Holbrook, Coleman, Geiger lead panel on fan behavior

COLUMBUS – Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook, Athletics Director Andy Geiger and Mayor Michael B. Coleman will provide leadership to university, civic, sports and public safety officials from around the nation convening in Dallas today (2/20) to discuss the growing problem of fan behavior.

The three are on the opening panel in the first Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit, which is being organized by a coalition of university academic and intercollegiate athletics leaders, including commissioners from all NCAA Division I conferences. The coalition grew out of the annual meeting of NCAA Football, which consists of the American Football Coaches Association, the Collegiate Commissioners Association, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

In Dallas, Holbrook will outline the scope of the problem of “celebratory riots” that has become a national issue with which many colleges and universities are struggling. “These riots are fueled by the excessive use of alcohol, and Ohio State is not alone in experiencing them. At Ohio State and in Columbus, we have some of the best minds working on trying to solve this problem, and we plan to share what we learn with others around the country,” she said.

Following the riots that occurred on in the south campus neighborhoods in the early morning hours of Nov. 24, 2002, Holbrook and Coleman convened the Task Force on Celebratory Riots to study their root causes and seek workable solutions in Columbus – and in other cities that have experienced similar melees. The post-Michigan-game riots received national attention, as did disturbances after several other college games in Washington, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

Weeks before the Ohio State – Michigan game, Holbrook raised the issue of fan behavior and its ability to negate the university’s academic strengths. She asked students and fans to “think, use moderation and show respect.”

Geiger said Holbrook was right to raise the issue. “There’s a fundamental climate of disrespect that is pervasive in our society,” he said. “While we have made great progress in encouraging good sportsmanship on the part of our players, we have not carried the same message to our fans.”

He also criticized the beer commercials that pay for many sports telecasts, saying they encourage “rowdy behavior, in one instance even rioting, and are at best very disrespectful of women. The number and themes of beer commercials during our games causes me to wonder why we are surprised at the amount of beer consumed and the boorish behavior caused by the drunkenness that results.”

Geiger said that, while stronger enforcement will help control the crowd, universities should develop programs for students, alumni and other supporters that engage them in sportsmanship, mutual respect, respect for the opposition and a concept of what a true team is all about. “In so doing, we must be clear as to the message we are delivering directly through game management techniques and indirectly through changing the kinds of messages being delivered by our media partners and sponsors,” he said.

Coleman said that the “celebratory riots” are not only tarnishing the image of the City of Columbus, but are damaging the quality of life and safety of the neighborhoods around campus. In addition, the riots are taking a significant toll on the city’s fiscal and human resources. “The personnel overtime for our police officers, firefighters and public service staff has hit us hard.”

Coleman said that, while the task force report will provide new research and action steps for the Columbus community, he agrees with Holbrook that there are no quick fixes. “The only solution is a community solution that engages all stakeholders, all residents and all our resources to prevent the violence from occurring in the first place.”

The goal of the NCAA summit is to focus national attention on these matters and to identify issues and exchange ideas to open avenues of communication that will lead to a suggested guidelines and best-practices report for NCAA member institutions to use in setting local policy.