Sports fanatics who occupy seats at a stadium will likely chant to encourage their team. It’s part of the experience to vocally push and cheer their millionaire heroes to victory in their billion-dollar stadiums.
However, some fans like to vocally degrade opposing players in the same objective of giving their team an advantage.
Uplifting cheers and heckling are not only present at majestic professional stadiums but also at modest high school sports facilities.
“I just tune it out. Sometimes it’s funny but I just tune it out because I’m focused on the game,” said varsity boys basketball player Mason Hodges (11).
In basketball, when a player is fouled in the act of shooting the ball, play stops and that said player is sent to the free throw line. When at the charity stripe, the player is given one to three shots.
It’s proper etiquette to give the fouled player silence during their free throws, but oftentimes rowdy crowds will yell and boo in order to throw them off.
“When we shoot free throws in practice we always try to distract each other but you just gotta lock in and zone in on yourself. Keep everything out and zone in on the basket,” said Hodges.
The minds and ears of athletes are trained to automatically block out the noise from the bleachers.
“I kinda just ignore it, to be honest, I am pretty dialed in when I play. I know people are always going to talk. I just have to focus on my game because the moment I listen to them [hecklers] I’m off my game. I usually don’t let that happen and I make sure that doesn’t happen to my teammates too,” said girls varsity soccer player Zakiah Sesay (12).
In addition to ghosting the noise while in action, some athletes may find the heckling as a positive.
“At the end of the day, soccer is entertainment, everyone is going to have passion over it. Many people who are yelling are people who previously have played. It’s just the love of the game. Sometimes they motivate us, it brings up the intensity. If you hear your dad or your parents, your family yelling at the ref[eree], it motivates you and pushes you when you’re tired or when you’re exhausted,” said varsity boys soccer player Max Acosta (12).
Student-athletes are not global sports heroes, only youth. Hence, heckling at high school sporting events is something that is seen as rude or insensitive.
Despite the controversy, athletes do not mind the heckling.
“I get it how some people get offended by it but a lot of us [athletes] don’t really care. It’s part of the game. We just take it and we just play through it,” said Hodges.
