On Thursday Night, I ventured over to Dorrance Field to check out the Women’s Lacrosse Quarterfinal NCAA match between UNC and the Stanford Cardinal. It was the third time this season that the Tar Heels and the Cardinal had faced off this season, and each time ended with the Tar Heels winning.
The vibe was different because we are in that weird period between graduation and the start of summer classes in which there is basically no one on campus, and because it’s an NCAA event there’s a charge to
attend. So, despite the level of competition, there weren’t a ton of fans for this very important match. There were a good number though, and it was loud enough when Carolina kept scoring. It was also a family event with several kids running around as it was a rare opportunity to see championship-level competition for a reasonable price.
There was one section of the stands, though, that was very loud, and that was an entire section of Stanford fans.
It was a weird vibe. The game itself is the equivalent to the Elite 8, so it would be pressure packed and those rooting for their team would do so with passion. On top of that, if you’re following Stanford, there’s a decent chance you flew in from some far-flung location in order to support your team. Some loud cheering for the opponent was expected.
The problem was with this group of fans, it went beyond just typical cheering for their squad. There was a complete lack of awareness of the situation and it seemed like several people in that crowd were acting as if it were a packed stadium and they had to shout to be heard. I actually felt bad for the Stanford players if these folks were family members, because the amount of f-bombs that were dropped would make South Park blush. There was also more than a few of them that had been overserved, including one younger fan who might have been a student just holding a beer the whole time. He thought he was clever by calling out UNC players who were diving and saying they won Grammys. Just above us was an older woman clearly also overserved and screaming things in a slurring voice that I won’t type out.
It reminded me of the reputation of that fanbase. As they are new members of the ACC we haven’t had much exposure to them, but I remember stories of how at the basketball arena they were trying to model themselves after Cameron Indoor Stadium. Their mascot is a competition about whomever can make the most messed up tree. The band is bad — just bad — and they don’t care that they are bad; they actually seem to revel in it. Look up stories on the Stanford Band and you’ll see what I mean. I was just so annoyed that I cheered louder with every Carolina goal and bit the hell out of my tongue to keep from saying something.
It all made me wonder if they are the most annoying collegiate fanbase I’ve encountered. I’m excluding State and Duke fans from this discussion for a pretty simple reason — the proximity to both schools and the feelings we have about them of course make UNC fans feel like they are annoying. The funny thing is that we probably grew up with members of our family or went to school with friends who rooted for those schools. So it’s too easy to say they are the most annoying fanbase.
What I mean is — outside of those two rival schools — what fanbase is the most annoying? Some of us were introduced to Arizona fans during the coaching search. I’ve mentioned Stanford fans. Texas A&M fans feel like they are a full-on military institution when they have no affiliation whatsoever.
So use the comments — respectfully, mind you — to let us know. What is the most annoying collegiate fanbase you’ve dealt with?
