To boo…or not to boo, that is the question?!

Over the last year or so, I’ve noticed a gradual increase in supporters’ audible condemnation of their team’s or specific player’s performance and I’m not just talking at football where it appears most prevalent. 

General voicing of disapproval can be heard at tennis, cricket (booing of Australians David Warner and Steve Smith for being found guilty of ball tampering), and even Formula One with Lewis Hamilton being jeered after a controversial first lap incident with eventual World Champion Max Verstappen at the British Grand Prix. 

But is it acceptable? The simple answer is yes IF you’re trying to intimidate the opposing team or player, but as any true sports fan knows, often this has the opposite effect and normally only serves to galvanise the opposition into giving an extra ten or twenty per cent.

Is it worth it then to boo your own team, like Brighton fans after a recent 0-0 draw with Leeds? Does it make sense to use this potentially harmful expression of discontent against someone you support? Some will argue that you pay your entry ticket and, in many cases, have some form of hospitality, at let’s face it, exorbitant prices, so surely have the right to express what they think of the entertainment/performance! 

Booing is largely based on frustration and anger and a chance for fans to display their utter contempt for a team or player’s failure. Acceptable if said professional sportsperson doesn’t appear to be giving their all for the cause and amplified by knowledge of the vast sums that they earn compared to what most of us can only fantasise about. However, if they’ve performed out of their skins and clearly put in 110%, then I for one think booing is completely unacceptable.

At last year’s Euro 2020 tournament, much was written about England fans booing players taking the knee in their stand against racism and I’m certainly not going to defend this or use this platform to discuss this, but suffice it to say I’m absolutely delighted, along with most self-respecting citizens that any booing of the players’ stand against racism has dissipated, having been significantly replaced by unanimous applause and support.  

Therefore, is booing something that needs to be eradicated, or do we as fans and professional sports people themselves just have to accept it as part and parcel of the game. I certainly don’t think it’s going away anytime soon and clearly deserved if someone is not ‘sweating blood’ for the cause but a line must be drawn when it becomes vitriolic and personal abuse, particularly if it’s nothing to do with the sport in question.

However, in closing, spare a thought for the booing/abuse that is directed at the referees, umpires and match officials. No? Okay, maybe we’ll save that discussion for another time and don’t even get me started on VAR!