Out in Left Field

Bob Goodenow, captain of Harvard's hockey team, is ordinarily mild-mannered even after an important game. After Wednesday's victory over Dartmouth, however, the Crimson's star right-winger could not contain his feelings about the shabby treatment Harvard had received from the fans in Hanover.

"The fans were just unbelievable," Goodenow said. "I would be crouched before the faceoff and could hear them spitting onto the ice." He said that a number of Harvard players were spat upon during the course of the game.

Goodenow added that this kind of conduct was not limited to Dartmouth students: "I couldn't believe it, but even little kids were coming up to our bench and saying obscenities."

The maturity level of the Dartmouth spectators certainly did not exceed that of those elementary school pupils. You probably remember the power you felt when you first said those curse words that supposedly made you an adult. The thrill of cursing has apparently not faded for the Greenies. Flouting authority is big in junior high, when pranksters spit from third-floor windows and smoking in the johns is required by the cool group. This need to be accepted apparently still motivates the Dartmouth student.

Nor is this conduct limited to Dartmouth. In late January, officials were forced to halt a contest between the Bruins and the Black Hawks because spectators were throwing bottles onto the ice. The fans were upset because their hero, Bobby Orr, was tripped at the blue line and no penalty was called. Stan Mikita, echoing Goodenow, expressed amazement at this outburst.

Lest I be accused of favoritism toward my home town, the Chicago Cubs's Bleacher Bums are also notorious for their immature behavior. They threw crutches at the Reds' Pete Rose and pennies at ex-Cardinal outfielder Lou Brock. One fan even poured beer on Roger Maris, then of the Cards, as he prepared to catch a fly against the wall.

Explanations for this rash of fan violence, however, must focus on the evolution of both the fans' and the players' attitudes.

An important part of this growing fan cynicism is the professional athlete's increasing preoccupation with money. This is not to condemn the athletes, for they were underpaid in the past. Yet while competition between leagues has increased salaries, so too has it torn down the veneer of awe that used to separate the fan and the player. The player has become a highly publicized, salaried worker. He has stepped down from the pedestal as a result of his own doing. Like other American workers, he goes to the highest bidder.

Ex-Chicago Blackhawk Bobby Hull is a perfect example of this changing attitude among athletes. I remember how he scored two goals in a Stanley Cup game against Detroit despite a badly broken nose. Yet when he went to the WHA, he bowed to the reality of financial exigencies. Athletes cannot make mythical tax paymenns. Thus, perhaps, it was only a matter of time before the shattering of the fans' illusion of men playing only because they love the game. Certainly pro players love their jobs, certainly more than the average professional, but they are still workers with wives and families.

When spectators saw that they and athletes have similar lives, fan involvement increased. The increased fan identification with the players led to the bottle-throwing incident in Shea Stadium during last season's N.L. playoffs. Poor little Bud Harrelson had to be protected from the big brute, Pete Rose, and bottles were a handy weapon.

Furthermore, fans now think that contests are spectacles and that players are entertainers. The player is being paid to perform and the ticket-holders expect a virtuoso exhibition every time. For instance, until the past few years, I never heard of players being accused of not hustling.

The thrill of watching athletics has not faded, but the respect for the performers has dropped. Fan identification with the home team has degenerated into an attack on the opponents. Harvard was subjected to both mental and physical abuse by a Big Green crowd that was sure its actions would help insure a Dartmouth victory. However, one must ask, victory at what cost? If sport has degenerated into war, its value to both spectators and players is uncertain.

Section 18, long the notoriously rowdy area at Watson Rink, should take note. The Harvard players do not appreciate similarly immature behavior while on the road. Swearing, spitting and throwing things on the ice certainly do not enhance the Crimson's performance. It's not cute, funny or endearing. Maturity, not stupidity, should perdominate.