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Category: Readers' Opinions

■ 29 November 2011 | 5:00 AM

12th man lifted ODU

Re 'Crosstown showdown: Monarchs rule,' front page, Nov. 27: What went into the record books as a win was really a sham and a disgrace to competitive college sports. This game was equivalent to two boxers competing in the ring with one of them blindfolded.On nearly every offensive play by Norfolk State, the crowd noise was so high that it drowned out the play-calling. The team simply couldn't hear the plays. This was not the case when Old Dominion had the ball. You could hear a pin drop when they were on offense. This partisan behavior by ODU fans was reprehensible by design and should be considered a shameful act to control the outcome. The results should be thrown out due to unsportsmanlike conduct by the fans.

Gary Anthony

Chesapeake

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Welcome to the world of sporting events

Submitted by Jodi Dunkel, Norfolk, VA on Thu, 12/01/2011 at 11:51 am.

It is called HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE...heard of it??

Welcome to sports!

Submitted by Jodi Dunkel, Norfolk, VA on Thu, 12/01/2011 at 11:50 am.

It is called ...heard of it??

This is funny, before the

Submitted by J D Belch, Chesapeake, VA on Wed, 11/30/2011 at 3:26 pm.

This is funny, before the game NSU fans were calling Foreman Field "little," now they (and the players) are complaining about the noise. Did they really expect the ODU fans to keep silent? Did you make any noise? If so you are just as "guilty" as the ODU fans. So I can go to a NSU game next year and not hear a peep from the crowd, right? You said cheering/making noise is "unsportsman like behavior" so there should not be any crowd noise.

Sour grapes?

Submitted by Daniel D. Malana, Virginia Beach, VA on Wed, 11/30/2011 at 10:22 am.

Seriously? Sounds like sour grapes to me. Has this guy really watched a football game, let alone a playoff game? Whether you're watching a pro or college game, football or basketball or any other sport, the home team will always make as much noise to rattle the opposition. ODU has sold out all their football games and NSU, winners of their conference couldn't even sell out 1 home game. ODU put in a bid to host a playoff game and NSU chose not to. ODU even gave more than half of the alloted tickets to NSU for the game. Instead of just providing the required 500 tickets, ODU gave NSU more than 1000 tickets AND had their band play at half-time. Disgrace? A sham? What's a disgrace and a sham is someone trying to take away a historic moment for both schools and cry fowl over a home crowd cheering for their football team. I'm sure if the game was played at NSU that the NSU fans would have politely been quiet when ODU had the ball. Unbelievable.

Words simply can't describe this LTE

Submitted by Charles C Schesventer, Virginia Beach, VA on Tue, 11/29/2011 at 9:28 pm.

How can you not personal attack this?
How can you not have disparaging comments directed toward it?

Boo, Hiss

Submitted by James King, Chesapeake, VA on Tue, 11/29/2011 at 11:09 am.

That's it. Boo, Hiss.

Is this LTE a joke?

Submitted by Janet L Webster, Virginia Beach, VA on Tue, 11/29/2011 at 10:50 am.

Seriously. Is it?

The LTE is not a joke

Submitted by James King, Chesapeake, VA on Tue, 11/29/2011 at 12:16 pm.

The fact that the editor would print the LTE is the joke. I mean, how the heck can you criticize a group of football fanatics for cheering at a football game?

Sour Grapes?

Submitted by Steven A Hunnicutt Jr, Virginia Beach, VA on Tue, 11/29/2011 at 7:11 am.

Perhaps you haven't noticed Gary, but loud crowd noise by the home team's fans is standard in the sport today. Watch any college or pro game, especially those in domes, and around playoffs, and you will note that this type of activity is not unusual. The fans feel like they are doing their part to help their team win. Teams traveling into hostile territory usually practice for such an event by using silent counts, hand signals, etc.

I wonder when ODU travels to NSU, if the fans will sit and be quiet like you want or will they make loud noises and hope to make it more difficult on ODU. If they do, will you come back here and complain again or will you simply say "ODU did it". I think not.

The better team won that Saturday.