"With One Look" (SUNSET BOULEVARD)

Tonight I saw a NYU men's volleyball match, and the energy in that gym was great. I thought I was in for a good match. My main goal was to pay attention to the referees' calls and hand signals. Last week when I saw Baruch College vs. Hunter College match, I got caught up in the excitement of the game and I wasn't paying attention to the referees, and my instructor was even there. That crowd, both schools, showed pride in their teams with yells and cheers but did not show any disrespect for their opponent at anytime. That was not the case with the teams tonight. The stands were larger than normal, and they were packed. I was surrounded by NYU students with a small patch of the crowd to the lower left of me from NJ Institute of Technology, the opponents. The first game was okay. NYU lost. But it was the second game where a few students went a little too far. The students were there to heckle, almost like it was a class extra credit. Cheering at a game and supporting your team is one thing, but when you start getting personal and using foul language then you've crossed the line, at least in my volleyball eyes. One guy exchanged words with a girl from NJIT, and it got pretty heated. I just knew I was going to see a fight. Another guy was persistent with his derogatory comments and the gym staff tried to quiet him down. Then that same guy got a little too close to the court and both referees ordered him to be removed from the gym. Okay, we just read about that ruling this week where a referee has the authority to have a spectator removed from the gym if they are disruptive to the game and possibly a team sanction. How strange to read about a situation and then to witness was actually cool and a little nervous. Would I be a referee who could do that? Yes I think I would. Sadly NYU lost 3-1.