Booooo, hisssss!

Five ways to voice your displeasure and there’s so much more to be displeased about.

Booooo, hisssss!

As a long time fan of the New York Jets as well as their doppleganger in losing, the New York Mets, and of course the reason for the winters of my discontent, the New York Knickerbockers, “booing” is a tool that I often find useful when trying to weather the catastrophes that are those three sports franchises. In fact, booing has been in the news a lot lately, and it’s not just historically bad franchises that have been hearing it from the public at large. It’s also politicians, and even their obnoxious bearded children who have also found themselves on the receiving end of the old raspberry.

In a world where professional athletes seem to live a life of wealth and privilege while apparently getting away with all sorts of transgressions that would cause the rest of us to see our fortunes decimated, fans are often left frustrated. Some of these superstars often fail in the field of battle, and yet still get to enjoy their celebrity status. This only causes more resentment to build, and the average fan is left wanting. How can we make our sports heroes understand our displeasure? Well, there’s really only one way, and that is the grandiose gesture known as booing. Booing an athlete or anybody else who profits from living in the public eye has been an integral part of our society for a long time. It is a concept that cuts across cultures and political boundaries. In Europe, sometimes instead of booing, the fans will whistle their displeasure, but the message is still the same. Booing is such an important part of our zeitgeist that we have developed a variety of nom de plumes that describe our displeasure for any team or individual whose performance we have paid to watch and have not come away impressed with, and they include…

1. Heckling
2. Hissing
3. Giving somebody the “Bronx Cheer”
4. Giving somebody the raspberry
5. Taunting

Giving the thumbs down is also an ancient form of crowd displeasure, and if given in ancient Rome it often meant that somebody was about to be in so much trouble that they only wish they were being booed. (Giphy)

The “professional” football game played this past Sunday between the New York Jets and the New York Giants had little at stake. Oh sure, bragging rights for the best team in New Jersey was on the line, and the designation of “Swamp King” was also up for grabs, but when you have two teams playing each other who probably won’t win even eight games combined, you can be certain you are about to see three hours of pretty bad football. Well, nobody left “disappointed,” as both teams never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Finally the Jets won, and in an act of grand delusion, Sam Darnold, the Jets 14 year 0ld quarterback proclaimed them ready to challenge for a playoff spot. Darnold who has recently recovered from mononucleosis might want to schedule a visit to his primary so he can be checked for a low-grade fever, because the Jets couldn’t make the playoffs if the rest of the American Football Conference were to be kidnapped by aliens and subjected to anal probing. (And not in a good way.)

Fans of both “New York” squads this year have subjected their respective teams with a steady chorus of boos, and to be perfectly candid, both teams should consider themselves lucky that this is all they have been subjected to. The Jets actually lost to a team last week, the Miami Dolphins, who are literally trying to lose so they can get the number one draft choice in next year’s college draft. The Jets, as only the Jets can, taught them a lesson in losing. Imagine if the Jets weren’t trying to win? The Giants have lost six straight games, but claim that it’s okay because they’re a young team. Losing teams love to talk about how young they are. You know why losing teams are always so young? Because every year, these teams get rid of the crappy young players they have because they stink, so every year they have to start over.

Here’s “Fireman Ed,” the Jets unofficial cheerleader and mascot, wearing his classic “Bruce Harper” jersey. Ed had to take a break from leading the Jets cheers since according to Ed himself, he was subjected to such abuse and heckling that it became too much for him. Fans booing fans, only in the Meadowlands. (Getty Images)

Sports fans are optimists before the season and pessimists once the season begins. Fans of the New York Jets however have been burned so many times, and have bore witness to so many losing years and embarrassingly bad moments, that in many cases these fans might be actually booing themselves as much as they are booing the players who have once again disappointed them, though these fans, (and yes I’m one of them) never really believed that they could be any good in the first place, unless? No, not possible.

As bad as the Jets and Giants have been, they don’t even hold a candle to the Knicks who are so bad, most people forget they actually still exist. They have taken futility to a level that until recently could only be identified by the teams that reside in Cleveland. The Knicks are so bad, nobody even cares that their current coach has amassed a record in a little over one season of 19 and 73. (For those of you who believe in the magic of numbers, ‘1973’ is the last time the Knicks won the NBA Championship. therefore, um, nothing, they stink.) New York Knickerbocker fans still pack the “Garden” as if they’re expecting Patrick Ewing to carry Walt “Clyde” Frazier out onto the court for a decade worth of dominance. Instead, usually within about five minutes into the game, those same fans are booing themselves horse. Considering how bad the Knicks are, and taking into account how expensive going to a Knicks game is, it takes a lot of boos to get your money’s worth, and I’m not sure anybody’s voice-box has that kind of staying power.

