![[File Photo] Students cheer for the Broncos at 2015 homecoming game.](https://therideronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Homecoming_09112015_Football_MBell_1-1.jpg)
The football players start off with a strong season. Some fans, however, are off to a weak one. Inappropriate language and behavior should not be used in the student section at football games.
Football games, or any sporting event for that matter, should be a family event. Games typically have small children attending who do not need to hear bad language – some who are, at times, intoxicated. These children look up to the students then they excitedly read rude and vulgar signs and hear chants designed to sound like cuss words. Parents should feel comfortable to bring their children to watch their older sibling or big cousin play without the fear their child might be exposed to inappropriate actions and chats by the student section. Football, although competitive, should be friendly. It shouldn’t be acceptable to be aggressively rude to the other team.
While football games act as a casual social event, for the players, these games mean a lot. Football players practice all week and wait in heavy anticipation for Friday nights. While players appreciate the presence of students in the student section, when bad language even upsets the referees, it interferes with the game. Football players do not show up to choir concerts, art shows or swim meets in this manner, so it shouldn’t be acceptable for anyone else in the student body to do the same.
Friday night football games usually attract not only residents of Mansfield, but surrounding communities. In this instance, the few teenagers in the student section represent the thousands of students and hundreds of staff members who make up our entire school. Unfortunately, Legacy has the reputation of being rednecks, and nobody should be blamed for thinking so when the behavior at football games proves the stereotype correct.
Some students complain about our lack of dances besides prom, but if we show this type of behavior at football games, dances and other freedoms should be completely out of the question.
The amount of school spirit and pride that our student section shows weekly stands out immensely. Each year school spirit rises. And kudos for the large amount of fans supporting our team in a classy manner. However, it should never be okay to transfer that spirit into embarrassing, reckless behavior, bad language, inappropriate chants or degrading the other team. Legacy High School has a higher standard.
Football games should be fun, but they should be fun for everyone.
Tony Denson • Oct 9, 2016 at 11:58 pm
Well written article! Love ya!!
Ethan Cole (Lion) • Sep 28, 2016 at 8:18 am
I agree the intoxication is out of hand, you don’t have to be intoxicated to have a good time at a football game. But i have spoke with multiple football players and they said that they like the vulgar language. They say it fuels their fire and it intimidates the other team. Now parents i understand you don’t support the language because of children, may i remind you that there is a whole stadium, and the students have their one section. So you don’t have to hear the language. The student section has been saying the same thing for the past 3 years, and i don’t understand why you decide to say something now. This article is making students want to say more vulgar things. So you should reconsider this article.
Nichols Peña • Sep 27, 2016 at 11:34 pm
Kendra, I must say this was a fantastic article. And I love your opinion. If I had the chance to write an article it would be very similar to this. The only thing I would change is the approach. As you can tell by the rest of the comments, a lot of people feel insulted or more angry really. I feel that everything you said was right but the whole redneck thing had no need to be said. I feel like what could have been said instead of that is ‘Our school has a reputation for being overhasty at school events and I feel it leaves a bad example for us as a union and should be attended to by being calmer as a whole but still energetic.’ That might have ended all the hatred(or most) from the students/parents commenting on this article. Other than that, this was a very great article and I’m proud of your writing skills and the way you executed most of this work. Its excuisite. Thank you!
Jeremy Ferman • Sep 27, 2016 at 10:01 pm
I agree with Kendra.
As a teacher at Legacy since the school opened I have a lot of pride in the traditions at the school and the way the school has grown. However, I agree that the student section has gotten out of hand.
I had my 3 year old daughter down there one game last year and I heard what they say and I will not bring her back down there. I have been pretty vocal about it when students bring up the student section and begin defending the “traditions.” It is rude and vulgar and it reflects poorly on our school, and the kids, as is obvious from their comments on this page, don’t get it.
The students that aren’t saying the kickoff chant or screaming negative comments are overshadowed by the negative ones. Unfortunately, we are often judged more by who we hang around with than our own character. So, if you don’t want to be lumped into this “stereotype” or negative group either do something to change it or create a separate group that is louder, more organized and more positive!
That’s my two cents.
Rebekah • Sep 27, 2016 at 9:24 pm
Couldn’t have said it better.
Fernando F • Sep 27, 2016 at 8:47 pm
Touchy subject to write about but one that needed to be told. Anyone who is upset about this shouldn’t be upset at Kendra but the people in the stands that drink and use vulgar language. This story should encourage the student section to stop the negativity like this because this shows you that people see this stuff. It only took one person to build the courage to tell it. As for Kendra I’m proud of the piece and can’t wait for the next. Keep up the good work and don’t let anything stop you especially this.
JT • Sep 27, 2016 at 7:18 pm
I don’t think I agree with everything in the story either, but it sounds like it really is a problem or so many people wouldn’t care. Good job.
Christa K • Sep 27, 2016 at 6:34 pm
I think this was a great opinion piece. When I used to be in band I would sometimes hear some really odd things and really bad language. However, the bad language is a given and I hear it every day at school anyway.
But my parents would always come to the games when I was there for band and they would bring my little brother and sister. Would I want them to hear what these people say? No.
Language needs to be cut down to a minimum, especially when there are a bunch of families there. That doesn’t mean cut down the enthusiasm for our team. That doesn’t mean any of that, it just means that there is a time and place for actions, and that isn’t the place.
