Every team in the NCAA March Madness Tournament has at least one thing in common. Regardless of jersey or seeding, at their core, the team is a group of young college students probably not used to the national attention they’re receiving.
The tournament is one of the biggest stages in all of sports, and among the few where most of the participating players are under the age of 22. The athletes have to go to class, practice, don’t get paid, have to worry about their future and navigating the social scenes of college, and they also act as role models to thousands of even younger sports fans.
When thinking of the players as individuals with their own lives and emotions, rather than just some person on a court, some of the mocking following a big loss seems less funny. After some of the biggest losses in the tournament, angry sports fans take to the internet. While people are obviously going to be upset, some of the comments go beyond just the athletes' performances, instead focusing on how sad they look after a loss or aspects of their appearance.
Look at Twitter threads following the UVA upset or even after UNC’s own loss. While a majority of the comments are all in good, expected fun, you’ll find a mix of mean-spirited ones too that hopefully most people would consider beyond the scope of what's acceptable.
Every Tar Heel knows how hard our UNC basketball seniors worked and how much joy they brought fans. That said, we, as UNC fans, must therefore realize our role in supporting both UNC players and doing the same for other college athletes.
The current level of mockery following some games is uncalled for, especially since many athletes cannot comment back and uphold their role model status. For this reason we don’t see college players responding to criticism on social media as much as professional athletes, and college players are often less able to defend themselves online.
Sure, if you’re playing in the tournament you have to understand that people are going to react, often with humor, to its outcomes. Heckling is a time-honored tradition of sports culture for a reason.
It is important to remember, however, that the players see those hurtful comments, and while it may not bother some, it certainly has an impact on others. These players are already going through a lot, and even if they’re rivals, they still deserve to be treated fairly and kindly. March Madness will always have juicy upsets to tweet about, but let’s not force players to live in prolonged shame after the game.
Being decent, respectful fans is a big part of the Carolina Way. Let’s not forget that.
