HERE & THERE COLUMN

  Are Sports Fans Cheers Being Controlled?

  The sports of football and basketball also produce some outstanding cheer-leading squads but on a number of occasions during the past several years we are seeing host schools making the final decision as to what they feel are acceptable and out-of-bounds cheers and chants.
  Cheerleaders are always looking for new and exhilarating cheers. They tend to like crowd pleasin, foot stompin, hand clappin cheers or chants.
  Cheers that will get the fans moving, raise the rafters on a court or shake the ground in a stadium are good for the game.
  Cheerleaders love to inspire and arouse the spectators to enlivening heights.
  Either school boards or administrations say that cheers should be for your team not against the opponent, fans or officials.
  Schools limiting fans from cheers like "You can't do that,'' "air-ball," "check the score-board," are really limiting  fans free speech.
  Certainly vulgar remarks should be banned but we see nothing wrong with na, na, na, na, na, na, ...hey hey hey...goodbye which is not out of bounds and is nothing more than poking a little fun at opponents.
  Cheers and chants can add excitement to a game and really get the crowd into the action.
  Choosing acceptable fans cheers is a big decision and some chants are so worn out it will be difficult to get a crowd going with the same old calls they have heard for years.
  A mix of old and new chants is perfect but school efforts to limit free speech should not be made a part of our society.