Booing Matthew Stafford? Really?

November 4, 1:50 PMDetroit Lions ExaminerChris Morgan

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Stafford has problems enough as it is. (Getty Images)

Booing. It is commonplace in sports. It is also commonly done in situations that do not necessarily call for it. Fans like to voice how they are feeling about what is happening on the field. However, it just so happens that what people are feeling is often ridiculous and incongruous to what is going on. After all, let's face it, you can't get that many people in one place without having your fair share of people acting inappropriately and in some cases stupidly.

Now, in most cases, I wouldn't put booing something or someone that shouldn't be booed as stupid. It is far too innocuous an act for that to be the case. That said, sometimes it is ridiculous, and unjustified, to boo in a certain instance.

The genesis of this article comes from last Sunday's horrific loss to the St. Louis Rams at home. Matthew Stafford had a less than stellar game. Apparently, that was enough for some fans to boo and jeer him. To which I must ask: Really?

Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of booing a player on your own team based simply on poor performance. Booing is an act of derision and destain, and I see no reason to deride somebody for simply lacking proper ability or making a non-egregious mistake. Booing opposing players? I'm all for it, it's part of the fun of the game. Booing a bad call by the referee? Reasonable enough. You've got no loyalty to them, and if their error negatively impacts your team, you obviously are going to be irritated. However, unless a player on your team is putting out an effort than is clearly less than it should be, I see no reason to boo your own players. You know, the guys you root for?

Additionally, booing Matthew Stafford is extra ridiculous. This guy is a rookie who I've argued shouldn't even be starting yet. He just returned from an injury. He led the team to its first victory in ages. What, exactly, is the provocation for booing him? How exactly is that rational or logical? Simply put, it isn't. It's absurd and obnoxious. Plus, Stafford seems like a nice guy. Cut him some slack.

Dominic Raiola, as he is wont to do, got into a spat with the hecklers in defense of his quarterback. This is, of course, just as ridiculous as the booing that provoked it. He also said that he is concerned that booing and what have you could negatively impact Stafford's psyche. This I also deem unreasonable. While the booing is unnecessary and dumb, it isn't going to ruin Stafford's ability to play football. It might annoy him, but it won't hinder him.

So I suppose my point is booing Matthew Stafford right now is incredibly dumb and there is no rationale for it. Hopefully this doesn't become more prevalent as the season goes on and the Lions continue to lose frequently. Stafford is the future of the franchise, and all of our hopes for a winning team at some point rest on him. However, for right now he's just a rookie in over his head. You can be disappointed when he makes a bad play. I'm not saying Lions fans should coddle him. I'm just saying I see no point in booing him, and it is ridiculous to do so. If you have your heart set on booing somebody, there's plenty of better options to choose from. Just wait for Jeff Backus to take a bad penalty. You know he's good for it.