I know that this is not necessarily the proper forum to address this issue, this being a Mississippi centered website; but I put enough LSU stuff up here to justify this, plus, to paraphrase Will Ferrell in Anchorman, “I wanted to shout it from the top of a mountain, but I didn’t have a mountain, I had [Yallsports.com].” So, you get to read my diatribe on the sad state of things at LSU. Some of you will enjoy reading this, because you hate LSU. Others of you may be upset, because you think I am being unfair. Whatever, it is what it is.
First, congratulations to Ole Miss on playing a great game. Houston Nutt is a fantastic coach, and he showed up with a good game plan and manhandled LSU inside of Death Valley, something that I have never seen, not like that. I have many things to say about the LSU football team, but none of them are important for the purpose of this article. LSU obviously does not have a quarterback. If you are an LSU fan and you were clamoring about wanting to see Jordan Jefferson, you have seen him twice and, by the way, he is not the answer. What this game came down to was dropped passes by LSU receivers, and Ole Miss being able to exploit glaring holes in the LSU coverage. But, like I said, that is the least of my concerns; LSU is obviously having a Nat’l Championship hangover year, and got blindsided with the loss of a very talented quarterback over the summer, compounded by injuries at the QB position this year.
What concerns me is what has happened to the atmosphere that is Death Valley, and what that does to the team. As a lifelong LSU fan, I am concerned with what is happening in the stands. Until this year I bought into the idea that Death Valley was the toughest place in the world to play on a Saturday night, and that LSU fans were some of the greatest supporters of their team.
From what I have seen in the last two weeks, that is no longer true. Sitting in my seat today, I was downright embarrassed to be an LSU fan. Tonight, LSU fans are the WORST fans in the SEC. Right now LSU fans have hyper-inflated expectations, an inferiority complex, a lack of faith in the coaching staff, an unimaginable amount of ingratitude, and a frustrating lack of loyalty. Just last week, the head coach of Troy (TROY!!!!!) was mocking LSU fans for leaving the game, emptying that stadium.
As bad as last week might have been, for me personally, it has never been worse than tonight. I left with 3 minutes left, not because LSU was losing, but because I could no longer listen to the fans around me complain. When Jordan Jefferson threw the interception, I could take no more, it was time to leave.
The last few games I have been to, I have heard LSU fans boo Jarrett Lee. I really want to know what goes through the mind of a 45 year old man when he boos a 20 year old kid who is clearly unable to live up to unreasonable expectations, but is busting his ass to try. I want to know what goes through the mind of any fan to ever boo anyone who dressed up in your colors and walks onto the field. Is it a sense of entitlement? I just don’t get it. But, what really almost pushed me over the edge tonight was that when Jarrett Lee had just been crushed, and still made a great pass to Brandon LaFell, and lying on the ground, the guy behind me actually had the balls to say, “Stay down Lee, it’s your free way out. Finally, we will get to see Jordan Jefferson, this will be a blessing.”
Are you kidding?
I cannot imagine what sort of classless, brainless, worthless, uncouth, simple minded, trailer trash jackass actually CHEERS when someone on his team gets injured. Forget the fact that he is some mother’s son, and that he is just a college kid. How about a little bit of gratitude for the fact that, right now, he is all you got. And still, in the face of a HOSTILE home crowd Jarrett Lee has continued to have the brass balls to suit up and run out onto the field, and play his heart out for LSU. For that, I say thank you. To the guy sitting above me, you deserve to have terrible things happen to you, things that only happen of Afghan prisoners when the guards go out partying to much at Guantanamo Bay.
I thought that maybe this was an isolated incident, but from what I heard after the game, it wasn’t. The same exact thing played out all over that stadium tonight.
The second thing that makes watching a game in Death Valley borderline unbearable is the incessant complaining that goes on throughout the game. Nary a play was run that someone within 5 seats of me was not complaining the offensive coordinator, or about the co-defensive coordinator scheme, or talking about wanting Saban back, or about how terrible Les Miles is. I understand that the stakes are high, and that at LSU, the defense is supposed to be punishing, and it isn’t, but for the fans to start throwing a fit because teams are scoring on them is just immature.
What I am trying to get at in these ramblings is that the atmosphere in Tiger Stadium right now is poisonous. The best thing that LSU has going for it against Arkansas is that they get to go play at a neutral site in Little Rock.
Are all LSU fans this awful? Certainly the answer has to be no. However, I think to continue to characterize the group that boos Lee, and that cheered when he was carried off the field as a “small vocal minority” is a false statement.
What I think we are seeing is a rather large, but still minority contingent of LSU fans who are acting like a cancer to kill the atmosphere inside the stadium. And by the way, if you were one of those cheering for Jarrett Lee to get hurt, or you have been booing him all year waiting for Jordan Jefferson to play, or you think that Les Miles should lose his job because of this year (after you cheered him last year for staying when the Michigan job opened up)- please, sell your tickets to other people, stay at home, watch the game on your Vizio, and save the rest of us from having to listen to you.
Posted by Michael
11/23/08
Magnolia Tribune
