Bring Back the Heckler!

Is it me or are the crowds at volleyball games getting more and more tame?

I watched the #1 Pepperdine men's team take on UCLA at Pauley Pavilion and heard announcer/legend Karch Kiraly talking about the old days. He said he remembers playing at Pepperdine when the crowds were brutal. Mothers, sisters, physical appearances -- nothing was sacred. Kiraly recalled some unruly fans sending a remote controlled car into his team's huddle during one match -- anything to distract, annoy or otherwise take an opposing player out of a game.

Yes, it's true, that was the late 70's when practically anything went. But heckling was still alive and well in the early 90's when I was playing. I remember hearing the Bruin frat boys melodically chanting "Ste-roids! Ste-roids!" whenever I went back to serve. Heaven forbid one of us had a weight problem, a larger-than-average nose or a visible zit! We'd never hear the end of it!

So what's with the sparse crowds sitting down all game and offering up only a golf clap on particularly great plays? I've been to matches at UCLA, USC, UCI and Stanford this year and it seems the same everywhere. I can't believe I am saying this, but I actually miss the hardcore heckler!

As maddening and inappropriate as they were, they kept things interesting for the crowd and the players. Personally, I thrived on it and loved to shut them up by pounding their beloved team into submission. I never had to worry about motivation, because they were always there to fire me up. At least we knew they cared. I feel badly for today's players who seem to have no crowd energy to feed off of. Must be rough.

Is the hardcore heckler dead?