The good thing about being this horrible is that nobody bothers you when you’re out on the street since nobody even knows who’s on the team. If you can’t name the guy with the glasses and beard, don’t sweat it, the way things are going, he’s not going to be the coach for long. For now though, David Fizdale is going to have to endure his share of “Bronx cheers” in Manhattan. (New York Times)

New York City of course doesn’t have a monopoly on the concept of booing the home team, or any of the other forms of multiple harassment that crowds often take part in at the average sporting event. In fact, Philadelphia, known as the “City of Brotherly Love,” has not only taken the concept of the “boo” to another level, they’ve made it an art form all their own. The good fans of Philadelphia have razzed, booed, abused, and heckled all of the following:

1. Santa Claus (At a Philadelphia Eagles game) — In fairness, he didn’t have a single sack in the game, nor did he score a touchdown. But throwing snowballs at Santa?
2. A Badly Injured Player on Another Team — Again, a little context. It was Michael Irvin, and he did play for the Cowboys, so it’s kind of a victimless crime.
3. Mike Schmidt — Schmidt was as good a third baseman who has ever played the game of baseball, but in Philadelphia, just because you hit over 500 home runs, and led them to their first World Series victory in 80 years, you can’t expect to just slide by. I mean, what have you done for us lately?
4. Punt, Pass, and Kick Competitors — Football fans all know about the “Punt, Pass, and Kick” competition. Little kids from nearby school districts show up at halftime and compete against each other to see who can punt, pass, and kick a football the furthest. Usually fans are indifferent, or cheer politely. Not in Philly, where a bad punt, pass, or kick will get earn a participant a healthy chorus of “You suck!” It takes a gutty 10 year old to bounce back from that.
5. The Super Bowl Champs — In 2018 when the Philadelphia Eagles finally won their first Super Bowl, it took all of one half of football in the home opener the following season, the night the city, team, and fans celebrated that incredible accomplishment to boo the Eagles at the end of the first half.

Was there ever a team that the sour apples of Philadelphia didn’t boo? Of course, the “Broad-Street Bullies” known also as the 1974–76 Philadelphia Flyers, the dirtiest hockey team ever assembled. There are members of the New York Rangers from that era who still suffer from PTSD from their encounters with this celebrated bunch of goons. (New York Times)

The concept of booing is hardly reserved for athletes only. Politicians have taken their share of heat over the years whenever they come out and attempt to bask in the glow of their not-so-loving public. The issue regarding whether it is civil for a society to boo its political leaders has of course been tested often, especially of late, as have all of our other political and societal norms since we entered the age of Trump. However, and Donald Trump probably won’t like this, he is hardly the first politician to be booed at a public gathering. For example, if one listens to Paul Simon on the famous Simon and Garfunkel Concert in Central Park album released back in 1982, you can hear the diminutive genius giving thanks to all who made the concert possible including the mayor of New York City at the time, the “Honorable” Ed Koch. Just the very uttering of Koch’s name, a politician who was actually considered pretty popular during his tenure in office, who ran successfully on the Democratic, Republican, and Independent lines being booed lustfully by the hundreds of thousands of fans in attendance was a bit of a surprise. “How am I doing?” Apparently not so good.

For those who remember, Mayor Ed Koch’s catchphrase during his three terms as the mayor of New York City was “How am I doing?” Based on the reception his name received at the Simon and Garfunkel concert, not as well as perhaps he had been led to believe. Apparently the question was meant to be rhetorical. (Getty Images)

Recently, the president, a man who tends to favor only encounters with the public when they are made up of his rabid base, ventured out for a couple of visits with the commoners. In Washington, our nation’s capital, Trump, along with his wife Melania, his man-servant Mike Pence, and his “muscle,” Representative Matt Gaetz, showed up at game five of the 2019 World Series between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. Trump stood up and waved to the crowd, and it may not have gone the the way he had wished:

(I hate to see the president put out this way. You know what would make him happy? Tell him that this was the loudest unsolicited cheer of “Lock him up,” that has ever broken out at a World Series game. You Tube)

Trump then decided to show his face at a MMA event, where he was once again greeted by a chorus of boos. Perhaps if he had shaved his head and covered himself in tattoos, the fans would have related to him a little more. Finally though, the president found a crowd with a little bit more sympathy for the Commander-in-Chief, an Alabama vs. LSU college football game. Apparently, a deep South “red state,” is friendlier territory for this president. This would seem to make sense since any gathering of rich, middle age white male alumni attending a football game in the deep South would apparently foster a more positive reaction for a man who has annoyed, angered, or outraged any person who cares about honesty, integrity, corruption in government, the environment, science, America’s standing in the world, and of course who we are as a nation, then let’s say, just about anywhere else.

