Historically, Dartmouth College has been home to some of the loudest and most enthusiastic crowds in the Ivy League. Players, coaches and spectators all agree that an excited crowd makes attending and competing in Big Green athletic events more enjoyable for everyone. However, some people trying to achieve this objective have run into trouble with the authorities.
Attendance has been up at football games this year but head coach Buddy Teevens said that he would like to see more people cheering louder.
"I'd like to see a little more vocal crowd, a more plugged-in crowd -- not a more negative crowd, but people who are excited about supporting their team," Teeves said.
At the recent home contest against the University of Pennsylvania, Memorial Field saw its largest non-Homecoming crowd ever. As the Quakers marched down the field in the closing minutes of the game, the crowd stood and cheered as the Big Green lined up for several crucial defensive plays.
"The Penn game was huge. It was a great turnout, but on top of that, especially in the fourth quarter when the defense really had to step up, we had the crowd going on nearly every down," Josh Drake '08 said. Drake is Dartmouth's official yell leader. "Talking to any of the players after the game, it was a huge, huge deal."
The yell leader tradition dates back farther than Drake or Teevens can remember but is a common replacement for cheerleaders at historically male colleges.
"The entire purpose of it is just to get the crowd going," Drake explained. "It's not a mascot type deal, it's just trying to get the crazy fans out there and trying to get some organized cheers."
Organized cheers, common at most universities, are something that Dartmouth has lacked at Memorial Field, and Teevens thinks that there is room for improvement.
"My sense is we are probably the least aggressive of the venues that I've been going to," Teevens said.
However, he stated that he feels that Memorial Field has good potential to offer a home-field advantage.
"The stands are close to the field and with the new construction there's a reverberation and the sound is contained," the coach said. "I think this could be a tremendous venue and really offer a home team advantage. I'd love to see [the cheering] a little bit more organized, [having seen it at] some larger programs, and like I've seen from the volleyball fans."
Not everybody supports Drake's attempts to rally the troops behind the Big Green. He recalled two run-ins with Hanover Police and another with Safety and Security.
"I've been approached by Hanover police twice telling me to calm down, that my intensity level was too high and that I was yelling too loud," he said. "I've also had Safety and Security tell me that if I didn't sit down and essentially, 'calm down and shut up,' that I'd be escorted out of the arena. That was the Princeton game last year over Thanksgiving break."
Drake is not the only spectator who has been told to quiet down or leave the event by Safety and Security. Nate Mathis '10 recalled an incident at a soccer game against St. Francis over orientation where he and several of his friends were told by Safety and Security that if they didn't stop heckling the opposing team they would be asked to leave.
"He told us that we were allowed to root and cheer on our team as much as possible, but we weren't allowed to yell negative things at [the opposing team]."
Mathis and his friends were also told that they were not allowed to stand for the duration of the game. They were in the front two rows of the bleachers at Burcham Field.
Proctor Harry Kinne, who oversees Safety and Security, was not aware of that specific incident but said that the Safety and Security officer who said that had probably made a mistake.
"Our primary reason to be at the athletic events is for security reasons. Our goal is not to necessarily monitor cheering or things like that," he said. "But if something crosses over into something that violates the standards of conduct, that's when we would ask someone to discontinue that -- but that doesn't happen very often."
Dean of the College Dan Nelson cited the statement read before athletic contests, as well as the Ivy League guidelines governing spectator behavior and the responsibilities of the host institution as the policies followed by the administration and Safety and Security. He also said that Safety and Security officers would act on complaints they received from other spectators in attendance.
"Periodically we hear concerns from spectators who are themselves bothered by the behavior of other spectators," Nelson said. "So whether it is a member of the Dartmouth or Hanover community that hears certain language that one doesn't normally expect to hear in a public place where people are participating in a community event or whether it's a parent of a player, that's also a concern."
Teevens agreed that there was no place for vulgarity or obscenity at sporting events, but said that he is not bothered when fans target a specific player on the opposing team. He recalled an experience when he was coaching on the road against Brigham Young University.
"The fans were just loud and they got on you but never a swear word, never a curse or anything else," Teevens said. "And I think that's just part of it, you're pulling for your team, you make fun of the tape on a guy's shoes, big deal."
Teevens continued, saying that he was especially fond of humorous jeers.
"It's kind of the comic end of it, people get on Facebook or they get in the media guide and they find out something. It's just part of sports. I think there should be a little bit more latitude possibly, as long as people don't cross the line."
Mike Devine '08, starting goalie for the men's hockey team, agreed that screaming, supportive fans make an impact on the game.
"When we step out on the ice and everyone is screaming and the place is loud, it's a huge advantage," he said. "We have phenomenal fans here but sometimes they tend to be a little reserved during the games. When the fans are excited and rowdy, it gets your adrenaline pumping a little bit more and it really gives everyone a huge boost. The louder the better."
"People just need to get into it for the most part," Drake said. "Really letting loose and having a good time about it. Athletics are a staple of your college career across the country. There's no reason it shouldn't be here at Dartmouth."