John D • Sep 27, 2016 at 6:06 pm
Completely agree. I’ve been weary of attending any football games myself because I know the language and actions used by most students during games leave a bad taste in my mouth. I’d go as far as to say that students begin to forget the real reason they’re attending (the same could be said about other social groups such as Young Life). Thank you for standing for what you believe in and I commend you for writing this.
Addy O'Barr • Sep 27, 2016 at 5:20 pm
Kendra, I’m proud of you for writing this I know it’s hard to hear somethings people say. I’m on the sidelines in front of the student section every football game and some of the things the student section says is uncalled for and rude. Also, many people don’t know what happens before they arrive but people have come to games highly intoxicated and barely able to properly function. Also, it is called an opinion piece for a reason this is her opinion and I agree with it. I also agree with the fact that it’s a student section and we should have fun but there’s a way to have fun and not look like fools.
Craig Nealey • Sep 27, 2016 at 5:02 pm
As a previous Bronco Football player, I will way that most of the football players don’t even pay attention to the words being said in the crowd, all we hear is noise TBH ? So it really is uncalled for to use vulgar language, or Negative chants. Support is everything, your chants aren’t, being there loud and in school colors is all that is needed! Good article Kendra , don’t shy away from heavy topics keep writing!
Shawn • Sep 27, 2016 at 3:43 pm
The fact that the parent agrees with the article and the students do not says a lot in of itself. Maybe it is just a few students who are modeling this behavior but it only takes the loudest few to give a bad image of the whole. Obviously the few talked about was pretty loud otherwise this article was would not have even been thought of. I can vouch for the author, she does not make an issue about something unless it truly is an issue. Also, if it was just a few and not everybody else, maybe everybody else needs to tell that few to shut up. I also can’t help to ask where the teachers and security with all this?
Editor • Sep 27, 2016 at 11:32 am
To Clarify-
A previous photo used in this story was an illustration and doesn’t represent the individuals seen within. Please remember this is an opinion piece, and we welcome yours. Please share your view by leaving a comment here.
Gare Carmona • Sep 27, 2016 at 10:55 am
Honestly, an opinion piece like this should be taken lightly. You make generalizations and use stereotypes to define the actions of a few “reckless teens” It’s absurd that you try to twist the fun that students have at football games into something “aggressive” and “inappropriate”.
Garrett Shadwick • Sep 27, 2016 at 9:37 am
I understand the point of this article but I do not agree with how you approached it. Do you think that calling people “reckless” and “ignorant rednecks” are going to make them open to hearing what you have to say? Yes the student section can get out of hand at times, but name calling and generalizing the whole student section for mistakes a few make is unfair.
Brittney N • Sep 27, 2016 at 9:31 am
This comment box says to speak my mind and I intend to do just that. Though I will be the first to admit that teenagers can be wildly reckless and annoying at times, the behavior that I see exhibited at the football games is actually inspiring. Students of all ages in the section getting overly joyous TOGETHER to cheer for our team. Freshman and Sophomore year, I was in the marching band. All I ever wanted was to be apart of the student section to be a little crazy and get pumped up for the games our boys put on for us. Just because a few mistakes are made, to call out the student section is wildly inappropriate and quite frankly, ridiculous. There is a division being made and with all the division in the world, I think it would be more important to support the student section to be more unified and encourage others to join the section. As a senior here, I have never been to the student section, but it has been my goal to make sure I do. I want to feel more apart of this school given its my last year, and I plan to do so. By JOINING my student section.
Lauren Hargrove • Sep 27, 2016 at 9:12 am
This is such a well-written piece. So proud of you for voicing your opinion over this hard topic.
Jason T • Sep 27, 2016 at 12:46 am
Great opinion piece! I am a parent who has a student on the sideline. I’ve noticed some of the bad language and chants myself. I don’t think it represents Legacy well. My guess is there are enough good students in the stands having fun that could shut down the inappropriate stuff. I’m proud to be a part of the Legacy family. Thanks for this well-written story.
Meagan Mesch • Sep 26, 2016 at 11:34 pm
I love how one student within the audience of our football team’s student section can respresent the student body as a whole. The descriptions of our students was uncalled for. Just like the article I just read.
Sarah Turner • Sep 26, 2016 at 11:09 pm
I agree that students should not show up to any school event intoxicated, or under any influence at all. But, it seems like you labeled the majority of the student section in behaving in such ways. I agree that some of the language used in instances like kick off should probably not be used, but I do not agree that our student section is reckless and embarrassing. I think that our fans get excited about the game because I don’t know, maybe the majority of them are actually paying attention? I am also a bit unsure about how our “reckless behavior” at football games, which really isn’t reckless, proves the stereotype that legacy is occupied if a large number of ignorant rednecks. That’s just a stereotype that people have put on legacy based on the small number of trucks with american or confederate flags in the back and the clothes certain beings choose to wear. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about things, I know this, but I just think that this article made our school look worse than it is by making our student section seem as if it is occupied by a bunch of intoxicated, reckless, and embarrassing teenagers, considering that The Rider Online is read by people all over the metroplex and even beyond that.
Hayden • Sep 26, 2016 at 10:55 pm
This story was a joke