Can Players and Recruits Expect More from Internet Fans?

The internet can be a rough and tumble place, kind of like the old West except without all the gun play and dysentery. Recently, Vander Blue stepped back from

The internet can be a rough and tumble place, kind of like the old West except without all the gun play and dysentery.

Recently, Vander Blue stepped back from a scholarship opportunity from the University of Wisconsin's Bo Ryan, and fan site message boards and blogs had a little something to do with it. The 2010 shooting guard from Madison had this to say to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jeff Potrykus:

“Just to see how these so-called Wisconsin fans, what they had to say on those blogs,” he said, “it really made me second-guess: Do people really want me here? …

“These 40-year-old adults talking about somebody who don’t got their license yet. I just felt it was so unnecessary…

“Picture yourself in my position. Rumors going around, you’re just keeping quiet. And you read the article and 1,000 people throwing you under the bus, trying to find every reason, saying: ‘Good, we don’t want him here’."

So after such an incident, the question hovers: Is Vander too sensitive, or does he make a good point about the attention 17-year olds draw from fans?

Many say the kid needs to get some thicker skin. An oft-repeated point centers around Bo Ryan's personality. If Blue can't take it from faceless fans, the logic goes, how's he gonna hold up to the wilting stare of Ryan in person? In other words, if a kid can't take the internet heat, it's best to chase him from the kitchen before he signs on the dotted line.

What malarkey.

The first distinction that needs to be made is between a professional and an amateur. Professionals earn their livelihood from sport, they put themselves out there in the public eye after they have signed a contract for boatloads of dollars. In other words, free market compensation gives fans the right to squawk obscenities from the sidelines or write condescending messages online.

But when it comes to amateurs like Blue, whose only compensation is a scholarship — the same as any other college student who earns his or her way into school — the Thumper rule should apply. Remember Bambi? That little rabbit, Thumper, said his mother told him if he can’t say anything nice, don’t sat anything at all.

But what about genuine observations that might not be all-glowing about a kid's game?
Making amateur observations about how a kid's game might round out in the next couple years, something even professionals (i.e., coaches) screw up, isn't so bad. As long as it's not personal to the youngster — "he's lazy, he's stupid, he's a bad apple" — the vast majority of kids will have already heard it from folks many more times qualified to comment.

But, after all, the argument goes, these young men are stepping into a public arena when they verbally commit to a Big Ten institution, and when they get on campus they are going to hear much worse.

Two points. First, when they get on campus is an important distinction. These are high school kids. Teenagers, almost adults, but technically still children. Not only are they unpaid (besides having a scholarship) but, again, they are high school kids.

Second, imagine some keyboard hero who denigrates a kid anonymously online. Now, after holding back a mixture of laughter and vomit, imagine that same boxer shorts wearing, belly gut hanging wannabe showing up at the kid's school and saying the same things to the kid's face. Oh, wait, that's hard to imagine because of course no one with any sense in his head would do such a thing. This might be known as the Chuck Norris rule: If you wouldn't say something to someone's face, keep your mouth muzzled.

But aside from those arguments, fans need to recognize that they are unofficial representatives of the university they cheer for. Even in sports arenas, where the public pays money and therefore has a bit of leeway in what they can shout, civility is expected.

So on message boards and blogs, a code of etiquette and keen-eyed moderators are essential. The crew at Spartan Nation are second to none and that comes largely from a management decision to set proper guidelines. For example, Spartan Nation's message board rules begin with stipulating no personal attacks. Later, rule four states, "You can hate on a players performance without hating the players."

In the wild, wild West, a sheriff was always in need, but it was the people that made up the character of any certain town. And online, without proper oversight and enforcement, Web sites risk falling into a state of lawlessness, where anything goes and is probably soon posted. But in the end, it's up to the community, especially on message boards, to help police itself. It's up to all of us to make the internet a civil forum and to make sure children and adults, amateurs and professionals alike are treated fairly and with respect.