fans down near the UR sections being the face of VCU. Unfortunately, I was up in the nose bleeds so I think most of my actions were lost in the void of the Robins center.

When I see our fans acting up, I do try to put a stop to it. At the VMI game, a fan in my section throw a paper airplane onto the court. My immediate reaction was to turn around and yell, "Don't do that, it's immature and can get us a technical!" If you are embarrassed by a fellow Ram fan's actions, ask them politely to represent VCU better.
However, cussing is a part of college sports since many students cuss on a normal basis and when you ask them to stop, they feel like you're trying to suppress their right to free speech. That's an unfortunate truth, and I admit I have hurled a few obscene comments to select refs. (But this is when I'm on the front row and I know the refs are going to hear me better than other fans.)
 
RustyShackleford said:
I dont get what your postscript has to do with the main post though. Seems like everyone wants to put their 2 cents into that debacle.
Click to expand...

After reading my post again, I realize it wasn't clear. This behavior is not just at the games, but on the boards as well. I recognized a few of the guys from the UR incident as posters on these very boards. I'm just not going to come on here and post their names or put their photos in my signature.
 
You people need to get out more.

If I were to rate the activities of VCU fans against some I've seen at other arena, we would not even be in the top ten. Go to Duke or UNC. I once sat in the Michigan student section at the Final Four. I WISH we could get our students that involved in the game.

But since we are talking about ur, how about the time one of their fans came up behind our bench during the game and grab the shoulder of a player and started screaming what...a nice person the players mother was.

There is good and bad everywhere. Seems like the people who complain about everything have found a new something to complain about.

As for the "attorney says this or that", every case in court has two sides with attorneys. Both go in thinking they can win. Fifty percent of them lose.

If someone steals your picture from you (hacks your computer or steals it from some other private place), then that person might be in trouble legally. But if I POST my pictures on the internet for the word to see, and someone copies them, there is not much I can say, since I put them out in the public domain. Plus, there is a big difference in using a picture in commerce and posting it on a message board.

Don't want people using your picture? Don't post it on Facebook for everybody to see. Our friend here loves to post his pictures on the internet. Did he not expect someone, sooner or later, to use them?
 
you wanna talk about venom and nastiness? i remember going to comcast center to see duke/maryland once during the redick years. pure hatred.

vcu fans aren't even close to transforming into that stuff.
 
00Ram said:
P.S. I run the web division at the largest agency in town and deal with attorneys daily. They have stated that 4runningram has an open and shut case. These are people who prosecute on this very issue. Yesterday, I PM’d the poster to give him a heads up that he could be sued, but he chose not to change his signature.[/i]
Click to expand...

I agree with your main post and I hate when fans act like that at games, but I'm curious about the above. He has an open and shut case (can't believe any attorney would say that) for what? What's his cause of action? What's the "very issue?" Clearly he has no cause of action for defamation/libel, assuming the picture is accurate. In addition, the "VCU's Biggest Fans" is clearly opinion.

In addition, what are his damages? The post was made over the weekend, right? Has he lost opportunities at work? Has he sought treatment with a mental health professional? And, if he has damages, how can the lawyers know at this point that those damages are related to the post?

Did you talk to these attorneys over the weekend and relate the specific facts to them, or is it just your interpretation based on past cases?

Just curious.
 
As much as that game hurt I tried to be the classy. I of course booed refs throughout the night but none of the students around me were dropping any cuss words or anything like that.

I would agree about other schools though. Maryland can be absolutely brutal. If a person gets a chance to see Duke or UNC(when VCU is not playing ;) ) its a great experience to see the arena and how much their fans are into the game. Last year Richmond fans said they felt like every VCU fan in Siegel would slit their wrist if we loss, while their fans weren't as into it because they were a "football" school now. If VCU will slit their wrists over a loss there is probably decapitations in Chapel Hill or Cameron. You will see a fair amount of fights at the game though especially in important games there.
 
I dont know about BB fans, but there is no way any fans are worse than WVA football fans-try that wearing opposing team colors-you will be shocked and the admin and police will do nothing but laugh.


we have a few bad ones but I dont think were're approaching some ACC schools yet
 
Agree@VRam. Open and shut case? Not even close. This is miles away from being libelous. To find it a violation of a subject's rights of publicity would require an incredibly stretched definition of commercial or trade use. The best, but still far from open and shut, case might come on copyright grounds, but that would be pursued by the photographer (or if the copyright was transferred to another)... you don't get any copyrights just by being IN a photo. Also, as VRam points out, there is the practical matter of proving damages. Without much promise of collecting damages, taking on the expense of suing someone involves significant financial risk. Lastly, even if a case could be built, and damages shown, there would still be very significant defenses available that would make it anything but open and shut.

I agree that we all could stand to be more civil toward each other (myself included), and I would hope that in this instance the image in question would be taken down as a sign of goodwill. However, I think trying to use poorly founded legal threats to achieve this only adds to the acrimony.
 
I'd say I acted pretty classy when that blue spandex kid starting yelling "F VCU" to every one as we left the stadium. I'll take our fans over theirs any day. I wish I wasn't "classy" and beat the crap out of him to be honest.
 
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