By now you’ve read about last weekend’s ugly fan treatment of the European golf team as the United States hosted the biennial Ryder Cup matches at Bethpage Black Golf Course east of New York City.

It’s one thing to lustily boo your opponent in a sports competition. 

Showering the visiting golfers and their families with *-bombs and alcoholic beverage baths took boorish behavior to a new low last weekend at the Ryder Cup.

For the record, I’m not a Rory McIlroy fan.  I find him a bit too egotistical on the golf course.

Rory did not deserve to be greeted at the first tee at last weekend’s Ryder Cup by thousands of inebriated New York fans with a lusty chorus of “’#$@! you’, Rory!” either.  McIlroy’s wife (who made the mistake of coming to support her husband) received an unexpected beer shower during one round last weekend.

NBC’s audio team did a fabulous job of minimizing the vulgarities and jeering crowds throughout the weekend.  The crew deserves an Emmy for their creative work in keeping the foul language minimized to American viewers at home.

It was downright embarrassing.

The Ryder Cup is a big money grab by the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour

Golf fans paid an incredible $750 (correct!) to buy one of the 50,000 daily tickets sold to the 2025 Ryder Cup.  Reports confirmed that the golf course was so crowded that most fans didn’t enjoy the experience – even if the Americans would have won (they didn’t).

The ticket revenue from this three day golf event amounted to a cool $112.5 million.

The good news?  That $750 daily ticket came with one free sandwich, bag of chips, and a soft drink – at no cost!

Beer was sold for $15 per can.  American golf fans cried in a lot of beer during the first two days of the Ryder Cup. 

It’s safe to say that the worldwide television rights, spectator boxes, practice round passes, refreshments, programs, and other merchandising associated with the Ryder Cup easily generated at least an additional $100 million worth of loot for the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour.

Surprisingly, the 12 European golfers only received complimentary transportation, lodging, and food for their 15-13 win last weekend.  That’s because PGA European Tour needs that boatload of Ryder Cup money to financially prop-up their tour during most seasons.

The US-based PGA Tour handed the American team a $300,000 charitable contribution plus a $200,000 discretionary payment this year.  Most American golfers added the incremental portion to their charity(s) of choice.

It’s good to be a multi-millionaire golfer in the year 2025, isn’t it?

Large passionate home crowds + alcohol = A recipe for problems

The growing issue of fans behaving badly usually involves the combination of large numbers of very passionate sports fans plus alcohol to loosen their inhibitions.  It can make for a very explosive combination.

It’s not a new phenomenon.

A pudgy 22-year old Jack Nicklaus was involved in an 18-hole playoff against western Pennsylvania’s golf superstar Arnold Palmer in the 1962 US Open at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh. 

Arnie was ten years older and at the peak of his golf career.

Local fans showered Jack Nicklaus with untimely “Fat Jack” comments all day throughout the 18-hole  playoff.

Jack Nicklaus (whose father was in the gallery) said afterwards that he was so focused on winning that he didn’t even hear the heckling and jeers.  The coy younger Nicklaus won by three strokes to claim his first major championship.  Arnold Palmer expressed disappointment with the poor sportsmanship displayed by some of his most loyal fans.

The Phoenix Open’s 16^th hole has added more fuel to the golf flames

What could possibly go wrong when tournament organizers squeeze 20,000 golf fans into the grandstands surrounding a 180-yard par-3 hole and sell alcoholic beverages all day long?

The now famous 16^th hole at the TPC Scottsdale (Arizona) golf course has become the show-within-the-show at February’s annual Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Golfers walk into the 16^th hole arena much like it is a bullfighting ring.  The loosened-up crowd loudly cheers for good shots but won’t hesitate to lustily boo any golfer who (gasp!) should miss the green on his tee shot.

Many PGA Tour players enjoy this unique hole and play along with the spirited (hic!) crowd.  Other golfers have made it a point to skip this tour event entirely due to the mayhem and circus atmosphere at the 16^th hole.

A little bit definitely goes a long way.

Profane – “To treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt; to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use”

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition seems appropriately applied to some of the fans’ behavior at last weekend’s Ryder Cup in New York City.

Remember the movie Happy Gilmore when cocky veteran pro golfer Shooter McGavin hired a heckler to shout a well-known phrase during Gilmore’s backswing?

Last weekend’s crowd at the Ryder Cup made European golfers (Rory McIlroy in particular) feel much the same way – just with more gusto and colorful metaphors.

College home crowds have become more profane, too

College football and basketball fans are notorious for getting carried away with emotion.

Hours of pre-game parties filled with alcohol can inspire some of the home team’s fans to invent some rather creative but profane chants toward opponents.

Duke basketball’s “Cameron Crazies” are true collegiate professionals when it comes to inventing creative chants, heckling, and jeers aimed at the opposing players. 

Some can be downright funny and (begrudgingly) chuckled at by the opponents. Other times, the student section’s chants can turn personal and degrade into the profane variety.

Last Saturday’s Brigham Young University at University of Colorado Big 12 Conference football game turned ugly.  Some CU fans shouted a variety of expletives and religious slurs aimed at the Mormon-based Utah school’s team and its fans.

The Big 12 Conference handed down a <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/big-12/2025/09/