We went to a basketball game last night that should have been a resounding victory for the home team. Throughout the game the home team led by a serious margin and played like champions. In the closing minutes of the game the style of play evaporated and the visiting team took advantage of it. Regulation time ended in a tie, and in overtime the visiting team prevailed.
The large, otherwise supportive and festive crowd booed.
It was a surprise to hear the sound coming from the previously ecstatic crowd. I saw the coach of the home team stare into the crowd several times, as shocked by the sound as we were. It occurred to me that boo is a word that describes a sound of disapproval from a gathering of people who wish to remain anonymous and ambiguous.
I’m not sure which message the booing sound was supposed to convey.
*Did the crowd want the home team to know that they didn’t like them anymore, having been let down by the loss?It doesn’t really matter. The booing was effective. It sent a negative message to the team and the coaches. “This was not a good outcome.” I’m sure that the post-game comments from the coach made sure that the team members knew that they had let the crowd down. That may not be the only object of the game, but it counts for something. Several thousand people gave up an evening, spent good money, and came to the game expecting a quality performance. They got it for most of the game, but then had it snatched away in the last few minutes as the home team became overconfident/sloppy/unresponsive…you choose the right word.
*Was the crowd booing the coach, the team members, the officials, or the other team for having embarrassed the home team?
* Was the boo an intentional sound, thought out and chosen as a means of expressing displeasure, or was it spontaneous, coming from the depths of disappointment and unable to be contained?
I’m not sure why I’m writing about this on this somber Sunday morning, except to note that while I was not one of the persons who booed I felt the same disappointment and discouragement with the outcome.
However, I think booing is cruel; it pierces the already deflated hearts of the players. I suppose some people think it might rally them the next time. I’m not sure that it works that way. But while I slept peacefully this past night, I’ll bet the coach and at least some of the players on the home team tossed and turned, hearing that awful sound in their heads.
On a scale of importance in the larger scheme of things, I might rate this issue a 2 out of 10. But, as I have said before in other blog postings, the smaller issues matter. They may be vaporous, lasting only for the season of one day, but they can be long-lasting in the memories of those on the receiving end of the issue. I'm not judging those who booed. In my heart I was one of them.
Definition: Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Photo Credit: Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc.
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