“They say those who can’t play, coach. Apparently those who can’t coach, sit thirty rows back, shirtless, shouting obscenities. (That’s right, mother****er!) Thanks to you, our team is armed with game-winning tips, like ‘catch the ball’ and ‘throw it’. (Shout it out loud!) You stink. That sucks. What a bunch of losers. Not just cat calls, but subtle psychological ploys to prod your team to victory. (Reverse psychology!) So here’s to you, o sultan of shouting. Because while there may be no ‘I’ in ‘team’, thanks to you, there’s always an ‘F’ and a ‘U’.”
—”Mr. Pro Sports Heckler Guy” from the Bud Light Real Men of Genius series of commercials

With burning hearts and heated passions multiplying as RPC/RWC 2008 approaches, I can’t think of a much better topic than this.

Technically, it is impossible for in-game characters to become hecklers in either agit sieges, since they’ll just be caught in the crossfire; or in true PvP combat, since access to hecklers is absolutely denied. Heckling is also against player etiquette.

But come Level Up! Live 2008, there will be real-life hecklers in all sorts of championships, not just RPC/RWC 2008. Let’s analyze the lines in the jingle mentioned at the start of this article.

“They say those who can’t play, coach. Apparently those who can’t coach, sit thirty rows back, shirtless, shouting obscenities.” There is a bit of subversion here, since the guildmaster/coach of a certain guild/team can also play, therefore he bears two burdens. But the non-coach/non-GM, a.k.a. the heckler, still remains at a considerable spot, away from the place of competition, swearing as much as Pritong Kandule does.

“Thanks to you, our team is armed with game-winning tips, like ‘catch the ball’ and ‘throw it’.” In RO, the ‘catch the balls’ and ‘throw its’ are commonly Asura Strikes/Extremity Fists. Five-digit damage points are also applicable. Strategic maneuvers, therefore, fall victim to being unnoticed by those rowdy hecklers.

“You stink. That sucks. What a bunch of losers. Not just cat calls, but subtle psychological ploys to prod your team to victory.” Some people are certified fan boys of certain teams (this fact applies to all competitive sports and electronic sports), so they’ll stop at nothing to demolish their favorite team’s rivals and clinch the championship, though indirectly.

“So here’s to you, o sultan of shouting. Because while there may be no ‘I’ in ‘team’, thanks to you, there’s always an ‘F’ and a ‘U’.” We can therefore conclude that swearing is the heckler’s number one weapon.

The song may be funny, but it also gives a message. Hecklers, due to them being more of annoyances rather than assistants, should be brought to a minimum. If you like a certain team, give it all the support you’ve got, but don’t go too far.

**The opinions and viewpoints published in this article are not necessarily those of Level Up! Inc, its games and its licensed products or services.

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