Robbie Czarnik - to boo or not to boo?
I am going to the Plymouth Whalers game this weekend. My initial reaction when Czarnik left Michigan was to boycott the Whalers as long as Czarnik was on the team, but I was outvoted by the rest of the family.
My next reaction was to plan on wearing my Michigan hockey jersey and booing Czarnik everytime he is on the ice.
Now I don't know. Seems as if his departure may have (at least in the short term) helped the team. Also, he is still a Michigan alumni and he did not disparage the school or team when he left.
So, I am asking for input, is booing too much?
December 4th, 2009 at 11:51 AM ^
If you want to boo professional athletes or grown men (remember the "Come after me, I'm a man" quote from the Oklahoma State coach last year in defending his player?), maybe that's ok, but I'd give this kid a break.
Plus, I think booing is generally kinda poor taste - but of course you don't have to cheer either.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:05 PM ^
With exceptions:
December 4th, 2009 at 12:33 PM ^
he's no longer an amateur. He IS a professional now. He gets paid, although not much. Despite his professional status and timining of departure, he was still part of our program's success last year. I'd keep it classy and politely applaud his contributions at UM. It's not like he pulled a MacVoy or Boren and went to the rival.
December 4th, 2009 at 11:52 AM ^
alone. if he wasn't happy like red said then he did the right thing by leaving. now if he would have talked shit on the way out the door then you have every right to boo him.
December 4th, 2009 at 11:53 AM ^
In general I don't like to boo. I think it sounds somewhat silly, and I hate it when fans boo their own team, regardless of the reason. However, I don't really have a problem with a Michigan fan wanting to boo Czarnik. He left his team midseason, which I think is a cardinal sin.
I probably still wouldn't boo him as he's just a young kid and as you said, he did not disparage the school after leaving, but I don't have a gripe with other people who want to. A side thought though - his younger cousin Austin Czarnik decommitted from MSU and was reportedly thining about coming to Michigan, probably don't want to engender bad spirits.
Also, I don't think Robbie is technically alumni since he didn't graduate.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:02 PM ^
He didn't graduate so he's not really an alumnus.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:28 PM ^
He still is enrolled in the U though, and plans on graduating.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:29 PM ^
Actually, I looked this up the other day, because I believed that you had to graduate to be an alumnus. You don't. An alumnus (alumna, alumni) only has to be someone who once attended a school. Graduation has nothing to do with it.
/semantics
December 4th, 2009 at 12:25 PM ^
If you feel the urge to boo, just make sure you do it when this guy is on the ice:
That way you're covered if anybody in the home crowd calls you out on it. "Hey, I'm saying Beau"
That way you're covered if anybody in the home crowd calls you out on it. "Hey, I'm saying Beau"
December 4th, 2009 at 12:56 PM ^
In nearly all cases, the answer to the question "Should I boo?" is going to be no. This is definitely not one of the few exceptions.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:21 PM ^
I think it would be wrong to boo him simply because he did what he thought was right (for him). If he didn't feel comfortable playing for Red, for whatever reason, then perhaps the correct thing was for him to leave.
Will you be booing Jack Campbell, at some point, too?
December 4th, 2009 at 2:59 PM ^
I met Campbell and Czarnik's cousin last week in Maine when they played against Bowdoin. What it comes down to is these kids just want to play hockey, have fun doing it, and be successful. They don't mean any harm to U-M if they transfer or decommit, just a personal choice. There are those rare cases where it's justified (Boren...), but I think we misjudge a young athlete when they make a life-changing decision to go against the school for whatever reason.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:35 PM ^
There is no reason to boo.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:32 PM ^
He decided to turn pro. It was an inopportune time, to be sure, as far as we are concerned, but he had to make a decision that was exceptionally important to his future and as he did not harm the university in any way, he doesn't deserve any crap.