Is Molk Right About The Fans(Edited)?

empty water bottle throwing story.

Also, I was at the Wisconsin 08 game and at halftime people were booing. I was too busy sitting with my head in my hands wondering what the hell we had gotten ourselves into. Then we promptly had one of the best comebacks in Michigan stadium history in the 2nd half and won. 

I've seen it.  I called a guy behind me during the UTL game (not the RichRod era, but still) a "dick" for booing Denard and calling for Devin.

Let's not pretend that among 114,000, there aren't annoying pricks that boo, and let's not pretend it's the players job to distinguish between booing playcalling and booing the players.

Easy thing to do?  Support the team in thick and thin.   Period.

The idea that real fans won't boo is ludicrous. The fans support that program with the price of their ticket, which is the life blood of the Athletic Department. If they feel that they aren't getting their money worth, go ahead a boo. Some of the best and most rabid fan bases boo and boo regularly. It shows that they are interested in the team and that they have great expectations, which ultimately guards against indifference within the team/program. 

I understand that these kids aren't professional athletes, but its not like they don't get benefits from playing. 

And with the seat licenses and higher prices of tickets, fans should expect to see a great product on the field. 

EDIT-I am not talking about personal attacks on players or coaches, just the effort of the team/product on the field

I recall fans booing during the '07 Oregon debacle.   And I think there were some boos during Navarre's  first full year at starter when the offense was really struggling.

IMO boos are generally directed at the coaches, like someone said when not going for it on 4th and short or just packing it in at the half instead of trying to take a shot downfield.  That always drove people nuts.

I don't think I've ever booed, and I have only missed 2-3 home games in the last decade.

Having said all that - hey...  you want to play in the big boy stadium, and there is big boy pressure to play well.  You're not in high school anymore.  If you stink up the field, you just might hear some boos.

Yeah I remember some, mostly 2009/2010. I losses I went to in 2008 (Illinois and NW) everyone was just numbed off (emotionally or physically) to boo. But mostly as time was winding down in the first half and we were just running out the clock (happened this year a little too).

The biggest I remember was last year Wisconsin, especially when they did their sound test, from where I was sitting it seemed like more people were booing than just making noise

That's just stuff from the last few years, I wasn't at many games before that, but I remember hearing a rumor that the students were cheering Chad Henne being hurt during '07

there were boos during the RR era ... most of the time it was when the teams left the field for halftime (or anytime in 2010 when the FG team went on the field ... or missed it).  I was at every game and I heard it too ... never once have I booed other than at the opposition.

So as a player or coach, if you heard people boo ... you would make assumptions about who those people (idiots) were booing at.  It's pathetic that our fanbase would boo their own team.  Though in today's world I'm surprised some asshat didn't try to sue for "loss of entertainment" or some other fallacious reason.

Go Blue! 

Hate to disagree regarding fans not booing players.  I remember DISTINCTLY people getting all over Boubacar Cissoko for getting burned for what seemed like the 5th time in one game (I think it was the Sparty game). 

I rarely boo at the college level.  I typically reserved it for Wayne Fontes back in the day.  But Cissoko was brutal at times.

i was saying "boo-urns"

Yup, it definitely happened in 2008.  I don't remember the exact game where it was most prevalent, but maybe because that was the least cromulent year of Michigan football since the Depression.

they are still out there.

and I was there at the MSU 2010 game that is referred to in the book.  Fans that booed, were not boing the players, they were booing RR's decision to punt on 4th down instead of going for it with appx 6 minutes left in the game IIRC.  I remember yelling something at the time about giving up/not trying to win the game, but it was definitely directed at Rodriguez, NOT the players.

In my book, you never boo players unless they are professionals (being paid large sums of money to play the game as their job).  You don't boo college kids, HS kids or younger of course.

Of course we all(or most of us in stands) boo the opposing band when they play before the game.  I got chastised at the Ohio game by some guy two rows in front of me when I stated that Michigan fans were more polite and mature than Ohio fans.  I argued that booing the opposing band was in good fun toward the opposing "team" not the band members.  He remained disgusted by the act, but ironically had no problem with "You Suck" at the end of Temptation when our defense forced the opposition to punt.

I remember scattered halftime boos in the '80s when we weren't leading by 40 against random opponents.  It happens. However, I don't think it happens as much as players think it happens because players are understandibly sensitive to boos and criticism.

Every team gets boo'd from time to time.  In Michigan Stadium, 90% of the time, its because the offense didn't try to scoreright at the end of the half.  Everyone has their own justifications for joining in on it.  I think most would say they're booing certain play calls or coaching decisions (if not the coaches themselves) or they're booing what would appear to be a lack of effort (which is rare).  Other times you hear the boo birds is when we have several things go wrong in quick succession; like a bad 3 and out, followed by a crap punt, followed by our D giving up a TD in one play, followed by muffing the kick-off... THAT type of thing can bring out enough boos that soon, many fans join in, but the sense (at least for me) is that they're booing the apparent lack of focus not insinuating that the players don't care or don't work hard enough. 

I don't recall a time where I sat in the stands, personally felt like the kids we're playing their tails off, and were STILL getting boo'd.  At least not recently.  Some boos were of the "this is UMass!  They have no business being IN this game!  What the hell Dick Rod!?!" variety.   

As an example, the one time I recall hearing some "WTF?!" booing was the 1992 Illinois game.  That Michigan team was a juggernaut and the Illini we're "meh."  Should have been destroying them, but the conditions were miserable and our backs couldn't hang on to the ball to save their life.  The team, up to that point, had been crushing most everyone they played, so the fans were dismayed at the apparent ineptitude all-of-the-sudden.  I just remember thinking "these guys have been busting their ASSES this year, they're undefeated (with one tie to ND) and you're booing them at the half in the middle of a rain storm?"  I don't recall THIS kind of thing during the RR tenure, myself.

Football is supposed to be a tough game played by tough men.  If players/coaches performance is really effected by booing, than what does that say about their toughness.  

You have to take the good with the bad, the highs are high, and the lows are lows.  Comes with the territory.  

I agree that fans probably shouldn't boo as much at the college level compared to the NFL, but come on.  

So if a DE lines up over Lewan and starts talking smack, should that really effect his play?