The boo birds are out.A few Montana football fans, displeased with a bogged-down offense, let their feelings be known last Saturday as stubborn Cal Poly stymied the Grizzlies again and again.
Sunday night on his televised coach's show, Bobby Hauck - still giddy after the Griz pulled out a 10-9 victory - chastised those fans. He even suggested they stay home if they felt like bringing any negative energy to the game.
Hauck was correct to exercise his First Amendment right and protect his players, who, regardless of the score, do not deserve resentment.
In other words, never criticize volunteer labor. It's an unwritten rule, but it's a good one.
That's not to say you pessimists have to leave your lungs at home. Remember, you've got First Amendment rights, too. Besides, you probably put down pretty good money for that seat.
What is important is that you learn to focus your booing power in the right direction.
To help you do that, let's examine the origins of booing and its importance in history.
According to Sonia Smith on Slate.com, the first record of booing, not surprisingly, comes from Greece, the birthplace of democracy.
"At the annual Festival of Dionysia in Athens, playwrights competed to determine whose tragedy was the best," Smith writes. "When the democratic reformer Cleisthenes came to power in the sixth century B.C., audience participation came to be regarded as a civic duty. The audience applauded to show its approval and shouted and whistled to show displeasure."
And later, in Rome, audience participation often decided who lived or died at gladiatorial games. It was your civic duty to help the lions defeat the Christians.
Not much has changed. Two thousand years later, you watch and hope as bears devour whatever hapless foe wanders into Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Now, last we checked, we still live in a democracy. So when someone wanders in and starts beating up on your bears, you have a right to have a cow.
Which brings us back to Smith.
"While people have expressed displeasure publicly since ancient times," she writes, "the English word 'boo' was first used in the early 19th century to describe the lowing sound that cattle make."
For all we know it was some farmer with a bad head cold doing the describing, but at least we have arrived at the meat of the issue.
Here you are, having been herded through numerous gates. Food troughs have been set up at convenient locations, and you've got expensive UM brands on every visible part of your body.
I say moo all you want to.
But Griz fans intent on expressing displeasure need to make sure their intentions are clear. If you're going to moo - or boo - go after the guys who, as you see it, are being paid to inflict this modern tragedy upon you - the coaches.
They can handle it. Hauck said as much Sunday night. And they should be able to handle it. It comes with the territory.
Actually, it comes with the territory any time you get paid to venture onto the public stage. Referees endure almost constant harassment. And try writing a column criticizing Grizzly football - however mildly - and see how many thumbs-up you get.
Of course, booing coaches without making the players feel bad can be tough. It involves long-winded verbal skill, but if you must boo, be polite. It might go something like this:
"Coach(es), I am displeased with the type of offense you are running! Clearly, mass protecting quarterback Josh Swogger and sending all the receivers down the field without giving him an emergency outlet to throw to while defenses pin their ears back and sack Swogger at will is not working! Please rectify the situation posthaste! Oh ... and thank you!"
The coach can then respond between signaling in the next play: "You don't know what you are talking about, so please shut up! But thank you for your input!"
In this way, you've communicated your feelings to the proper people. On top of that, democracy has been preserved.
And that's something worth mooing about.
John Smithers is the assistant city editor at the Missoulian. He can be reached at 523-5257 or at jsmithers@missoulian.com.
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