In Defense of Booing

Early in Saturday's Seahawks game the Seattle fans started booing the Seahawks offense for its ineptitude. The Seahawks terrible offensive line has cost them several games this year. Probably all five of their losses can directly be blamed on the inability to block for the quarterback and the running back. The 12's, as Seahawks fans are known, were beyond frustrated with the crap sandwich that is the offensive line. They were angry at management's complete and total failure to address the obvious need on the offensive line at any point since the 2016 playoff loss to the Panthers. They decide to vocalize that frustration in a cascades of boos. This was shocking to hear at CenturyLink Field. The 12's are a rabidly loyal group. They will usually defend players and coaches to a fault. So, see the frustration boil over into booing was unexpected, but it was completely warranted. All fans have a right to boo to express their displeasure and frustration with a team's failures.

As a sports fan there are not a lot of options to try and drive change into your favorite team. Players and management hold almost all of the power related to the on field product. The most obvious and impactful action fans can take, no longer buying tickets and ending games, is also the most risky. While refusing to pay money to attend games will send a message to management the resulting outcome may not be the desired one. Seeing empty stands and dropping revenue the team may decide that the market just can't support the team and then decide to move them elsewhere (e.g. The Saint Louis Rams). In this case the fans completely lose because they no longer even have a team to root for.

Another option to try and drive change into the team is using the media (newspapers, blogs, radio, etc) to bring attentions to the failures and the needed changes. This is an important step. Media needs to highlight these failings because they can reach the large fan base and educate them about the problems. However, media alone will not change the problems. It is easy for coaches and players to ignore sports media as just noise. They can write them off as talking heads trying to drive up ratings. It is only if the fans themselves react to these publications that the team has to listen.

Booing is the clearest and most direct way for fans to literally make their displeasure heard. A loud and consistent booing makes it clear to everyone involved with the team that whatever is going on is unacceptable. It is a call for action to fix whatever it is that ails the team. The players, the coaches, the training staff, the front office, and ownership all hear the chorus of anger and frustration from the fans. Those who do press conferences will be forced to address it in the media. The only way to make it stop is to address the issues that lead to the booing.

Now fans should not boo at whatever small transgression or failure occurs. Verbal beratement of a team should be saved for extended periods of failure or calls for major change. Booing because a single event in a single game doesn't go your way is a misuse of the power of the boo. Using the boo too often creates a sort of crying wolf situation; it becomes much simpler to ignore the jeering of the crowd. Players and management will still hear the calls for action, but they will ignore them knowing that they are used so

Sports fans are often captive to the whims of the teams they follow. It is difficult to influence the outcome or directions of teams. Management and players have a much more direct role to play. However, that does not mean that fans are powerless. They have a few tools at their disposal the most effective of which is booing. Fans shouldn't use this power frivolously because it will render the power moot, but they should use it when teams continuously fail in unacceptable fashion.