University of Wisconsin football head coach Barry Alvarez extended a plea to students to watch their language at football games in a mass e-mail sent to student season-ticket holders Thursday, citing the presence of young children in Camp Randall stadium at Badger home football games.
“I am asking you to consider eliminating the one cheer that has been offensive to a number of people that attend our games, especially those with young children,” Alvarez wrote in the e-mail.
UW student Jeff Rose, who received the e-mail, is confident the obscenities to which Alvarez referred are chant exchanges between the student sections, which instruct each other to “eat shit” and claim they will “fuck you.”
“I am a senior at Madison, and every season we’ve been chanting it,” Rose said. “I don’t understand why all of a sudden Alvarez is asking us to stop now.”
UW senior Sam Seiden speculated television networks covering Badger games might have persuaded Barry to appeal directly to the students.
“Friends of mine have told me that they have heard the chant while watching football games on television,” Seiden said.
Alvarez also commended students for their impact on and contribution to the success of this fall’s Badger football team. He noted Camp Randall stadium had been ranked in the Indianapolis Star as having the best game-day atmosphere in the big ten
“Your actions in the student section set the tone for our game-day atmosphere,” Alvarez said in the e-mail. “You’ve had a great impact on our team’s efforts during our undefeated non-conference season,”
Describing Alvarez’s letter as “multi-faceted,” Steve Malchow, assistant athletic director of communications, denied Alvarez wrote the letter primarily to chastise students on their vulgar chants at football games.
“Barry wanted to thank students for their support and to recognize that we have a great game-day atmosphere, and to encourage [students] to continue to be a factor in games,” Malchow said.
Malchow declined to repeat the chant to which Alvarez referred.
“I can’t answer that specifically,” Malchow said. “There are some cheers in which vulgarity is used that is offensive to a number of fans.”
Malchow expressed hope students would consider halting the explicit chant.
“Fans need to be classy as well as loud,” he said.
Alvarez reminded students of the significance of Saturday’s Badger game, the Big Ten opener against Penn State.
“This week’s game starts at 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcast by ABC. Be sure to get your ankles taped and get into Camp Randall early, prepared to be our 12th man,” Alvarez said in the e-mail. “You are the best! Just ask the Indianapolis Star. On Wisconsin!”
