European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 05, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday december 5, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 19 commentary when cheering becomes hooliganism it All began innocently enough with card stunts and Pep rallies. Then came cheerleader an mascots and fight songs. There was never any evidence that cheerleaders cared about the game. They had their backs to it most of the Day. They were just girls who wanted to show their legs or attract Hollywood Talent scouts the bands playing the fight songs cared even less they were there for the halftime show. They could t wait till those Clumsy athletes got through clutter lineup the Ficon. C baseball disdained organized cheer leading. Base Ball rooting took the form of derision. Don Ricklis is the Patron Saint of the bleacher fan. Show us what scr made of. Hack strike out again but soon a new Phra c crept into the lexicography the 10th  the i oth Man was an ugly mob an unruly rooting Section not of Leggy ladies in leotards but of by Rcd up hardhats who wanted the Home team to win and would throw Beer cans sometimes full ones at the opposition if it would help. Their intimidation of the opposition was harsh vocal and. Some times physical. The  thought it was wildly funny when a Burly fan jumper out of the stands once at ebbets Field and assaulted Umpire George Magerkurth. The pm  of the Day show uniformed Security police standing to one Side watching in amusement. They were a Little More sobered when a bleacher assault on Ducky Midwick forced his removal from the 1934 world series but the notion prevailed boys will be boys. Thai s what they said about Hitler s storm trooper sat first. The philosophy of sports in America is that the audience is sacred. The customer is always right. The spectators paid their Money they have a Righi to abuse the performers. 1 mean judge  removed Midwick right he did t remove the left Fiel bleacher. Audience participation always had a Strong Clement of the comical in it. A drunk came out of the stands once to tackle Tom Harmon on his Way to a touchdown in Berkeley Haw an Alabama player on the Bench came off it to tackle Rice s Dicky Moegle on his Way to the end zone heh heh. The term Home court advantage began to creep into the vocabulary of the game. In basketball it meant nothing More nor less than the timidity of the referees when faced with a hostile mass practically sitting on their necks or the presence of a hostile owner glaring at their barbarous indifference to his need to win and making a mental note to recommend i hair summary firing at the next league meeting. The Home court crowd did t intimidate the visiting play ers it intimidated the visiting of finals. Los Angeles crowds were always a disappointment to students of mob psychology As an Aid to Victory. They went Home in the seventh inning in baseball. And they played with Beach balls the other six. They concentrated on the hot dogs and the tailgate picnics in football. Even at the race track they were Only half involved. In new York they yelled Don t die now a dog in . They pleaded please baby Only one More Furlong the term Laid Back was coined to describe the commitment of the . Fan. Other Venus were not so contemplative. With the Advent of do Rcd stadiums the Decibel level so to speak went through the roof or More accurately As far As the roof and then Back Down to multiply itself. But even before those the cheering at notre Dame stadium got so car splitting even in the press Box that a Rule was adopted in All press boxes foot Ball and baseball coast to coast that All cheering was banned under threat of expulsion. Seattle with a Concrete dome on its facility raised crowd noise to a High and unholy Art. The kingdom is recognized far and wide As a place where noise has to be written into the game plan. Changing plays at the line of scrimmage a necessary ingredient in the attack of a quarterback anywhere else is ruled out i Seattle. The situation has gotten so bad that the hallowed National football league dictum. You can t penal ize the crowd May have to be reviewed at the next league rules meeting. Whatever they decide there should be no equiv Cating in the matter of fan abuse or debris directly affecting the outcome of a game. We All saw i -. Disgraceful episode in Denver recently when a will aimed snowball crashed into the Middle of a Field goal formation by the san Francisco 49crs. At the precise instant the Ball was snapped for what would have been a winning Field goal the mis Sile exploded at the hands of the Holder malt Kava laugh. Distracted he muffed the hold and the Fiel goal a. Missed. At the very least san Francis should have been awarded the Field goal. I mean when any other in Truder shews on the Field to interrupt a score the interference is disallowed. The touchdown counts. The Sway of a referee Umpire or Otner official of a sporting Cuenl should be local. Anything that affects the conduct of the game whether it be by athlete or sped a Lor should be Subj cd to his authority. If a Man interferes with a fielder making a catch the Batter should be out. If a fan interferes with a base hit rolling in foul territory Don t make ii a ground Rule double make it a Home run. And if a fan throws a snowball in the Middle of a Field goal try make