Elizabeth Botello sounds off on bleacher life ...
Please enjoy this post from our intern. I told you it would be good. By the way, I didn't know what "PDA" means. If you need a quick lesson in urban dictionary, please let me know and I will provide the definition.
Last month, I had to cover a few high school softball games around the Valley. I definitely don't look my age-23. People mistake me for just another high school girl. But besides that, when it was time to sit and watch the games, I decided to join the fans on the stands.
It's been five years since I've seen any kind of high school sport played. These games were an eye-opener, to say the least, in witnessing a new breed of "teenage fans."
I guess one of the biggest changes is the very open PDA. I mean, it was happening right next to me. As I jotted down plays in my scorebook, it was hard to not glance over at the teenage couple, locking lips in the open or underneath a ratty t-shirt.
They were literally, inches away from me.
And another thing, high school fans know how to make an entrance. They'll either chat for most of the game, leave between innings or actually watch the game. They are an electic mix of fans under the age of 18. But what they do share in common is their sense in fashion.
Huge diamond studs were in a few of the guys' ears. Girls came out wearing tight shirts and perfect hairdos - in case their crush happened to be present.
Lastly, the profanity when cheering! I mean, if the kids were for the home team, they would shout bad words to the away players - out loud.
Keep in mind, these scenarios didn't happen in all the games I covered. But besides these negatives, high school teams should be happy about something. When they make it to CIF playoffs, their fellow students will bring their glamorous selves to the game and cheer.
Comments
...so did she just glance at the couple locking lips or did she put them on "FRONT STREET" between innings??
Posted by: Brock Landers | July 3, 2006 4:42 PM
Thanks guy's for clearing that up, now I can sleep at night.
Posted by: Dan | June 17, 2006 12:06 PM
Or, if you're a sportswriter, usually what you get from the crowd is a "Public Display of Anger" ... ah, I crack myself up. Yeah Dan, I didn't know what it meant either.
Posted by: Aram | June 14, 2006 7:35 PM
"Public Display of Affection"
If you think the high school kids are raucous, you should see the elementary school kids. Hellions, they are.
Posted by: Thelonious Mark | June 14, 2006 7:31 PM
Still couldn't find PDA in the urban dictionary
can someone post it, I'm assuming it's another way to sat making out, or is it worse?
Posted by: Dan | June 14, 2006 5:26 PM
ahh...bleacher life. it is but a simple snapshot of the many, many glimpses we get into our social decorum these days or apparently, lack thereof. i thoroughly enjoyed elizabeth's take in this article. too much PDA is never welcome!
Posted by: sandee | June 14, 2006 12:52 PM
Am I the only one who didn't know what "PDA" meant?
Uh, I was feeling Elizabeth's vibe about the "PDA" because I go to a lot of prep games throughout the year. The knee jerk reaction I had was to say "It wasn't like that when I was in school," which right away makes you sound 80-years old. But what surprised me is that it surprised somebody like Elizabeth, who graduated in '01, and I guess wasn't privy to that type of display even so recently. Could things have changed that much in 5 years? Lets be realistic, going off of what I've seen, I truly hope condoms are readily available, because they're probably very much needed.
AT
Posted by: Aram | June 14, 2006 12:06 PM
It was a joy reading your perspective on the new wave of high school fans. As a former high school athlete and now spectator it has been a little disconcerning to see young faces play more attention to each others features than the actual sport being played. But it's nice to see that there are still true fans who care about the game.
Posted by: Marissa | June 14, 2006 11:30 AM
I could not help but laugh while reading this. She seemed to be shocked by what she saw.. I too have noticed these things happening. I love to watch high school sports but the lack of common decency, the teenage attire and the profanity discourage me from going as much as I would like. A person can only take so much. I wonder where these parents are but then some parents are the ones doing these things. Unfortunately having morals is no longer "cool" in high school.
Posted by: Betty B | June 14, 2006 9:23 AM