> My final complaint is that I generally find an inverse correlation
between the loudness/crudeness of the abuse and hockey knowledge
of the abuser.
 
Absolutely true. As in the rest of life, you don't have to worry
about spotting the jack-asses; they're happy to identify themselves.
 
 
Having said that...
 
"Fight, Maim, Kill!" (Cornell) is funny because it's so ridiculously
hyperbolic. Some people think "Scrape 'em Off The Ice" is funny in
the same way, although I don't like it because hockey injuries are
just way to scary to me. The funniest of all of these is Yale's "Rip
Off Their Arms And Beat Them Over The Head With The Bloody Stumps!"
which is really impressive in a lot of ways, not the least of which
is how 1,000 screaming kids all hold to the same meter. Sort of.
 
In reading over the past messages, I think the original poster was
saying that these kind of cheers are a fun part of the games, and I
agree. 5% of the fans will come up with creative, funny things to
yell at the opponent, 5% will come up with stupid, boring, and
offensive things. There's a battle for the hearts, minds, and lungs
of the other 90% who want to have a good time and see their team win,
and I think the creative fans almost always win. So let's not shut
down everybody by overreacting to a few jerks.
 
 
Greg
Somerville, MA
"You're not a black hole..." (Pilfered from Harvard)