Poor Bison Fan Behavior? Or is it Blown Out of Proportion?

A man alleges that Bison fans are showing poor sportsmanship at home games.

More than 2,100 people have shared his Facebook post.

The Bison games are no doubt a big deal in Fargo with four national championships under their belt and their quest for number five underway.

According to some spectators on social media, fans may be taking their bragging rights a little too far.
 
“It’s a wonderful experience and I think it’s the biggest thing in town,” says Bison fan, Jerry Maley.
 
Lifelong Bison fan Jerry Maley says his family loves to attend Bison games.

He’s been a team maker for 15 years.
 
“I’ve never seen any rude fans. I see fans that get excited about the game,” says Maley.
 
But one man took to Facebook to document a conversation that happened on a flight claiming that some Northern Iowa fans said they “wished the Bison fans would have treated them better in the stands.”

He also says an ESPN representative on the flight agreed, saying “they have noticed an increase in poor behavior by Bison fans towards the opposing team’s fans.”
 
“I think the oppositions really play good games and it’s very competitive. I have not heard a lot of bad behavior from the stands,” says Fargo Mayor, Tim Mahoney.
 
The post generated a lot of attention.

Dan Huber did not want to go on camera but says he just wanted to bring awareness to this problem.

Other fans at Bison games shared similar bad behavior experiences online.

Kaaren wrote: “Little wakeup call for some Bison fans is in order here. There is absolutely no reason to be rude to opposing teams and fans. I saw it myself when tailgating before the NDSU-UND game.”

I took it to the streets to ask Bison fans who attend these games on what they thought about the post.
 
“I think somebody’s just blowing it out of proportion. I don’t think there’s any truth in that at all,” says Bison fan, Dorothy Davis.
 
Even if a few bad apples are trying to tarnish the reputation of the Bison, the mayor urges fans to stay respectful.
 
“I say, we should have good sportsmanship. We have an excellent team and they’ve been very professional for when they competed for us,” says Mahoney.
 
“Once a bison, always a bison. That’s what we say,” says Maley.
 
We reached out to both the NDSU President and Athletic Director but received no response.

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