Bryan Stow

For those that follow sports regularly, the story of Bryan Stow is one that shocked many when the baseball season began last year. He traveled to Los Angeles to see his beloved Giants take on the Dodgers to open the season. Following the game, he was beaten almost to death by others that clearly didn't understand the true meaning of sports. The Giants community has rallied and continues to rally for Bryan and his recovery. Before the start of each game, one person is selected to throw the ceremonial first pitch. This is a great honor to anyone that is invited to throw out the pitch. The San Francisco Giants stepped up big time and asked Bryan to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day. Due to injuries that he had sustained from the beating, he was not able to attend the game. The Giants did the next best thing and allowed his son, Tyler, the honor of throwing the pitch.

Real Fans

Real Fans don't boo at their team or the opposing team. They never throw items in the arena and especially not onto the court or field. While true fans can create a raucous environment, chants and cheers should never be hateful or derogatory towards someones lifestyle or beliefs. Last week, the students at Gonzaga University decided to take a stand. They started a "Take the Hate out of Hoops" campaign. This was started in response to other students promising to show up to a game and making derogatory chants and showing up in attire to mock the opposing team. The "Take the Hate out of Hoops" campaign is a great movement that Gonzaga Students have started. I hope that it is something that will continue to spread throughout the country and Sportsmanship will begin to dominate hate.