Not all politicians get the old “raspberry” when they step out in public. President George W. Bush was cheered wildly in Democratic party dominated New York State after the “9/11” attacks, and again at Yankee Stadium a few weeks later at the World Series when he threw out the first pitch for game three. It was customary for years to respect the office of a public official, particularly the president. However those days are long over, and now people show up wherever they believe an elected official is going to be who they dislike just to jeer at them.

I don’t know if Thomas Jefferson was ever booed or heckled in public, but if he did, I believe it would sound something like this: “Jefferson you suck, you’re Hamilton’s bitch! Hey didn’t you write the Declaration of Independence? When in the course of human events, blah , blah, blah..boring!! boring!! Boo, boo, hisssssss!” (Getty Images)

Comedians are one group who has to put up with being booed and heckled a fair amount of the time. Jerry Seinfeld did a great spin on this phenomena in his classic sitcom. After all, why is it okay to boo and heckle a comedian, and not any other stage entertainer? When was the last time you went to Broadway so you could heckle and harass the guy playing Alexander Hamilton? Do you abuse and mock Jean Valjean during a performance of Les Miserables? On Seinfeld, Jerry was furious when he was heckled by Kramer’s girlfriend at one of his shows, so he showed up at her office and began to boo and heckle her at her job, the ultimate revenge for a comedian.

This got me thinking about those who never get booed. In other words there are some professions who automatically are cheered when and if they are introduced in public, cheered on simply because of what their chosen profession is. For example…

1. Nurses — Nurses always get applause, but why? Is it because of all of the built-in appreciation for the hard work that they do? Maybe, but I believe it is self-preservation. You never know when you’re going to need to be catheterized, and you never know who’s going to be performing that delicate procedure, so why take chances?
2. Firefighters — Again, self preservation, you never know when one of these brave souls will have to rescue your fat ass.
3. Soldier — They risk their life in order to protect our freedom, who in their right mind is going to boo them?
4. Priests, Rabbis, Ministers, and Imams — You just don’t see these individuals get booed. “Hey Rabbi, you’re stinking up the bimah up there tonight,” is simply something you never hear. If you did, I imagine the Rabbi would respond by saying, “Vell, big shot, let’s see if you could do better..nu?”
5. Ice Cream Man — I was an ice cream man a long time ago, and let me tell you, I was always cheered because of all of the love and goodies I brought to Massapequa Park….for a tidy profit. Trust me, as a teacher I’ve been heckled, and it’s not the same.

“Hey Rabbi Goldberg, you can’t daven for dreck! Yeah that’s right, I’m talking to you! You’re full of kreplach!” You see, it just doesn’t work. (Getty Images)

One of the worst and most derisive chants I ever heard was the one that was aimed towards the New York Mets stud right-fielder Darryl Strawberry by the gentle citizens of Boston during the 1986 World Series. The fans in the right field bleachers in Boston began taunting Strawberry, a sensitive soul if there ever was by yelling “Daaaryl, Daaryl!” It is the first known taunt in sports history. Not to be outdone, New York Mets fans began to adopt the chant and serenade Strawberry with the same “Daaaryl…Daaaryl!” Somehow, Met fans were perplexed when Strawberry bolted for the Dodgers the first chance he got when he became a free agent.

Booing is a right that every fan feels they are entitled to. My father could boo with the best of them, however he had his limits. My brother told me when he was very young they were at a Yankees game, and one of the players on the opposing team hit a homerun, and my brother started booing. My father told him not to boo, that you shouldn’t boo when somebody does something great. This was a pretty magnanimous gesture from a man who wished death and destruction upon Don Shula, Tom Landry, Dan Marino, and Tom Brady. However, who could blame him. Booing is one thing, calling out evil in our world is every man’s responsibility.