Editorial: Save your boos for talk shows, message boards

Boos rained down from the rafters at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday evening. It was the third quarter of the Auburn-Arkansas game, the Tigers were struggling mightily on offense as they have all season, and had difficulty moving forward much less get a first down. The fans had seen enough.

Their frustration was released in unison. They could not believe what they were seeing — an inferior Arkansas football team whipping an Auburn team that was expected to challenge for the SEC championship this season. Instead, the multitude booed. They booed when it appeared Chris Todd was being chased out of the pocket and in an apparent attempt to throw the ball out of bounds, threw it instead into the waiting arms of a defender. It was something the young man should be accustomed to by now. Already, his mother, so frustrated from watching her son booed, received the welcomed advice from someone who should know how to handle the verbal abuse of her son — Brandon Cox’s mother.

The fans voiced their disapproval of the play calling, voiced their disapproval of the offensive strategy, and basically voiced their disapproval of all that had anything to do with the product on the field they cherish, including the young men wearing the uniform of Auburn University. So they booed. Loudly.

Fans pay $60 for a ticket to watch Auburn football. This ticket does not come with a money-back guarantee. Fans have a right to be angry. They didn’t pay to watch their team lose. They didn’t pay to watch their team offer some of the worst Auburn football performances in years.

Save your boos for the Internet message boards. Save your boos for the radio call-in shows. Don’t verbally abuse the young men who proudly wear those uniforms, those who work so hard to bring cheers to a sold-out stadium. They’re the ones who sweat in the spring and summer getting ready for the season. They’re the ones who sweat five days a week in preparation for the next game. They’re also angry and disappointed. Booing just pours salt on the wound.

Demand the coach’s head on the message boards, if you wish. Lambaste the play calling, the offensive formation or even the color of the end zone grass on the call-in radio show if you want to.

Refuse to buy a ticket or refuse to go to the games until someone pays for this mess on the field, if it makes you feel better.

But don’t boo your own team.

These kids aren’t professionals ...  and that’s part of the reason we love college athletics.