Hal kick Good. I mean whal s a Cal a hand grenade and if the crowd s noise maliciously interferes with the ability of a player to Call his signals like in did monday night in Miami pick up the Ball and keep marching on the Home team till hey shut up. Or the visitors score which always shuts them up. It s not Che Reading when it alters the outcome of the game and negates fair play. It s hooliganism. They put Moats around athletic Fields in South America. We May have to go them one better. We May have to put in glassed off sound proofed partitions Loo. Eitnier that or Slop calling it sport. Ltd jul Iudici Tom to Ditka wants refs to hold Down noise Aponta be a Couch Mike disk. Officials arc scared Lake Forest Iii. A after the Chicago bears loss to Miami coach Mike Ditka would like to see officials do something about crowd noise. I be never heard anything like it in All the years i be been in football Ditka said of the loud fans in the Orange bowl. The dolphins halted the bears winning Streak monday night at 12 games 38-24. It was hard for us to operate. It would be hard for any team to operate Dilka said tuesday at his weekly news Confer ence. It s a disadvantage to some an advantage to others. But what goes around comes  Ditka thought the officials could have penalized the crowd for unsportsmanlike conduct. But the officials arc scared Ditka said. How Are you going to penalize Miami at Miami a penalty could Stop it. A penalty is prof the option. I be never seen it used. But it is their third and final  Ditka said the first option is to give the team on offence time when the noise gels out of hand. They Don t Start the clock and then they can ask the defensive team to quiet the crowd Ditka said. Then they can ask the coach to quiet the crowd. Then they can Call a Penally. If in s part of the rules use it. If not then throw it  Ditka said the Way the bears performed they could have played the dolphins one thousand times and we could not beat them. Their Field position was excellent ours was Lousy. They executed we did t. The Way we played we had no  despite the defeat the bears lost Little. Aside from a shot at an undefeated season. By winning their first 12 games the bears not Only clinched their division and a playoff berth but also gained the Home Field advantage As Long As they remain in the playoffs. That Means the final three games of the regular season arc in some ways meaning less for the bears. How can Ditka keep his team motivated Tell me if anyone will say i m not going to work anymore " Dilka said. Docs a Salesman quit when he makes his quota 1 Don t believe thai. We were motivated but i m not going to take anything away from the dolphins. We have to regroup. We have games against Indianapolis the new York jets and Detroit and we re going to play the Best we  Champion 49ers Back on course toward playoffs by Dave Goldberg a football writer to almost any of her National football league team in would have been the realization of a season Long goal. For the san Francisco 49ers, a collection of sophisticated veterans who have won two super bowls controlling their own postseason plans is just the beginning. If you want to  the truth i prefer things out of control Light end Russ Francis said after san Francisco s 35-8 win Over Washington sunday that combined with the los Angeles rams loss in new Orleans left the 49ers a game be Hind los Angeles in the pfc West. The 49ers play the rams in san fran Cisco on monday in fit. Since they veal ready beaten them once a win would give the 49ers first place. The 13th week of the nil season May have been the one that clarified the play off picture. While just eight of the league s 28 teams can said to be eliminate the reality is that Only a dozen have real shots. Al the lop of that list arc the 49crs, who were everyone s Choice in preseason to re peat As super bowl Champion and become the dynasty of the k of and everyone s Choice after seven weeks and a 3-4 records the fizzle of 1985. But san Francisco has won five of its last six games it would be in straight but for a snowball and a dubious pass interference Call in Denver and is begin Ning to look like the Best football team South of the Chicago bears. Our defense is As Good now As it was last year. Our offence has three games to come around said coach Bill Walsh implying that there is a future after those three games. Indeed the 8-5 49ers should make the playoffs As at Leasi a wild card Leam. So should the 9-4 rams barring a total col lapse their 29-3 loss in new Orleans Sun Day was t thai far from in. The bears 12-1, have clinched the Cen trial Crown. Dallas 9-4, leads the Easl by a game Over the new York giants who Are still in Good shape for a playoff spot despite Sun Day s 35-33 loss to Cleveland. Washington and Detroit each 7-6, plus 6-7 Green Bay Philadelphia and Minne Sota Are technically still alive. Bui redskins coach Joe Gibbs conceded after sunday s game we re not in Good shape. We know that.". In the acc six teams Are contending for five spots. The new York jets new England and Miami tied for first in the Easl at 9-4. The los Angeles raiders and Denver who meet sunday Al mile High stadium. Lead the Wisl Al 9-4 with Seattle at 7-6. The sixth playoff berth will go to the Winner of the Central division where Cleveland at 7-6 leads Pittsburgh and Cincinnati by a game