Sports have always been a big part of Tomball, football in particular. Though we haven’t always been the best, our players and coaches still get a lot out of the sport.  It can function as a stress relief and a way to learn life lessons they could never get from simple academics.

At every football game the stands are filled with supporting students, parents, and members of the local community. The fervor for football is high in Tomball, shown in the painted faces and red shirts of the fans as they cheer from the stands.

But how far is too far when supporting your team?

In last Friday’s game against Waller, the fans were hurling curses and obscenities from the stands at the coaches and players. It was clear that good sportsmanship fell easily to the rage at the prospect of losing.

With all this from the fans, perhaps it’s time to take a step back and remember something very important. While football matters a lot to the fans, it’s still just a game. And when it comes to the point that students, as well as teachers and parents, are degrading and insulting others because of a game, something is very wrong.

Especially considering how this school has been handling violence within the last few weeks, it’s important to be especially careful with how we channel our frustration. A few shouted words at a player could be overheard by his family or friends. And in that state of mind, a few words can quickly become a fight.

People care about their teams, a lot. A shooting in Duluth, Ga., for example, was the direct result of a New Orleans Saints fan who was mad that his team lost. Another case occurred in Dallas recently, outside the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium. Richard Sells was shot in the neck and killed after the crowd “egged on” another man with a gun to shoot him over a sports argument.

Now, it’s easy to think that this is very far off, and that we are nowhere near a murder, and we aren’t. But keep in mind that both of these cases were both the result of people taking their love of sports way too far.

The fans, not just of Tomball, but of sports around the world, take something meant to be for enjoyment way out of proportion. Having a hobby is all well and good. But if that hobby is something that’s going to cause you to yell at, or otherwise degrade another human being, it’s time to find a new hobby.

So the next time you are at a game and things don’t go your way, stop and consider the implications behind screaming obscenities like a small child. That doesn’t mean you can’t yell in support of your team, just that you should think twice before being that guy that takes his fandom too far.

And remember that all of these games are played within the sphere of good sportsmanship. And that cursing, screaming, and heckling – particularly of student athletes – have no place there.