Spring Break
Home advantage key factor for success of Miami athletics
Dan Kukla
Issue date: 4/13/07 Section: Sports
"Muck Farshall" and "Muck Fichigan" are two common T-shirts you see around Miami's campus.
"When Marshall was in the conference I wore (the 'Muck Farshall' shirt) to support Miami when they played them," said Miami senior Zach Silberman. "They were our biggest rival a few years back so I wanted to make sure I supported Miami."
But do the shirts take it too far?
"I don't think those type of shirts are inappropriate," Silberman said. "If you had a shirt depicting the death of a player or team, then that is taking it way too far. But just making fun of the team and showing pride for your own team is not inappropriate."
It's those fans that do take it too far, that can sometimes have a negative impact on the players.
"Sometimes fans will take it a little too far and some of the guys on the team may get a little disoriented when they have fans screaming at them," Penno said.
Beyond the battle against hostile fans, teams on the road must also struggle with the challenges of travel.
"Travel itself is a big factor," said basketball Head Coach Charlie Coles. "It makes it hard to get into a routine; that's what throws you off. It's just hard to play in an unfamiliar environment."
Penno and Coles both agreed that long bus rides, uncomfortable hotels and demanding schedules can all be quite taxing on players and coaches especially during long road trips.
Senior softball player Leslie Macedo echoed the opinion of Coles and Penno.
"Routine in athletics is everything," Macedo said. "You have a batting routine and a pre-game routine. Travel definitely interrupts that."
There is no denying the many challenges that come with playing road games. However, no matter how difficult they may be, there is no way to make them go away.
"When Marshall was in the conference I wore (the 'Muck Farshall' shirt) to support Miami when they played them," said Miami senior Zach Silberman. "They were our biggest rival a few years back so I wanted to make sure I supported Miami."
But do the shirts take it too far?
"I don't think those type of shirts are inappropriate," Silberman said. "If you had a shirt depicting the death of a player or team, then that is taking it way too far. But just making fun of the team and showing pride for your own team is not inappropriate."
It's those fans that do take it too far, that can sometimes have a negative impact on the players.
"Sometimes fans will take it a little too far and some of the guys on the team may get a little disoriented when they have fans screaming at them," Penno said.
Beyond the battle against hostile fans, teams on the road must also struggle with the challenges of travel.
"Travel itself is a big factor," said basketball Head Coach Charlie Coles. "It makes it hard to get into a routine; that's what throws you off. It's just hard to play in an unfamiliar environment."
Penno and Coles both agreed that long bus rides, uncomfortable hotels and demanding schedules can all be quite taxing on players and coaches especially during long road trips.
Senior softball player Leslie Macedo echoed the opinion of Coles and Penno.
"Routine in athletics is everything," Macedo said. "You have a batting routine and a pre-game routine. Travel definitely interrupts that."
There is no denying the many challenges that come with playing road games. However, no matter how difficult they may be, there is no way to make them go away.
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