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Rowdy Student Sections Of Ohio


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When the sound of high school or college students yelling and chanting resounds in a gymnasium, one thing is certain.  It is game day. 

The idea of the "student section" has transformed over the years.  The cute era in the sporting world is dead.  What was once an innocent group of peers watching their team square off against an opponent, has turned into a blood bath.  Ohio University students coined their fan section as the "O Zone".   

"Really just the nastiest, rowdiest crowd is the one that usually comes away with the win," Carter Eckl, an active member of the Ohio University O Zone, stated.  Throughout a sporting event O Zone members engage in different cheers to keep the opposing team down.  A majority of the banter centers around information obtained from social media profiles of opposing players.  This behavior does not just start in college.

"We would normally dig up some dirt on some of the other players, and then we would kind of harass that person the whole game," graduate of Logan High School, Patrick Klinger explained.  Klinger attended Logan High School basketball games throughout his life and could not recollect a tame student crowd.  Klinger cautioned that some parents and faculty saw the behavior as inappropriate, but usually enjoyed the lighthearted taunts that spiced up the game. 

Both Klinger and Eckl agreed whether in high school or at the collegiate level, the sporting event is more fun with a zealous crowd.