It’s the third quarter with a little over two minutes left, and the Texas Longhorns are down 23-8 against the Georgia Bulldogs. It’s an interception. But a flag is down on the field, and fans explode. The student section begins flinging water bottles and beer cans onto the field, expressing their outrage and pleading to overturn the call. The ground is now flooded with trash, subsequently delaying the game.
After review, the call is overturned and the Longhorn’s interception stands.
This moment will go down in college football history — UT students’ rowdy behavior appeared to influence a referee ruling. Even though Longhorn fans were showing support for their team, their actions were entirely uncalled for and wholly unsportsmanlike. It begs the question: did this decision set a precedent that bad behavior allows teams to get their way?
“Respect, sportsmanship and fairness are the values that drive our program, and we expect all of our fans to uphold these standards. We are committed to fostering a positive environment for all participants, teams, officials and fans, and we will take steps to ensure that this type of behavior does not happen again,” said Kevin Eltife, the UT System Board of Regents chairman, President Jay Hartzell and athletics director Chris Del Conte, Vice President and Lois and Folger athletics director, in a statement.
Coincidentally, creating an environment that delays a game and allows potentially dangerous behavior is subject to consequence — in this case the SEC’s fine of 250,000 dollars. All because our fans decided to trash our own field.
“I don’t think that throwing water bottles was the appropriate reaction coming from a team who (was) supposed to be the number one team in the nation. I don’t think that that’s the kind of sportsmanship that we should be showing,” said government junior Isabella Perez, who saw the incident first-hand in the student section.
Fans are supposed to support their team. However, the extent to which the fans expressed their disagreements with the referee’s call exceeded school spirit. The hostility against the referees’ decision delayed gameplay and cost the Longhorns hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Not only were these actions unsportsmanlike, they were also dangerous. The trash that students were throwing could have directly hit players, coaches and other workers on the field.
“A lot of my coworkers were (in the north endzone), and one of them got hit by a water bottle. Her whole arm was purple, and she went home,” said Catherine Pho, supply chain management senior and a marketing student assistant for the athletics program who worked the Georgia game.
So, how will this decision affect the future of college football? Since the call was overturned, there is worry that other teams will follow in the Longhorns’ footsteps and trash their own fields, delaying gameplay and causing a ruckus. Just a week after our water bottle incident, a similar display occurred during the Ohio State-Nebraska game.
This may not be the first time that any student section has acted out against a referee’s call or disrupted the motions of gameplay, but that does not let the Longhorns off the hook for their actions during the Georgia game. It is our job as students to be respectful fans and support our team in a way that showcases a positive image of our university.
Unsportsmanlike actions have significant consequences, which should persuade students to refrain from this conduct in the future. As young adults at a prestigious university, students should remember that their character and showcase of sportsmanship matters in how we are perceived and who we are as people.
Petry is a government sophomore from Rowlett, Texas.
