It’s unfair to blame comedian Heather McMahan for the boorish and embarrassing behavior by American fans at last week’s Ryder Cup golf tournament on Bethpage, Long Island. Make no mistake, she was part of the problem, when serving as the MC of the first hole she yelled in the microphone, “F… you, Rory,” and I’m obviously using the PG version. This chant was aimed at European player and team captain Rory McIlroy, who took this and a whole lot more abuse from unruly American fans while the European squad largely dominated the Americans for their first win on US soil since 2012. For her unprofessional display, McMahan withdrew from the role and has been largely dragged through the mud on social media for the entire fiasco. And while I do think she acted like a bratty teenager, it’s probably not fair to hold her fully accountable. Because there were plenty of other American louts acting like spoiled children. Beyond the f bombs and other obscenities, large groups of American fans did things like interrupt European players on their backswing and, in one case, threw a beer can that grazed Rory’s wife’s hat. By Saturday afternoon, police lined the fairways to make sure things didn’t cross the line from verbal to physical, which it didn’t. It was an obnoxious display by largely intoxicated fans at a sport that historically adheres to a long list of norms and practices. And it was largely grounded in a xenophobic ethos dressed up as patriotism, if that still exists.
McIlroy seemed to take it as well as possible, especially given the abuse his wife took for doing nothing more than walking the course. He did mention that he’d make sure European fans showed more class when they hosted the next Cup in Ireland in two years. Retired American golfer and former Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson was less restrained, saying that he was ashamed by American fan behavior while congratulating Rory and his team for the win. I imagine there will be some payback in 2027, but we can hope this won’t become the new norm in international golfing events.
That said, fan behavior at historically reserved sporting events has seemingly deteriorated in recent years. The US Open Tennis Championships in New York has turned into something of a bar crawl with professional tennis in the background. Things that would have once been unimaginable – like walking and talking behind the baseline during a match – are simply common practice. Ashe Stadium has a constant din throughout every match that makes you feel like you’re listening to a verse of Weezer’s Sweater Song. This past year, I saw a top 25 player turn around during a 5th set tiebreak to yell at a mouthy fan at a night match in an outer court.
I’m old enough that I remember getting yelled at for whispering in between points before Ashe had a roof. The world has changed.
I’d suggest it’s not for the better. Part of this evolution, some might say, was necessary to better engage young fans in live sports – especially when they have countless options for outstanding spectatorship on a flat screen in their basement. Yelling at golf matches is like DJs and sleeping pods at work – it’s the next generation’s turn. I do get that, even if I prefer my tennis with a bit more couth and a few less Honey Deuces. But that’s not the issue here. This isn’t just about young people wanting something different than what we used to have. And I know this kind of fandom has been the norm at most sporting events forever, from British soccer to American football. But what happened at the Ryder Cup, a place where we once shoed a modicum of respect for both social norms and each other, is the unleashing of a new permission to be obnoxious. To abuse others. To be mean. It’s increasingly American, from sporting events to movie theaters to online discourse. And I’m not going to say it’s a direct permission given by our federal government. But just watch this week’s speech to our military generals or the American voice at the UN and tell me you don’t see a throughline to American behavior at the Ryder Cup. Because I do. Sport is a mirror of who we are. And what we saw at Bethpage last week may have felt like a fun house. But sadly, it wasn’t.
So I can’t fully blame Heather McMahan for the abomination. Because that fault goes far and wide.
Keith Strudler is the Dean of the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him at @KeithStrudler.
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