Sports Talk

[Mr. Snackpants]

Some real good games yesterday. Winthrop didn't disappoint me, they were crushing ND for a bit there. The Va Tech-Illinios game was incredible. Tech has a real good full court press and it won them the game. What a meltdown by Illinois. Miami (Oh) just about knocked off Oregon. I was really rooting for them, they represented the MAC well.

I'm looking forward to UNC-MSU and Louisville-Texas A&M...those should be good games. I'm nervous about my NC pick, OSU. Xavier really wanted OSU and want to knock off the in-state opponent...anything could happen.

[Mr. Snackpants]

OSU-Xavier, Pitt-VCU, and Vandy-WSU....wow, what a day it was and theres still 2 games left.

Free throws were hard to come by today. It seemed like key FTs were being missed every game. The Pitt player missed 2 at the end of OT and a Xavier player did too. It was funny to see both of their FT forms change after they missed the first, you could tell how nervous they were.

[Kunoichi_Haruko]

VCU 79
Pitt 84

Bah. I wanted us to go to the Sweet Sixteen...

[OA]

Originally Posted by Kunoichi_Haruo

VCU 79
Pitt 84

Bah. I wanted us to go to the Sweet Sixteen...

Yea, that was a tough loss coming after that tremendous victory Friday..

Overall, another steller day of basketball...the games pretty close b/w North Carolina and MSU...looks like another game coming down to the end...

And oh yea, what an a**whoppin last night by my Gators...sure the first half was a bit close but we came out with some FIRE...now onwards to Purdue...

[jeff the cheff]

Great games yesterday I basically sat around and watched them all day..

But my bracket is ruined because I picked Maryland to go to the championship game..oops.

So now I do think that Florida will go to final four

[OA]

To be honest, I felt that Maryland and Oregon were the only real competeion for the Gators...which is why Im not surprised Wisconisin went down today...but I felt Maryland would make it to us, oh well...

Another great day of basketball overall...cant wait till next weekend now...

[Mr. Snackpants]

I was surprised Texas lost to USC, but I'm shocked they didn't even make it a game. Very impressed by USC. I didn't give them any credit as I picked them to lose in the first round.

[JetsAndHeels]

USC against my TarHeels next week...should be an interesting matchup.

Texas losing really messed my bracket up. I am sure it did alot of other peoples' also.

[Mr. Snackpants]

Originally Posted by JetsAndHeels

USC against my TarHeels next week...should be an interesting matchup.

Texas losing really messed my bracket up. I am sure it did alot of other peoples' also.

Final 4

I picked Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse to win it back when they won it and Texas reminded me of them...except Melo had a better supporting cast...and I liked OSU over them.

[JetsAndHeels]

Originally Posted by Mr. Snackpants

Final 4

Don't feel bad....I had Texas in my Final 4 as well.

The good thing about this is so many other people picked them to go deep so its not just us that will suffer from making the wrong selection.

[Mr. Snackpants]

Originally Posted by JetsAndHeels

Don't feel bad....I had Texas in my Final 4 as well.

The good thing about this is so many other people picked them to go deep so its not just us that will suffer from making the wrong selection.

Everyone in my pool picked UNC or Georgetown, so I was the only one...it woulda been awesome if Texas coulda done it. But now that Im out I can enjoy the games and root for whoever I want, so it's not so bad.

[OA]

Texas screwed up my bracet even worse: had them in the finals vs Florida...I know Durant was basically a 1 man army but I thought he could carry them...oh well..

USC has been very surprising...thought the'd lose to Ark...some very good games lining up for next weekend..

[Mr. Snackpants]

Well ive been suffering basketbal withdrawals today...

[Dinny]

Just out of interest, what are the crowds like at American basketball games? Is there chanting? A hostile atmosphere? No atmosphere?

[JetsAndHeels]

Originally Posted by Dinny

Just out of interest, what are the crowds like at American basketball games? Is there chanting? A hostile atmosphere? No atmosphere?

I go to Carolina games here and they are all loud and a great fan atmosphere. Sometimes we get rowdy at the calls or the visiting team (especially against Duke) but it is all part of the experience. It is alot of fun and every college basketball fan should experience a game live at least once.

And oh yes, we chant.

[Dinny]

You never seem to hear stories about riots in US sports matches. Why do you think that is? Do European and South American sports fans take it more seriously or is it simply just far more laid back in the US? And what is considered the "big derby" of the NBA? Presumably the atmosphere gets incredibly tense during that game.

[Mr. Snackpants]

I think the "soccer countries" of the world take it more seriously. Pro sport atmospheres arent all the great, but big time college sports atmospheres can be very loud and hostile. But overall I think fans of soccer(not in the US obviously) are just more into(loud, i.e. chanting) the game(ooor match? ).

[bmxbandit]

NC State lost to West Virginia in the NIT. they had way too many turnovers but still played good despite that.

[Mr. Snackpants]

Thank god it's thursday, i've been bored without bball. Since my bracket is basically done for, I'm just hoping for some good games. I'm really pulling for SIU. Ive like SIU since about 5 years ago when they were decent and big underdogs in the tourny. I hope they can beat Kansas.

[jeff the cheff]

Oh yea there are chants, sometimes hostile. Heres some examples from this past year at UConn games I've been to..

-getting in verbal fights with visitng fans, making fun of them, etc
-Booing the other team, and yelling "sucks" after they call their names, etc
-yelling "crackhead" at a syracuse player while freethrowing, he had been in some drug trouble..
-**** you, asshole, etc, for chants

Yea so those are only some examples, but its not that bad. It's all in fun, but we do go a little overboard sometimes.

Now as to why European fans are more violent, heres some theories from the Freakonomics blog I read a while ago:

So why, in a country with a higher rate of violent crime than in nearly every other developed nation, do we suffer so much less fan violence at sporting events? Here are a few theories:

1. Many soccer matches are more local affairs than U.S. sporting events, thereby attracting a lot of fans for both teams, who are more likely to mix it up than if 95% of the fans are rooting for the same team.

2. We have better security.

3. We drink less; many U.S. stadiums and arenas now cut off the sale of beer, e.g., before the end of the game.

4. Perhaps the audiences at U.S. sporting events don’t include the criminal element — the result, perhaps, of high ticket prices.

5. For years, there has been talk of how American sports, particularly football, are a proxy for war and true violence; maybe this is actually true.

So I think the proximity is the main reason. A good rivalry caused by the closeness of the teams, mixed with a split crowd from both sides, and there are going to be some fights.