Fan Boundaries with Student Athletes

[CyCrazy]

It's my parents who taught me boundaries. If I see a young female sitting by herself and I'm an old fuddy duddy, why would anyone think it's appropriate for me to approach her?

Chatting someone up is inappropriate?

 

[BCClone]

Chatting someone up is inappropriate?

Apparently, if you talk to a female under your age, it means you want to get busy with them. I’m learning new things in this thread

 

[ScottyP]

Chatting someone up is inappropriate?

yes. very inappropriate.

Social isolation is preferred.

 

[Bipolarcy]

Yeah, my folks taught me about boundaries and respect my whole life. They didn’t wait till the birds and the bees and let me run around to be a jack wagon for the first 10 to 12 years of my life.

So if you’re sitting at an airport terminal and you got time to kill, you just don’t ever make small talk to the person sitting next to you whoever they are?

That's obviously a different situation than a single girl sitting by herself in a restaurant, trying to enjoy a meal in peace. If they don't have their nose buried in a book or a phone or have ear buds in or headphones on, which are signs they don't want to be bothered, then yes, I might start a conversation at an airport terminal, but I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable or force a conversation on anyone.

 

[BryceC]

How often do you choose to go to a bar alone? Not talking with friends, alone. I wouldn't think a shy/non-social butterfly would ever choose to do that. Anything you can do at a bar alone, you can do at home alone. Just strange, all we're saying.

I’m probably in the top 1% of social people you’ll find. If you’re in line with me we’ll talk. If you don’t want to I’ll know right away and stop but I’m going there.

I’ve never gone to a bar by myself and honestly wouldn’t even think of it.

For the record the only thing I ever say to an athlete is that I love watching them play. I try not to make it about wins and losses.

 

[cydnote]

I have read most of this thread and I’m still confused. Are you telling me that if I’m on the driving range and I see Doug Flutie and Frank Thomas I shouldn’t ask them if they know of a product to help my impotence?
I’ve been waiting for an opportunity similar to that when I learned “and she’ll like it too!”

 

[Cyched]

So if you’re sitting at an airport terminal and you got time to kill, you just don’t ever make small talk to the person sitting next to you whoever they are?

 

[BCClone]

Now I’m curious about, what do you do if a young woman starts a conversation with you and you’re sitting by yourself. I used to be muscular but now just overweight. Do I get up and run away?

 

[Cyched]

Now I’m curious about, what do you do if a young woman starts a conversation with you and you’re sitting by yourself. I used to be muscular but now just overweight. Do I get up and run away?

Yelling “stranger danger” should do the trick

 

[3TrueFans]

Now I’m curious about, what do you do if a young woman starts a conversation with you and you’re sitting by yourself. I used to be muscular but now just overweight. Do I get up and run away?

I don't expect this to be an issue.

 

[ClonerJams]

In college I worked at a gas station next to campus. JaMaine Billups came in one day and told him how great his punt return against Pitt was. He seemed excited I brought it up. I'm sure I came off like this

 

[Mr.G.Spot]

When I was first married, we lived in a western suburb of Chicago named Elmhurst and many Chicago Blackhawk players lived there as well. We would often see a young Jeremy Roenick and his defenseman roommate at a Greek breakfast restaurant named the Rainbow, which did brisk business. I never saw anyone approach Roenick, which is probably why he frequented the place - he could eat without being bothered.

Several months ago, a retirement age male board member related a story where he entered a small Ames bar to meet friends, saw a high profile female basketball player sitting alone at a table and approached her, "conversing for several minutes". He said she sat alone the entire time she was there, which he thought was "weird". The player was one of our first "unexpected" transfer portal losses.

I'm firmly in the camp that formal boundaries should be in place between fans and student athletes, especially female student athletes. An adult male wouldn't walk into a small towny bar, see an anonymous twenty year-old girl sitting alone at a table, walk up and engage her in conversation. I feel strongly the same should hold true for an ISU WBB player - she was sitting alone by choice - leave her alone. I said as much in the thread and was surprised by the number of people who felt otherwise.

It's a slow time of the ISU athletic year and I'm always interested in the opinions of others. I'm not talking about college-aged or young adults, rather mature adults ages 40 & over. Would you approach a female athlete sitting alone in a bar minding their own business? When is it permissible to approach a female student athlete in public? When is it permissible to approach any ISU student athlete in public?

They get paid now. Welcome to the next stage.