First, I have lived in the New York City metro area virtually my entire life, have been a diehard Knicks fan since the 1960s, attended a ton of games at the Garden (including the 13 years I shared season tickets during the Patrick Ewing era), and I NEVER booed once--nor did I ever consider booing at any time.
Yes, there were a number of attendees--I don't think they deserve to be known as bona fide "fans"--who actually booed Patrick Ewing on multiple occasions. And, to me, that was totally uncalled for and beyond ridiculous.
Did Patrick have games where he missed shots he would normally make, miss rebounds he would ordinarily get, and do other things at times that were sub-par or inconsistent? Of course, he did. Just like any other player I have ever seen--including Michael Jordan.
But did I ever think he wasn't trying his best? Of course not (and if you ever saw Patrick Ewing play in person--and I was in the 11th row behind the basket--you would see the sweat pouring off of him just minutes into the game).
The bottom line is, how can you even think of booing a player on your team or the team itself unless you are absolutely convinced they are not giving their best effort out there? And, having played a varsity sport myself in college, I think it's exceptionally hard to know that for sure.
And, my guess is, those who booed all of those years didn't play competitive sports at a high level and, therefore, they never had a full understanding or appreciation of how difficult it is to excel in sports on a consistent level.
Besides, what do those who are booing think is gained when they express their displeasure in such a vocal and negative way? Do they really think that booing will motivate the players to do better? Do they think that booing really makes the players feel connected to them and want to win for them?
What's all the more mind-boggling in the present day in Columbus is that there are some attendees at the Shoe who have had the audacity to boo a quarterback who did something last year that was one of the most distinctive and impressive achievements not just in college football history, but in all of American sports (both college and professional).
I think JT Barrett absolutely deserves to start on Saturday night--and, quite frankly, I expected JT to start at the beginning of the season--but this does not in any way diminish my appreciation for what Cardale has done for the Buckeyes. For anyone to have booed him is an absolute disgrace.
