[NU Sports] Texas and Ohio State's Criminal Fans

[John Labbe]

I've attended two games at the Shoe and haven't encountered anything  
unusual about the fans.  I was taunted by a few, but no more so that at  
some other stadiums.  Nothing criminal.  You have to be prepared for  
this kind of thing at an away college football game.  Frankly, I  
wouldn't recommend it for children, but I wouldn't recommend Ohio  
Stadium for young children regardless of which team they're for.  Not  
because I'd fear for their physical safety, but because of language,  
etc.

On the thread cited below, I'd say the fans had mixed experiences.   
Most admit that the majority of the fans (alumni etc.) were not  
hostile.  Some of the posts are a bit far-fetched to believe, like the  
second-hand account of a guy getting in a fight that involved breaking  
somebody's neck in self defense and breaking another man's arm.  Sounds  
a little exaggerated to me, and in any case, it sounds like the UT guy  
got the better of the fight.  Another guy claims he was bumped into by  
a drunken fan.  OK, big deal.  Like he's never been bumped into before.

Having said that, OSU has had some big problems with students and  
others causing violence and burning stuff (like cars) after games in  
the nearby neighborhoods in recent years.  I lived in Columbus for a  
year two years ago, and I have family there.  I don't recall that any  
of the worst issues were really directed at opposing fans.    Notably,  
some of the worst has been committed by student-age, but non-student  
punks, although with 50,000 students, you've got some bad apples in the  
bunch.  If you were to attend a game there, just as anyplace else, it  
would seem to go without saying that you wouldn't bust into a crowd of  
drunk 20-somethings after the game wearing a Northwestern t-shirt.  But  
as far as being concerned about getting smashed over the head with a  
liquor bottle outside the stadium, etc., I think you're pretty safe.


On Sep 12, 2005, at 9:53 PM, BSchooler at aol.com wrote:

> First, let's address the hatred some people have for the Texas football
> program. I know some people just don't like some teams. That's okay.  
> But beyond
> that, Texas is a football program that should be admired; not  
> despised. They do
> things the right way. Texas is one of the premier public universities  
> in the
> country. They have not built the program "by hook or by crook". I  
> honestly can't
> remember the last scandal at UT. Well, Cedric Benson broke into the  
> wrong
> apartment trying to recover a plasma TV that was stolen from him. Star  
> players
> flunk out if they don't have the grades. Mack Brown is a nice person;  
> not a
> bully like some coaches I could name. Visiting fans are always treated  
> with
> respect. I've been going to UT games since 1986 and I've never seen  
> any kind of
> incident with visiting fans.
>
> Which brings me to the next subject. What happened in Columbus before  
> and
> after the Texas game is criminal and a disgrace to the Big Ten. The  
> behavior of
> some OSU fans is criminal. Something needs to be done about this.  
> Texas fans
> and the media are reporting the worst behavior ever experienced by  
> Texas fans at
> an away game. Here is just one thread on HornFans:
>
> http://forums.hornfans.com/php/wwwthreads/showflat.php? 
> Cat=&Board=football&
> Number=3616477&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=
>
> I went to the OSU vs. Oklahoma game in 1977 and don't remember  
> anything like
> this. Do Northwestern fans get treated like this in Columbus? Come on,  
> folks.
> This is outrageous. You may not like Texas, but I can assure you no  
> visiting
> fans have ever been treated like this in Austin. The Big Ten has a  
> serious
> problem with Ohio State. The athletic programs are corrupt. The campus  
> is a
> dangerous place for visiting fans.
>
> Finally, for those of you who insist that Texas "stole" Cal's spot in  
> the
> Rose Bowl last year, I give you the most famous post in the history of  
> HornFans:
>
> http://forums.hornfans.com/php/wwwthreads/showflat.php? 
> Cat=&Board=classics&
> Number=2996885&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=
>
> Please read this post written by SynTex in early December, 2004. This
> extremely well written and researched post may change your mind about  
> some things.
> BTW, HornFans is an incredible college football internet site.  
> Privately run and
> financed. You may even enjoy it.
>
> Bob Schooler
>
>
>
>
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