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A pledge from a Jayhawk


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Hello Bulls fans,

Let me start by saying congratulations on your big win.  You beat my Jayhawks fair and square.  I didn't like losing the game, but you have a great team.  I wish you well with the rest of your season.  This, however, isn't the reason I joined your message board and am posting what will probably be my only message.

I'm usually a lurker on other team's message boards.  I usually look, but I rarely join and butt my nose in.  This time I felt compelled to speak out. 

One of my best friends is retired.  He and his wonderful wife experienced a frightful experience at Friday's game.  It got to the point where they feared for their safety so much that he tried to call 911 in hopes that he could get a police escort out of the stadium to their rental car.  He was unable to get a phone connection.  (probably too many USF fans calling friends to celebrate the win.)  Thankfully they both were able to make it back to their rental car safely.

Let me be very clear.  I realize that most of the fans in the stadium were not causing the problems.  For those of you that weren't, thank you.  How many of you TRIED TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION?

I'm not wanting to lump everyone together.  I will say that when my friend told me his story, I wanted to punch someone.  Thankfully, both he and his wonderful wife made it back to their car safely.  Their clothes smelled of beer, even though neither of them drink.  (Thanks to a shower from a Bulls fan.)  It was a relief for them just to get away.  What they experienced was not just a few drunk fans being idiots.  It was systematic abuse.  It was repeated constantly from the moment they got out of their rental car, through the entire game, and didn't stop until they drove away.

This incident has caused me to look at KU fans and games in a new light.  I NEVER want any visiting fan to come to a KU game and be treated like my friends were at Tampa.  While KU's fan culture is mostly one of respect, I'm very aware that we always will have a few idiots.

I encourage USF fans to ask yourselves a few questions:

1.  Do you want to have future games against quality opponents?

2.  How many athletic departments around the country will want to subject their most loyal travelling fans (who usually are the biggest donors) to contant abuse at your stadium?

3.  What will USF's strength of schedule look like as quality opponents dry up?

4.  Which of YOU is going to be part of the solution?

Your athletic department, school administration, and officials can only do so much.  If USF fan culture is going to improve THE FANS MUST MAKE IT HAPPEN. 

This incident has inspired me to take a pledge to make certain that I'm doing my part to prevent visitors from being mistreated at KU games.  I invite every USF fan to join me and take the same pledge.

I pledge that every time I go to a game, that I will go out of my way to find visiting team's fans.  I will find them as they get out of their car and greet them warmly.  I will walk with them to the Stadium/Fieldhouse and show them the kind of respect that I would want to be shown.  I will try to talk about the game with them and share a few laughs.  I will still cheer for my team as loudly and as passionately as possible, but win or lose, I will respect the visiting fans.  After the game I will go out of my way to walk visiting fans to their car and give them a positive send-off.  Whenever possible, I will invite a group of polite fans to join me in my walks with vistors. 

It's not enough for me to feel bad for a visiting fan that had a bad experience.  It's not enough to report bad behaviour.  I must go out of my way to MAKE the visitors feel welcome and prevent bad incidents from happening to begin with.

Once again, you played a great game.  Congratulations on your win.  I hope you can create a fan culture that is deserving of the great team that you have.

Who would like to join me in my pledge?  Is there anything that should be added to it?

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i see you asking how many of us were part of the solution.

Most of us never saw the actions you and others describe.

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I never saw anything close to what you speak of Friday night.  And if I ever saw someone, a USF fan, dump a beer on a retired couple.........it would be on.  And I'm sure there are a lot of people on this board that would have stepped in to say something or to notify authorities.

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I've been like this since I started at USF in 2002.  I always make sure to try to greet other fans and make them feel welcomed.  For the KU game I greeted several fans on the way in and made sure to wish everyone a safe trip home on the way out.

I'm sure most people are not rude, you know every school has bad apples.  I'm glad that your friends were able to make it to their car ok.  I can guarantee you that it was probably students.  They get that group mentality once one jackass starts something... we're trying to fix it with the Respect A Bull campaign we have going on.  Again, sorry your friends went through that, just remember, most of us are not like that.

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This is getting alittle old guys. I did not see anything while at the stadium and am not saying it did not happen but what I am saying is that some KU fans are over reacting alittle I doubt it was that bad.

As for your friend I am sorry he feels that way but let him come and tell us not someone who was not there to see it.

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i see you asking how many of us were part of the solution.

Most of us never saw the actions you and others describe.

I for one saw none of the actions described. I already live up to this pledge every game! I try to step in when I see anything unexceptable going on! Wish more people did!!

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I pledge that every time I go to a game, that I will go out of my way to find visiting team's fans.  I will find them as they get out of their car and greet them warmly.  I will walk with them to the Stadium/Fieldhouse and show them the kind of respect that I would want to be shown.  I will try to talk about the game with them and share a few laughs.  I will still cheer for my team as loudly and as passionately as possible, but win or lose, I will respect the visiting fans.  After the game I will go out of my way to walk visiting fans to their car and give them a positive send-off.  Whenever possible, I will invite a group of polite fans to join me in my walks with vistors. 

It's a bit much... seems like something typed out of pure rage and anger and simply disgruntled that we aren't butlers. Sorry, this is not my house or my family's house. You can find your way around. Not to be a ****, but I'm 100% sure you don't walk opposing team's fans to the stadiums and usher them to their seats. I will not wave at you while you drive down Dale Mabry looking out of the back of your car crying.

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I really find this shocking, and this is not the first I have heard about people having a rough time at this game. This I think is the exception and not the norm. Most of the fans that sit up top are new to USF and going to games, but that is still no excuse. As someone that travels to a lot of our road games, I expect a level of respect for being a loyal fan that is willing to spend the extra money to support our team, while most of the people that harase the traveling fans aren't the ones that will travel for their team. I know a lot of people in our section go out of their way to thank the other teams fans for coming out, win or lose, its a shame that some people just can't control themselves. Must be Bucs fans...

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I was purposely looking for poor behavior from our fan base as I left the stadium. I am happy report that from Sect. 234 until we reached our car I did not witness 1 sight of bad sportsmanship or poor behavior from any of our fans. Just some rowdy USF chants, but nothing obnoxious. In fact, I made it a point to thank and congratulate every KU fan I passed as I walked out of the stadium.

With that being said, I am almost positive that those who experienced "bad fans" were seated in the corners of the upperdeck at Ray Jay. It seems that these new "fans" that we have are not behaving themselves up there. I would venture to guess that 95% of us on this board are either season ticket holders or students. In the lower bowl I only witnessed Bull-On-Bull violence and one idiot who tried to run on the field. Other than that, there were NO incidents of bad behavior.

We will all continue to be dilligent in making sure our fans don't behave like jerks. However, if my instincts are correct, the ones who are truly the problem are the "fans" in the corners of the upper deck. Hopefully the University will pay for uniformed police to patrol the upper deck and remove/arrest those who are crossing the line.  

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