As the summer slowly approaches, Ohio State football fans start to turn their attention toward the upcoming season. All college football fans start to ramp up their interest of their team as the Fall suddenly seems right around the corner. It’s a great time of year.
Not every single Ohio State football player is going to play well in all of the games. Not every single player is going to get a tackle or a sack or a touchdown. Some players are going to have bad games. It’s important we remember that they are just kids though.
I think it’s perfectly reasonable to criticize a player’s performance on the field. That’s even more true now that a large amount of them are getting NIL money for being college athletes. As long as the criticism stays with their on-field abilities, that’s okay.
What’s not okay is for fans to start making personal comments or threats to a player. Their play on the field has nothing to do with who they are as human beings. Just because they might be a bad player doesn’t mean that they are a bad person. Those two things are separate issues.
It’s also NEVER okay to wish harm on anyone for any reason. Unfortunately, some fans take things way too personally and start attacking kids on social media. It’s not just Ohio State fans either. This is an issue with every fanbase in America. Ours is just a little louder sometimes.
Whenever I am critical of someone, I always criticize what they are doing in the context of the sport they are playing. I never take any personal shots at anyone. I’d hope that Ohio State football fans remember that once the season rolls around and think twice before posting anything.